Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Compassionate
love and healing by Jesus
Mark
7:31-37
“He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” 7:37
This is one of the miracles that Jesus did in Decapolis, a Gentile
part of the area outside Galilee on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark records this right after healing ofSyro-Phoenician woman’s daughter. These
miracles show that Jesus came to save the whole world and salvation is for all
who have faith in Jesus.
Note that it was his friends who had brought this deaf and mute
man to Jesus. Jesus pulled him aside away from the crowd, to attend to his
personal needs and to avoid public attraction. Jesus put his fingers into that
man’s ears and spit and touched his tongue to make him feel his touch as a sign
to enlist his trust. Jesus had a deep sigh meaning he was moved with love and
compassion for his suffering. He said to him “Ephphatha” which means “be
opened, be released”.The man could not hear it, but the creation heard his
command and he wasthen able to hear and speak. Jesus made him to hear right,
talk right so that he could walk right and live right..
You are the man in this story. Your ears are deaf.You turn a deaf
ear to God’s calling to do his will. You tune him out sometimes due to the
deceitfulness of wealth and the worries and pleasures of this world. We
fail to tell others about our wonderful savior. We fail to invite others to
church. We choose to be deaf and mute. Your friends may bring you to hear the
good news of Salvation. “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message
is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom.10:17). He can pierce our calloused
and deaf ears and give us a spiritual healing that we need today. Then he
wants us to speak as a witness for him.
Jesus also calls us to show compassion and open our hearts to the
needs of the people around us, irrespective of their race or status. They
may be poor, in need and suffering. Like Jesus, we can also reach out to those
who are spiritually deaf and speechless. We need to pray for them, visit them,
offer help if needed and say “Ephphatha” so that they can hear the message of
salvation and be witnesses to his saving grace.
Prophet Isaiah proclaims: “Be strong, do not fear; your God will
come… with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of
the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped… and the mute tongue
shout for joy” (Isaiah 35:3-6).
Prayer: Open my ears to listen and heed the word of God, open our eyes to
see you, open our hearts to receive you, open our minds to understand and obey
you and loosen our tongues to witness for you. Amen.
Thought for the Day: He is still telling us
“Ephphatha” (Be opened).
Alex T. Thomas, M.D, NJMTC, Randolph