Jesus and the deaf and dumb
31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through[m] the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to Him a deaf man who also had a speech difficulty, and begged Jesus to lay His hand on him. 33 So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting His fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, He touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!”[n] (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his speech difficulty was removed,[o] and he began to speak clearly. 36 Then He ordered them to tell no one, but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim it.
This story above is in Mark 7:31-36. It tells the story of a man who was deaf and also had a speech impediment. I was thinking about this story and how sometimes Jesus spoke a word and people were healed. Other times, the person who was healed wasn't even there. There really is only one common component to all of the miracles and that is that someone had faith that Jesus could and would heal.
We don't know how much this man himself knew Jesus. But, the story goes that they were begging Jesus to touch this man. The man himself could not hear the begging on his behalf. After thinking about it, I think this is why Jesus healed this man in such a unique way. More than him being healed, he wanted the man to know who it was that was healing him. So, that there is no mistake about it since the man cannot hear he touches him. The man knows more than anyone that it was Jesus touch that caused the healing.
To me, this says that Jesus meets us where we are. As a young christian you may need the neon sign and sign post that tells you God is near. He will indulge sometimes and give us signs and impressions to let us know He is near. As a mature believer, we shouldn't need the neon sign from God to know he is near. We walk by faith and get aquainted with his quiet voice and moves with the Spirit. We put aside childish things to grow in faith. But, God still meets us where we are. He knows when you need more and how to touch you uniquely.
More than anything else, he doesn't just want to heal you. Healing the body is temporary. All of us at one point or another is going to die. The body gets older and it starts to break down. Like a tent, it is temporary. Jesus wants more than the healing of the physical, but also the healing of the spiritual. He wants to touch you, but touch you in your spirit and soul. He wants to invade your life and touch every part of it. He wants us to be willing not to hold anything back. To be able to trust Him enough to give Him all of us. Be that unique believer, the one who radically trusts Him with everything knowing that you are in good hands.
This story above is in Mark 7:31-36. It tells the story of a man who was deaf and also had a speech impediment. I was thinking about this story and how sometimes Jesus spoke a word and people were healed. Other times, the person who was healed wasn't even there. There really is only one common component to all of the miracles and that is that someone had faith that Jesus could and would heal.
We don't know how much this man himself knew Jesus. But, the story goes that they were begging Jesus to touch this man. The man himself could not hear the begging on his behalf. After thinking about it, I think this is why Jesus healed this man in such a unique way. More than him being healed, he wanted the man to know who it was that was healing him. So, that there is no mistake about it since the man cannot hear he touches him. The man knows more than anyone that it was Jesus touch that caused the healing.
To me, this says that Jesus meets us where we are. As a young christian you may need the neon sign and sign post that tells you God is near. He will indulge sometimes and give us signs and impressions to let us know He is near. As a mature believer, we shouldn't need the neon sign from God to know he is near. We walk by faith and get aquainted with his quiet voice and moves with the Spirit. We put aside childish things to grow in faith. But, God still meets us where we are. He knows when you need more and how to touch you uniquely.
More than anything else, he doesn't just want to heal you. Healing the body is temporary. All of us at one point or another is going to die. The body gets older and it starts to break down. Like a tent, it is temporary. Jesus wants more than the healing of the physical, but also the healing of the spiritual. He wants to touch you, but touch you in your spirit and soul. He wants to invade your life and touch every part of it. He wants us to be willing not to hold anything back. To be able to trust Him enough to give Him all of us. Be that unique believer, the one who radically trusts Him with everything knowing that you are in good hands.
