A TOUCH AND A SIGH
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 Jesus to place His hands on him. 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.’ (Mark 7: 31-37).
Another Gentile on the agenda! This was Jesus’ third visit to the Decapolis. It was as though He kept being drawn there by the need of the people. First the demon-possessed man; then a healing campaign that touched many lives, and now a deaf mute who life was forever different because Jesus was there.
By this time He must have been well known in the region because there was no longer a problem when He arrived. People came to Him; they no longer fled from Him; and they brought the ailing ones to receive His touch.
One thing stands out when we read the gospels. Jesus had no set opus memorandum, no formula for healing the sick, or presenting the challenge of the kingdom to people. He treated each person as a unique individual. To some He merely spoke a word, to others He did something to them, possibly to awaken or to strengthen their faith. This man was a Gentile, a resident of an area far removed from the influence of Jewish teaching about God. He may have been an idol-worshipper or perhaps he had not religious belief at all.
As he looked into the face of Jesus, not understanding what was happening but simply gazing into the dark eyes of a man which were pools of love and compassion, he was not afraid. He waited, content to trust a man who dealt so gently with him. The stranger’s hand were warm on his face. He felt his breath on his cheek as Jesus let out a deep sigh – then suddenly his silent world came alive around him. He was invaded by sounds he had long since forgotten – the wind blowing softly in the trees, the murmur of voices which rose to a shout as his face lit up with expressions of recognition.
Another gentle touch, this time on his tongue, and a stream of words fell from his mouth. At last he was free from his silent, wordless prison! Once again the stranger from Galilee had set another captive free. How many people in that region were whole again because Jesus had been there? The Decapolis was alight with the news that the healer had been there again. Another notable miracle set the tongues talking.
Why did Jesus warn this man not to tell his story when He had sent the once-demon possessed man home to tell everyone what the Lord had done for him? Like the people in Israel, Jesus did not want His popularity as a healer and miracle-worker in this region cloud His real purpose – to introduce people to His Father and to show them the kingdom of God right there where they were under the rule of Satan, the ruler of the dominion of darkness.
Jesus’ miracles were not to be an end in themselves. They were signs of something far greater that lay ahead for those who believed in Him as God’s Messiah. The rule of God was being re-established on earth through Jesus. He was soon to be nailed to a cross. Though He was innocent of any sin, the religious rulers were to judge and condemn Him as guilty of blasphemy and to drag Him before the Roman governor to sentence Him to death as a threat to Rome.
Every miracle Jesus did spoke loudly of who He was, the Son of the living God. When they crucified Him, they killed the God-man, Lord and Creator of the universe. They called Him a blasphemer and accused Him of treason – why? Because He failed to obey their rules while He showed them what God the Father was like and how He wanted them to live. Jesus showed them up for what they really were, greedy and wicked hypocrites who masqueraded as “holy” men. He burst from the tomb on the third day to prove, once and for all, that the kingdom of God had really come just as He had taught and shown them.
God’s kingdom had come to the Decapolis as well. The door of the kingdom was flung open to them as well. As much as the Jews hated them, they were also God’s children, made in His image and eligible for His grace because forgiveness of sin was for everyone. But they were not to spread His fame abroad because, like for the Jews, everyone was to decide for himself, on the strength of the evidence, who He was and to come to faith in Him by their own choice.
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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