Jesus Cures the Dumb, Blind, and Lame

12th-13th century
Mosaic
Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily

This panel pictures Matthew 15:29-31, "And when Jesus had passed away from thence, he came nigh the sea of Galilee. And going up into a mountain, he sat there. And there came to him great multitudes, having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed, and many others: and they cast them down at his feet, and he healed them."

In the mosaic we see the mountain in the left background, the crowd in the right background, and one each of the dumb, blind, and lame (left to right) in the right foreground. The kneeling posture of the dumb man probably reflects the phrase, "they cast them down at his feet." The meandering green line at the bottom probably represents the sea of Galilee.

As in other panels in this series, Jesus stands on the left and blesses the afflicted with his right hand while the disciples stand behind him. In his left hand is a scroll, the symbol of his authority.

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Read more about Jesus healing the blind.

Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.