Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
I think that it is very easy to read this account and not fully embrace the magnitude of what happened. You may be thinking "yes, yes, I know that Jesus did many such things when he walked the Holy Land but what has that got to do with me?" I believe that these eye witness reports are included in the scriptures to give us a picture of God and help us to, by faith, understand that he came to demonstrate his love and compassion for us when we hurt.
Imagine with me, if you will, what it must have like to have been a person who could not hear and had difficulty speaking. What was it like for him to live each day in silence? I wonder what he was thinking as friends brought him to Jesus begging him to simply lay his hand on him. Was hope or confusion building in his heart as he watched Jesus spit and touch his tongue? And how his heart must have soared when he first hear sounds and voices!
Help me Lord to embrace the wonder and majesty of this story today!
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