Year B- 23rd Sunday in ordinary time
And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be opened. Mark 7:31-37 31 And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary |
The Gospels do not simply tell us stories of people who lived thousands of years ago. No, the gospel tells us OUR story. Today’s Gospel is no different. We encounter a deaf man with a speech impediment living in a pagan land. And this man is us. His story is our story. And, if you are prepared to accept it, you are also Jesus, for his story, and his work is largely your work too. Lets look at this gospel, remembering that it is our story.
I. Note first the PLACE of the Gospel. It says that Jesus went into the “Decapolis” region. This was an area of ten Gentile, or Pagan Cities. And while there were believers living there, there were also many more who did not believe. In other words, Jesus is in an unbelieving region.
And for we who live in the West, this description of non-belief describes our culture too. But notice that Jesus does not hesitate to go there or to engage the culture, and neither should we. Something drew Jesus there, what was it? Was it love, was it zeal?
What is it that keep us engaged, and sends us forth to engage our increasingly pagan, indeed worse than pagan culture. Is it love, patriotism, love of God and truth? What motivates you to engage family, friends and neighbors?
Note too that Jesus, wherever he was, did not hesitate to proclaim the Gospel. He did simply wait until he found things comfortable or opportune. He proclaimed the gospel, in season and out season, in friendly lands and hostile ones, whether praised or persecuted. What of you and I?
II. Next note the PROBLEM that emerges. A man who is deaf and has a speech impediment is brought to Jesus. Frankly, this is a lot of us. In the midst of an increasingly unbelieving culture, many of us too have become deaf to God’s truth and also, on account of that deafness have the speech impediment of being silent in the face of this unbelief and sin.
Note first, that some of our deafness is because we haven’t heard. No one ever told us a lot of things due to bad catechesis, etc. Sadly, too many of our pulpits, whether the pulpit in the Church, or the pulpit of the dining room table, are silent. So, in a certain and real sense we have a deafness that has never heard the Word of God.
Secondly, much of our deafness is acquired, for our ears were open at baptism. But we haven’t listened, we have turned a deaf ear and been stubborn. Sometimes there is outright rejection of the word. But even more frequently it is a selective resistance. We are like a teenager his only half listens to his parents. And so we “tune out” when less appealing aspects of the Word of God confront us. We say, “Well there goes the preacher again….I understand he has to say stuff like that” etc.
And so we are deaf, either partially, or wholly, either on account of our own fault, or the fault of others who should have preached to us and taught us.
And, on account of this deafness or at least related to it, we also have a speech impediment. It will be noted that those who have never heard, have a hard time speaking well. The gospel today seems to link the deafness with the speech impediment.
But there are other causes of a speech impediment when it comes to faith. For example, half-hearted listening leads to a half-hearted witness or no witness at all. Our lukewarm faith can well lead us to remain silent even as we see the world around us falling into decay. St. Paul says, “Because I believed, I spoke out (2 Cor 4:13). But too many of us believe only in a lukewarm way, thus we say little, and frankly have little to say.
Frankly another huge source of our speech impediment is fear. We are so terrified of what people might say or think, that we say nothing. The martyrs went to their death for the proclamation of the faith but can barely tolerate a few raised eyebrows!
Yes we are a fearful lot, and that fear is rooted in a desperate and unbalanced need to be liked, to fit in and to be accepted. Well, we need to get a grip now, because the age of the martyrs may be returning to the West and if our faith is not strong we will not be strong.
Fear is a huge factor in our speech impediment.
III. Next, note the PROCESS. Note that Jesus is not interested in running a carnival side show. He takes the man away, alone and apart from the crowd. Note sever aspects of this healing:
A. It is PERSONAL. And it is personal in two senses. First, he minsters to man the man in way that respects his dignity. Whatever the causes of his deafness and speech impediment, his healing must be a personal walk with the Lord Jesus. And so must yours. Jesus is not interested in making a spectacle of you. He heals you for your own sake. And if one day you or I should choose to make a witness of our healings, fine, but that is not why the Lord heals. He heals us for our own sake, because he loves us.
Secondly, the healing is personal as a way of teaching us that it is easier to wear slippers than to carpet the whole world. In other words, the healing of the world can begin with us. It is too easy for us to merely wait and hope that God will raise up the next Fulton J Sheen. But what if the Lord wants to take you aside? What if He wants to speak a word to you? What if he wants to get your fingers our of your ears. What if He wants to heal all your deafness so the word is heard loud and clear! What if you are the next Sheen?
B.The healing is PICTURESQUE - There are images at work here: There are the fingers in the ears as if placing his words in the man’s ears, as if opening them to God’s Word. And the text says that Jesus, spitting touched the man’s tongue. As if to signify, “from his mouth to yours….” He puts his own words into our mouth. And there is also the command “Be opened” as if to say: “Open your mind, open your heart,” and thus, “Open your ears, open your mouth.” The problem is not merely a physical problem of stopped ears or a lame tongue, the problem is mental, and spiritual too, a closed mind and heart. Thus the Lord says, simply and without qualification: “Be opened.”
C.The healing is PURE - for the text says that when the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosed, “He spoke plainly.” And the Greek word here is ὀρθῶς (orthos), meaning straight, without deviation, true, or correct. It is the word from which we get the word “orthodoxy.” And this is important, for we don’t need eloquent heretics, we need eloquent true believers who have heard the true and whole word of God and are thus ready to articulate what the Lord says, not some fake or incomplete version of the Lord’s truth. Give us true prophets O Lord, not false prophets who say only what we want to hear or give only part of the truth.
IV. Finally note the PROCLAMATION - The text reports ironically: Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
What, is the Lord kidding? He has healed a man to hear and speak the Word clearly and then he says be quiet? Scholars may differ on the interpretation here, but allow from me the interpretation that the Lord is being intentionally ironic, and “tongue in cheek” he says, smiling, “Not a word to anyone now! 
For, when you’ve experienced really good news it’s hard to stay quiet!
What is your story? How has the Lord opened your ears? How has he increasingly enabled you to hear and understand his word in your life. And how has he loosed your tongue to speak his Word? I am a witness. A one shy and poorly catechized young man, frankly disinterested in the things of God, was taken aside by the Lord who put his word in his ear, loosed his tongue and now you can’t get me to shut up. Yes! He has done all things well.
A final question. How has Jesus used you to unstop the ears of the death, communicate his word and liberate the tongues of others? Perhaps as a parent, a catechist, a priest or religious, perhaps as a choir member, lector or leader he has used you to unstop ears and liberate tongues. Here too, I am a witness. Thank you Lord for using me to impart knowledge, unstopped ears, place your word there, and loosen tongues. Thank you Lord, You have done all things well, even through me
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decap'olis.
32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him.
33 And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;
34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Eph'phatha," that is, "Be opened."
35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
36 And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.
37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."
Jesus is the Savior who heals and liberates His people.
