Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 32 And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “ Ephphatha !” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35 And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 36 He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.”
The disciples did not understood what they had seen (Lk.6:48-52) or what they had heard (Lk. 7:17-18). Jesus now performed a miracle that allowed a deaf mute to hear and speak. Jesus took a circuitous route through mainly Gentile territory. We do not know if the deaf mute was a man of faith but the people that brought him to Jesus had faith that Jesus could cure him and begged Jesus to lay hands on him. Jesus frequently healed by touch. Jesus took the man away from the crowd and performed a healing ritual; ‘He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue (v. 33).’ Jesus, moved with compassion for the man, “looked up to heaven and groaned (v. 34).” The man was immediately and completely cured of his infirmities.
Touching the ears and then the tongue can be interpreted in this way; one can only preach the word of God after hearing and understanding it. This miracle further shows the divinity of Jesus; “Who gives one person speech? Who makes another mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord (Ex. 4:11)?” Jesus ordered the Gentile crowd not to tell anyone (Messianic secret), but the prohibition had the opposite effect. Mark presented Jesus as more than a healer whose full identity would be revealed through the cross and resurrection. Mark ended the story with a reference to Isaiah; “Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy (Is. 35:5-6).”
Almighty God, original sin caused spiritual infirmities that turn our hearts from you. Out of your infinite love look with mercy upon us and remove all things that lead us away you. Grant that we may be fruitfully nourished by hearing your Word and in turn speak it to nourish others. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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