Wednesday: Tongue-tied
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 7th of August 2024
Read Mark 7:31-37. Who was brought to Jesus, and what did Jesus do for him?
Jesus did not take the shortest distance to return to Galilee from the region of Tyre and Sidon. It seems Jesus went north from the area of Tyre, up through the region of Sidon, then inland and down through the area northeast of the Sea of Galilee, finally arriving near the sea itself. It was a circuitous route, likely with additional time for Him to teach His disciples.
Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com
The text does not indicate exactly who brought the man to Jesus, but his problem was plain enough—he could not hear and had difficulty speaking. Loss of hearing isolates people from their surroundings, and profound deafness can make it challenging to learn how to speak. This man’s problem may have been longstanding.
Jesus understands the man’s predicament and takes him aside privately. The Lord’s manner of healing the man is curious, particularly for modern readers. He puts His fingers in the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue and sighs. Jesus touches the affected parts of the man that He will heal, but why the sigh? “He sighed at thought of the ears that would not be open to the truth, the tongues that refused to acknowledge the Redeemer.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 404.
Jesus miraculously restored the man’s hearing and enabled him to speak clearly. His sigh illustrates the limits that God has placed upon Himself in regard to the free choice of humanity. He will not force the will. All humans are free to choose whom they will have lead their life—the Prince of Life or the prince of darkness. Jesus could open deaf ears but would not force unbelieving hearts to acknowledge His messiahship.
This brief story also illustrates what God can do for those who willingly turn to Him. Perhaps you have experienced reticence at sharing your faith, feeling tongue-tied regarding just what to say. This miracle offers encouragement that the Lord Jesus can open your ears to be sensitive to others’ needs and share a ready word to lift them on their journey.
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What do you do with the gifts you have been given regarding hearing and speaking (for they are gifts)? How are you using them? |
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I have to admit to a wry smile when I read this story of healing the deaf/dumb man.
Can you imagine being both deaf and speechless for a long time and then being miraculously healed? I would want to use those skills immediately. There would be so many new experiences to enjoy and being able to share those with others would be the first thing on my list.
I remember seeing a YouTube video of a small child who was deaf but had a procedure enabling her to hear. They showed her reaction when she first heard her parent's voices. There was no way she was going to keep quiet about it.
I think Jesus knew that this man was going to rejoice in his new-found freedom of hearing and speech.
We may like to ask ourselves whether our Christianity has been the miracle of listening and speaking in our lives. Do we have something to share?
A while ago a young lady who has down syndrome came up to me and gave me a hug even thou i did not expect it, her father bid her not to do that and apologized to me. I though about this after that this young lady will have an easier time at the judgment hr then i will because hatred is not in her, only love for others. The world judges them because of there situation and maybe even pity, but there demeanor is one of a child always and Jesus said that the kingdom is like a little child.
We've been given so many talents that it is easy not to value them all. Perhaps only when we lose them! Regular things like speaking, hearing are often despised. May we be thankful for every single blessing we have today! And happily use them all for the glory of the Giver.
I learned that we can turned to GOD & BELIEVE in GOD, for everything that we need and always be ready to share the word of GOD, to a listening ears.
When you have had a real encounter with the living Jesus, you just can't keep it to yourself. It becomes effervescent and bubbles out of you. That is the kind of experience that Jesus wants with His modern day disciples.
If I were the healed deaf mute, and the first words that I hear are from Jesus instructing me not to tell anyone what He just did for me, I would probably respond, "you're joking, right?!" How could you possibly keep it to yourself?
Could it be that we need a fresh touch from Jesus to cure us of being tongue tied? Then we will feel compelled to speak. "I got to tell somebody, tell somebody, what Jesus did for me". It will be like a natural spring well bubbling up from within us.
Lord make me effervescent with the Good News of what you did, not only for me, but for the whole world. That is something to shout about!
The lord Jesus taking that man privately and healing him highlights also the need of us being sensitive to the situations of those who are going through a tough time in life.When someone shares with you his challenges,what step do you take as Christian.Do you take him or her aside pray with him/her or make it public.May God help us to Pray with those who are suffering,who share with us and help them as well when it's in our power to do so.
I'm thankful Dear Lord for the blessing of speech and hearing,I will tell of Your wonderful works to whoever will listen.
God will open our mute mouths, but He will not force confession from our lips.
He will open our deaf ears, but He will not demand that only His voice be obeyed.
He will open our blind eyes, but He will not constrain our gaze to only behold Him.
God is pleased to heal, give rest and see those pained, relieved.
But there is joy unspeakable when those that He redeemed, believe!
What an experience. Deaf and dumb and now healed. Loaded with the commandment not to tell any one --- including all who had witnessed that healing (Mark:36). This was the experience of so many healed persons. Is there any solution to that problem?
I think, there is a termination of such a commandment of keeping silence. At that point silence would change into proclamation. Jesus charged the disciples at the mount of transfiguration, that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. (Mark 9:9)
The gospel of Mark is moving towards the cross and resurrection event as that turning point. Have there any healed patients been shown up at the cross and the resurrection to confess their healing? I cannot see any one there to confess, what the gospel of Mark says right from the beginning: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Mark 1:1) He has healed me. This is my experience.
I only hear the hysterical voices: Crucify him, crucif him! There I see only a roman soldier, the centurion, exclaiming: Truly, this man was the Son of God. (Mark 15:39) And he had not even experienced such a healing.
As Mark was writing mostly to a heathen audience (Mark 7:3-4; Mark 7:24-26), those accounted unclean by the Jews at that time, would identify themselves with the roman centurion at the cross. There and right there the silence commandment of Jesus changed into the gospel proclation commandment, climaxing in the Tree Angels`Message, embracing all of us.
Winfried Stolpmann