Day 21 : Mark 7:31-37
Ephphatha! be opened!
Jesus is in Galilee, a popular spot, and friends of this man bring him to Jesus for a miracle. Jesus must be struggling to go anywhere in that area without being recognized now. I noticed that Jesus doesn’t perform this miracle in front of the crowd though, I wonder if it’s so the dignity of the man is respected, that he isn’t just a demonstration of Jesus’s power but a person who Jesus cares for. Sometimes it’s good that people see amazing things as a demonstration of the power of God and faith but sometimes we need to be reminded that Jesus just loves us, he cares about our struggles and our pain.
This man is healed but it involves a very intimate interaction with Jesus. He places fingers in his ears and spits and touches his tongue, it is a very hands on approach to healing. Maybe the man needs it, maybe Jesus recognizes the alienation the man has felt living in a society where being deaf and unable to speak means life is very difficult.
Jesus is sensitive to the man’s condition, by touching his ears and tongue demonstrates sensitively to the man what is happening to him – he is being healed and communicated to at the same time.
I wonder why Jesus asked him not to tell anyone about this miracle? It would be hard to keep it quiet if one day you can’t hear or speak but the next you can? I think Jesus wants us to have moments like this with him, moments that no one else needs to know about, times of healing and restoration as we spend time away from the crowd with him.