The Lord keeps faith forever and cares for those who trust in Him—Praise Him! (Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10). Jesus heals a deaf-mute, and the people see the promised regeneration in the coming of the reign of God (Mark 7:31-37).
Praise the Lord for He cares
The Lord deserves our trust and our praise because of all He has done and is doing. The psalmist reminds himself to praise the Lord and offers a series of statements illustrating God’s indescribable goodness and graciousness. He is the “God of Jacob”—meaning He gave special protection to Jacob and to the entire people named after Him. God is faithful to His covenant promises. He delivered the people from bondage in Egypt and took care of Jacob’s descendants during their sojourn in the desert. For anyone belonging to God’s people Israel, such faithfulness on God’s part is reason enough to praise Him.
God’s mercy and compassion to those in every sort of need is extolled next. One can be bowed down in life due to many and different situations, like physical disability as in blindness, mental or emotional affliction, economic or social tribulation. But whatever it is, God is there to raise up the needy, giving them confidence and their life back. Strangers or aliens are sure of His protection as when He protected Israel when they themselves were aliens in Egypt. Widows and orphans are sustained by the Lord who cares for them against those who would take advantage of them. For the Lord thwarts the wicked in their evil ways, even as He loves the just. Surely, the Lord will reign forever, the eternal ruler in Jerusalem, the sovereign of the hill Zion at the center of the lives of His own people. Alleluia!
A healer in gentile territory
Jesus was coming from the district of Tyre, where a Gentile mother begged him to cast the demon out of her little daughter. The woman had inspired Jesus: If one Gentile is ready for God’s reign, maybe others also are. Jesus made an extensive loop into the Gentile territory east of the Jordan River in the area of the Decapolis. Again, this time the people and not just a lone individual approached Jesus for help in favor of a deaf man with speech impediment. They begged Him to lay His hand on him; they believed that He has the power to heal the poor victim. Jesus had been looking for faith and waiting for cooperation even as He was willing to heal those in need. In His own village of Nazareth, He was not able to perform any mighty deed there because of their lack of faith (Mark 6:5-6). Jesus himself was amazed at their lack of faith.
Jesus healed the man in a manner that may be described as standard. The Gentile setting might explain some the interesting and dramatic details, but they also conform to the evangelist’s portrayal of Jesus. Jesus oft lays His hand on people in misery to identify with them and to come to their assistance, as when He took the hand of the little girl of Jairus (Mark 5:41) and raised her up back to life. This was a way for Jesus to indicate the end as far as He was concerned of the purity prohibition against touching whatever is unclean and thereby becoming unclean oneself. His use of saliva reflects the common belief that a person’s saliva contains some of the person’s power. Groaning and looking up to heaven can signify prayer.
Be opened!
But it was the command of Jesus: “Ephphatha!” (“Be opened!) that brought about the miraculous healing. The people who witnessed the result of the intervention of Jesus could help themselves but be exceedingly astonished. In an oral culture, one who cannot hear is at a great disadvantage and is painfully marginalized. Jesus opened the man not only to other people’s speech, but above all to God’s word. Now he can deeply appreciate the divine graciousness to God’s people whose preeminent prayer is “Shema Israel” (“Hear, O Israel!”—Deuteronomy 6:4). Now, the man’s ears are unstopped to hear the Good News of Jesus, and his tongue untied to proclaim the praise of God.
In a Gentile territory, the people seeing the manifestation of divine power related the miracle performed by Jesus with the time of fulfillment, with the wonders that are associated with the coming of the reign of God (Isaiah 35:5-6). Their budding faith Jesus invited to silence for more reflection, to mature and go beyond the signs. But the more Jesus “ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it”—as if it was their tongue loosed. It must have been true consolation for Jesus to encounter such openness of heart to Him.
Alálaong bagá, “Be opened!” is a command to the heart to open up to the love and compassion of God—by being united to Jesus, the Beloved Son (Mark 1:10). If the heart is open, ears are unplugged and the tongue loosed in praise.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio-streaming on www.dwiz882.com.