(Note: Questions apply)
Mark 7:31-37 (New International Version)
The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man
31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32There 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.33After 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. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
- Who was the person in need? The deaf mute.
- What was the immediate, obvious need? To bring a healing to the deaf mute.
- Who took the initiative in effecting the healing? Jesus Christ, Himself.
- How and by whom was faith involved in this healing? The people who brought the afflicted to Christ.
- What were the reactions to the healing? The witnesses told of Christ's miraculous healing far and wide.
- What led Jesus to minister healing to the person in need? The begging of the people who brought the deaf-mute to Him. The people sought His healing...Amen.
3 comments:
One thing I love about this account is that it demonstrates that Jesus' compassion was His motivation, more than that His modus operandi, for healing.
I was intrigued by Jesus looking to heaven with "a deep sigh" when I was reading this recently. A quick word study reveals a kind of groaning which is grieving.
Jesus felt a depth of compassion, both for the man, and for His Father's glory (He looks heavenward), which caused Him to grieve.
How often do we ask our Heavenly Father to break our hearts for the lost, the hurting, the sick, and the injured in the world ... and for His glory?
How many Christians are bound by an overwhelming sense of duty, instead of released by a depth of compassion?
Mark
Thanks for the observation. I think I''m changing my answer to question #6 to say that it was Christ's compassion that led him to ministering a healing in the deaf mute.
I can't help but wonder about the "groaning" observation you made. Do we groan in the Holy Spirit when praying for others? Do become overwhelmed with the same kind of deep compassion that Jesus showed for this man? Thanks for your input!
Of course the danger is that we all start groaning as some kind of prescription for healing :-)
The kind of compassion we're looking for comes from being so immersed in our Heavenly Father's love that we allow our hearts to become vulnerable to His heart.
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