Sermon Snippet – Yes, Another Person That You Should Know
INTRODUCTION – Mark 7:31-37 introduces us to a man who was both deaf and mute. His situation was not like that of Helen Keller, who had a skilled teacher, access to Braille for reading, and learned a detailed system of sign language. His world was a closed one, with no enjoyment of music and no appreciation for good humor. Because he could not speak, many would have thought that he was unintelligent. Some would have assumed that he was possessed by demons. We are capable of great harm to others when we reject that they are created in the image of God. The kindness of Jesus to this needy man provides necessary instruction to all of us.
1. JESUS LOVED THIS MAN AS HE TOUCHED HIM
With tenderness, Jesus “took him aside from the multitude” (verse 33). This man had been gawked at and pointed at his whole life because he was different. Jesus did not add to his discomfort. In fact, Jesus’ unusual method of healing (He “put His fingers into his ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue” – verse 33) was reassuring, employing a rudimentary form of sign language so that the man would know what Jesus was doing. This was not just someone who was going to make fun of his disabilities; this was Someone Who was going to help him. We are reminded that love is more than a feeling, far more than a feeling – it is action that benefits another.
2. JESUS LOVED THIS MAN AS HE GAZED INTO HEAVEN
Verse 34 finds Jesus “looking up to heaven,” indicating that He was praying. It was a visual demonstration to this disabled man: yes, God the Father in heaven cared about him. Prayer was about to be gloriously answered. The obvious lesson for all of us is that we must pray.
3. JESUS LOVED THIS MAN AS “HE SIGHED”
(verse 34) – This is a sigh not of condemnation but of compassion. This afflicted man had led a hard life, misunderstood by most. The underlying problem, of course, was (and is) mankind’s sin, our rebellion against God that altered life for the worse – really, for the worst. The prophet Jeremiah lamented, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears” (9:1a); that is consistent with the sigh of Jesus, the sigh of love. May we be similarly moved as we observe the sadnesses of life.
4. JESUS LOVED THIS MAN AS HE SPOKE
With the most simple of words – just one word, “Ephphatha” (verse 34) – Jesus transforms this man’s life, as he is immediately and completely healed (verse 35). Let us remember the genuine power of the Word of God, and let us cherish the full, free, and forever salvation that it bestows upon each one who responds in faith.
CONCLUSION – We think of this man as a “deaf-mute.” He was, but for the rest of his life he was not. Really, this man is each one of us. Just as “his ears were opened” and “his tongue was loosed” (verse 35), each one of us needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then proclaim it.