Mark 7:31-37 (NIV): Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 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.
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. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Everywhere Jesus went at this stage of His ministry, there were opportunities to show forth the power of God that was at work in and through Him. He had gained a reputation as a healer with no limitations. Whether it was an illness, or a condition that had been present from birth; whether it was something caused by a germ or by a demon; it didn’t matter. He could instantly provide the needed healing and wholeness.
As soon as they heard that Jesus had come into their area, the family and friends of this man brought him to Jesus to be healed. He couldn’t hear, and he couldn’t speak clearly.
Some people wonder why Jesus went through all of these actions to perform this healing. It seems a little bit theatrical. Couldn’t He have simply spoken a word and healed the man on the spot? The simple, and surprising, answer is not in this case. If that method would have been effective, He would have used it. The truth is, Jesus never did anything that wasn’t necessary. He never engaged in theatrics in order to “build people’s faith.” He never did things in a way that was designed to impress people. Quite the opposite, in fact. He always did things exactly the way that they had to be done – no more, no less.
Sometimes Jesus did heal with a word. Sometimes He healed with a touch. And sometimes He used mud smeared on blind eyes. In this case, He used fingers placed in deaf ears and on a bound tongue. His was never a “one size fits all” approach to healing. He used the appropriate, God-directed method in every case. People are complex creatures, and the things that afflict them stem from many different causes. It makes sense that Jesus would use a different method to cast out a demon than He would to heal a fever. The truth is, He used whatever was the appropriate method for healing whatever disease or infirmity He was presented with in a person.
In this case, the problem were closed ears and a bound tongue. Jesus touched each of these. The spitting symbolized the expelling of what had bound the man’s tongue. He then gave the command, “Ephphatha!” (“Be opened.”) And the man’s ears were instantly opened so he could hear. His tongue was instantly freed up, so that he could speak clearly.
Jesus’ command not to spread the word about this healing was another attempt to keep the main thing in the forefront. Jesus had not come primarily to heal people. He had come to inaugurate the kingdom of God. The healings were merely a sign that this new economy of the Kingdom was a reality. But, of course, the people were awed by the power that Jesus possessed, by His overwhelming mastery even over such things as deafness and muteness, things that medical science of their day offered no hope for. They really couldn’t resist telling everyone about what they had seen and heard.
Father, forgive us for trying to use a “one size fits all” method in our lives and ministry. To use something this time, a particular way of praying, or of recruiting, or of organizing, or even of healing, because it has been effective in the past. That is relying on ourselves, and on our own wisdom, our own ability to influence the situation. If Jesus Himself needed specific guidance from You as to how to deal with each situation He faced, how much more do we need to turn to You every single time, and never let ourselves get caught up in a particular procedure, or a particular methodology. Amen.