Gospel in Art: Two blind men followed Jesus

Jesus healing a blind man, Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, by Pierre Legros, 1683, carved limestone © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 5 December 2025
Matthew 9:27-31

At that time: As Jesus passed on from Capernaum, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David.' When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' They said to him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then he touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith be it done to you.' And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, 'See that no one knows about it.' But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Reflection on the sculpture

In today's Gospel, we hear of two blind men who followed Jesus. They could not see Him, and yet they stayed close to Him as He walked along. There is something very moving in that. We might recognise ourselves in those two men. We too try to follow the Lord, but we often do so with our own blindness. We do not always see as Jesus sees. We do not always notice the many ways He is present in our daily lives. We can miss His face in others, and even fail to see the traces of His grace at work within ourselves.

The psalm today speaks of seeing "the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living", yet how easy it is to overlook that goodness. Yes, there is darkness in our world, but there is also so much quiet goodness: the kindness of others, small acts of love, moments of light that can easily pass unnoticed.

Advent is a season dedicated to clearer sight. It is a time to lift our eyes, even in our blindness, and ask the Lord, as those two men did, to help us see more clearly.

Our sculptor, Pierre Le Gros the Elder was born in Chartres, France and became a foremost sculptor in the service of King Louis XIV. He contributed significantly to royal commissions including marbles and decorative sculptures for Versailles. Despite this royal affiliation, his roots in Chartres remained strong and he made a series of ecclesiastical works for Chartres Cathedral. In Chartres Cathedral's ambulatory (choir-screen area) we find our small but very powerful sculptural group of Jesus healing a blind man. The blind man, seated with a pilgrim's staff, reaches out and Jesus bends in compassionate motion. Two disciples are standing behind Jesus, quietly looking upon the scene.

Chartres Cathedral, begun after the devastating fire of 1194 and largely completed by 1220, is one of the greatest masterpieces of medieval architecture. It stands at the moment when Gothic building reached full maturity, introducing innovations that shaped cathedral construction across Europe. Its soaring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and ingenious flying buttresses allowed the walls to rise higher and thinner than ever before, opening vast spaces for stained glass. Chartres possesses the finest and most complete ensemble of medieval stained glass in the world with over 170 surviving windows. Dedicated to Our Lady, and housing the relic of the Sancta Camisia (said to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary), Chartres became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-9-27-31-2025/