MIRACLE 21. JESUS HEALS A DEAF AND DUMB MAN.

 

THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

 

MIRACLE 21. JESUS HEALS A DEAF AND DUMB MAN.

 

Bible Reading: Mark 7:31-37.

31. “Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.”

32. “Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.”

33. “And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.”

34. “Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

35. “Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.”

36. “Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.”

37. “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

 

          We are going to look at some of the recorded miracles of Jesus. Here is the 21^st recorded miracle of Jesus. Jesus healed a man who was deaf and dumb.

 

1.    Background of the miracle.

 

Mark places this miracle immediately after the healing of the woman’s demon possessed daughter. In her case, Jesus had stressed the fact that His miracles and wonders were intended especially for Israel.

This miracle, performed along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, emphasizes this fact as well. It is just the kind of miracle which the prophets said would mark the ministry of the Messiah see, Isaiah 35:5 “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”

The healing miracles of Jesus unmistakably marked Him as the promised Saviour-King.

 

2.    Parties to the miracle.

 

The parties mentioned in this miracle account are Jesus, the deaf and dumb man, and an undefined “they.”

 

A. Jesus.

Jesus was back in Jewish territory, where He responded without hesitation to those who sought healing.

 

B. The afflicted man.

We are told nothing about this disabled individual.

 

C. “They.”

Unnamed persons play an important role in this miracle account.

“They” brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus.

“They” were cautioned by Jesus to tell no one about the miracle.

“They” were astonished by what Jesus did.

 

3.    How the story unfolds.

 

Jesus left the Gentile region where He had healed a woman’s daughter. Back in familiar territory along the Sea of Galilee, he encountered a deaf and dumb man brought to Him by some of the man’s friends. He healed the man so he could both hear and speak. Jesus cautioned the witnesses to tell no one about the healing, but they spread the report everywhere. Everyone reacted with astonishment and approval.

 

A. “Departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, he came… to the Sea of Galilee” Mark 7:31.

The physical reference connects this miracle with the healing of the woman’s daughter. We need to read the account of the two miracles together and interpret the second in view of Jesus’ remarks to the woman.

 

B. “They begged Him to put His hand on him” Mark 7:32.

This may simply be Mark’s way of describing a request that Jesus heal the man. Or it may imply that they expected Jesus to heal their way. When we come to the Lord with our requests, we do well if we come without any expectation of the precise way in which Jesus will meet our needs.

 

C. “He took him aside from the multitude” Mark 7:33.

This is one of only two times that Jesus took someone aside for private healing compare Mark 8:23 “So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.”

At the same time, it fits Mark’s emphasis on Christ’s desire to have closer personal contact with those whom He healed. The special touching of ears and tongue may have been a response to the “conditions” implied in the request of those who brought the victim that Christ might “put His hand on him.”

Christ will often touch those who are weak in faith in ways that strengthen the faith they have.

 

D. “Ephphatha.”

It was not Jesus’ touch that healed. The healing took place “immediately” when Jesus pronounced, “Be opened.” He who created the universe with a spoken word (Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “Let there be light;” and there was light,” etc.) needed no more than a word to perform this miracle.

 

E. “They were astonished beyond measure” Mark 7:37.

Mark reports this as a delayed reaction from the crowd. Jesus had told the people crowded around to tell no one, but they proclaimed it “widely.”

Even after they had time to consider what had happened, they were overwhelmed. They understood what Jesus had done: “He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Although they felt positively about Jesus (“He has done all things well.”), they did not catch the meaning of the miracle.

Yet a Gentile woman had recognized Christ as the Son of David, Israel’s Messiah, Matthew 15:22 “And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him.

Saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

She had even agreed when He explained that His miracles were “bread” provided for God’s “lost sheep,” Israel Matthew 15:27. They were more than acts of kindness, despite the compassion that moved Jesus for those whom He healed.

Jesus’ miracles were signs which identified Him to Israel as the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets.

A pagan woman had understood the meaning of Jesus’ miracles, but His own people, for whose instruction the miracles were intended, were astonished. All they could say was, “Good job!”

 

Conclusion:

 

We have looked at one of the recorded miracles of Jesus. Here was the 21^ST recorded miracle of Jesus.