Arcana Coelestia #6990
6990. 'Or the seeing, or the blind' means faith through cognitions, or the absence of faith through a lack of them. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding and being in possession of faith, dealt with in 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4411, thus faith as a result of cognitions (for in the original language it is a word that means one who is open - whose eyes are, to be exact - and so means one who sees as a result of cognitions, for these serve to open); and from the meaning of 'the blind' as the absence of faith as a result of a lack of cognitions, since a blind person is not one of 'the seeing'. In the Word those who are 'blind' also mean gentiles who have no knowledge of the truth of faith because they live outside the Church, yet when they have been taught accept faith, see 2387. Those same people are also meant by the blind whom the Lord healed, spoken of in Matthew 9:27-31; 12:22; Matthew 20:29-end; 21:14; Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-end; Luke 18:35-end; John 9:1-end.
Matthew 9:27-31
27
As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David!"
28
When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They told him, "Yes, Lord."
29
Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
30
Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this."
31
But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
