Mark 7:29-37: a reflection

29He said to her, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out. 31Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee through the middle of the region of Decapolis. 32They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside from the multitude privately and put his fingers into his ears; and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly. 36He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it. 37They were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

In the region of the Decapolis, people bring to Jesus a man who is deaf and can barely speak, and beg Jesus to heal him. Notice how Jesus goes about it. He takes the man aside from the crowd, privately; he touches his ears and his tongue; he looks up to heaven and sighs; and he speaks a single word, Ephphatha, Be opened. At once the man's ears are opened and his tongue is loosed. And the crowd, astonished, says, He has done all things well.

Notice the personal, tender care with which Jesus heals this man. He does not heal him from a distance, or in a crowd, but takes him aside privately, deals with him individually, touches the very places of his affliction, his ears and his tongue. And he sighs, entering into the man's suffering. This is not a mechanical miracle, but a deeply personal act of compassion, Jesus giving his full, tender attention to one afflicted man. And the verdict on all his work is, he has done all things well.

That reveals how Jesus deals with us: personally, tenderly, individually. He does not treat us as part of a faceless crowd, but takes each of us aside, deals with us personally, touches the very places of our need. And he opens what is closed in us, our deaf ears, our silenced tongues, whatever is bound and shut up. And whatever he does, he does well. Bring your closed and bound places to the Christ who takes you aside and deals with you personally. He opens what is shut, heals with tender care, and does all things well; trust the one who deals with you individually and does all things well to open and heal what is closed in you.

Lord Jesus, when they brought you a man deaf and barely able to speak, you took him aside privately, touched his ears and tongue, sighed, and opened him with a word; and the crowd said, he has done all things well. Thank you for the personal, tender care with which you heal. You do not treat me as part of a faceless crowd, but take me aside, deal with me individually, touch the very places of my need. And you open what is closed in me, my deaf ears, my silenced tongue, whatever is bound and shut up. And whatever you do, you do well. Help me bring my closed and bound places to you, who take me aside and deal with me personally. Open what is shut in me, heal me with your tender care, and do all things well. I trust you, who deal with me individually and do all things well, to open and heal what is closed in me. You have done all things well.