Roger's Postings

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Mark 7:31-37 No longer deaf/dumb??? 6/9/09

(Mark 7:31-37) Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. {32} There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. {33} After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. {34} He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). {35} At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. {36} Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. {37} People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Here this morning in this reading we are reminded of Jesus' healing of a deaf person who also was not able to speak well. So here we have another event where Jesus miraculously touches the problems of a sinful world, and brings about a complete and unexpected change: to the extent that many people were drawn to him and cannot help but speak up about what they had seen and heard: here in this person Jesus, God was at work in our sinful world.

But for us here, the problem is that we are viewing this from a great distance. It is almost; and for many people it is, merely a story of what might have been: of someone’s imagination stretching a little too far. It is merely wishful thinking, or an attempt to try and persuade people to come on board with their religious ideas. This story is often seen as something other than a reality: something other than an actual happening, where a deaf and mute person was miraculously healed by Jesus.

Yes, even for us here, when we heard this text being read, did we hear and understand this event in this way, or as something that was real and life-changing. Did we hear this healing miracle as something that is so great and wonderful, that we also cannot help but speak about how fantastic the Lord Jesus really is?

You see; in many ways, we are no different than this deaf and mute guy that is mentioned here. We too are deaf and dumb! Yes sure, our hearing is not so bad: audibly we can hear nearly every word that is said; and perhaps our speech is not so bad either. Mine, might be a little rough around the edges, but hopefully I still can be quite easily understood. Yet so often, at the same time, we are just plain deaf and dumb. When I read this text here a few moments ago, did we hear God speaking to us; because he was? We heard words, but did we hear and understand that is was our Lord speaking to us, or did we merely hear it as a story of some sort: merely words about something that might have been, or even was many years ago.

And when it comes to our speaking: that is our speaking as Christ would have us speak, so often that is not so good either. Many a time I may have some idea what I want to say, but I wonder if I am at all getting the message across: and many a time I probably am not even speaking up when I should be speaking up loudly and clearly. Yes, so often, we have our hearing and speech, but are spiritually as deaf and dumb as this poor guy here in our reading.

That being the case we too need the healing touch of the Lord Jesus Christ. We too need Jesus to place his fingers and himself into our grimy, sin-tainted lives: to touch our lives in those very places that are barriers to our hearing God speak to us, and those places in our lives that are far from holy and acceptable to God. We too, need Jesus to spit on us: to place some of his life-giving Spirit into our lives and onto our tongues. We too, need to hear our Lords healing word and be opened up so as to hear and speak what God would have us hear and speak. We too, need to be also utterly amazed at how well our God does everything. We need Jesus' presence and touch in our lives, today.

Here, the Good News is that we have it. Jesus has touched our lives and placed his healing hand on us. At our baptisms, Jesus has entered our lives and placed his life-giving Spirit in us and has spoken his healing word of forgiveness. Through Word and Sacraments God continues to touch our lives and extend his healing hand to each and every one of us. So we are new people: the blockages and barriers between us and God are gone. We are able to hear him speak. The impediments have been removed, and we are now able to speak clearly and boldly. A miracle has occurred! Jesus has changed everything and turned our world upside down. We are now complete people in Christ. Salvation, wholeness and eternal life is ours; guaranteed. We have every reason to be amazed and excited.

But now, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to still block our ears and pretend that it hasn't happened? Are we going to listen first and foremost to our world out there, which is trying to tell us that God is dead and that Christianity is some historic crutch for weak-willed people? Are we going to follow our feelings and desires, rather than the Word of God? Are we going to hold back from speaking out, for fear of saying what is out of accord with popular thinking: and worried that we might get ridiculed?

Look, if that is what we are going to listen to and where we are going to look then of course we are not going to see God's miracles. We will despair as to whether we are Christian, or that our congregation is on the right track, and all the rest. On top of that we are not going to hear God speaking, nor will we be able speak as God would have us do. Even though we are healed and restored, we will be living and acting as though we are deaf and dumb. If we go on focussing on and thinking about what we and the world out there is on about then we won't hear anything of any real value, and we ourselves won't have anything to contribute either.

But we ARE healed, restored and forgiven. We are new people: with a new future. We have now got everything going for us. Because of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, we have got it all. So let us open our ears and listen to what he has to say to us. How he wants us to live and act in ways that help us and others remain at peace with God and one another. Let us take what he says in his word for what it is, God speaking to us: you and me. Then we will see a whole new and better world out there in front of us: even in the midst of the troubles of living in a sinful and misguided world, we see hope and signs of God's miraculous hand.

As our ears are opened to hear what God is saying to us in his Word, we come to understand that God’s ways are opposite to the thinking of our world around us. We hear that God has a whole different way for us. We then realize that what he says and does is what is important, instead of what we do. We come to understand the greatness of what he says and does and gives to us in this Service. Here he gives us all that we need: he leads us into what is important for us. Here he frees us to live as his people in the coming week.

As we hear, we come to understand that his Word is truth. It becomes all important, and his Spirit then guides us in standing up for that which is right and good: The true Gospel. We don’t fall for the sweet talk that shifts the focus off of Jesus; but hold firmly to the way of the cross, recognising that his death on the cross opens up a whole new world for us.

Then, because of God’s miraculous work in our lives we cannot help but speak, and share the greatness of our God and what he has done for us. We cannot remain silent: ‘He has done everything well.’ So we will want others to know and follow him who is so awesome and great: so loving and forgiving.

So deaf and dumb? Not any more! We are new creations; with a new future. Jesus has come to us also and performed a miracle in our lives. So let us open our ears and listen to God speak to us in his Word: and let us speak clearly of all that we hear, see and know; giving thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ who has done all things well. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

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