Here we have Jesus returning to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the ten towns (Decapolis). Remember this region? This was where the demon possessed man was set free, and the people begged Jesus to leave because he had sent the demons into 2000 pigs (Mark 5:1-20).
So Jesus walks into this region, and there is a "deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him" There was a change in the hearts of the people, compared to before...in fact there was a crowd of people around him, NOT wanting to kick him out. I think this has something to do with the testimony of the man back in Mark 5. Word of Jesus had gotten around.
Ever see a 'healer' on tv use big extravagant body language and slapping people on the forehead when they "heal" someone? I always wondered about that, and I'm very much a cynic when it comes to people doing theatrical acts when performing miracles.
Lets take a look at how Jesus heals this man: vs.33-35 "Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man's ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man's tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, "Ephphatha," which means, "Be opened!" Instantly the man could hear perfectly and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!" You know, I think the Ministry of Health would NOT advise this. This is not a pretty healing, it is personal, it is 'yucky' but it worked didn't it?
God's work in our lives is not always pretty. Especially in this man's case. But God did provide the miracle. What I find interesting is that Jesus looked up to heaven, and he SIGHED. Now Ephphatha is Aramaic, and the neat things is, is that this is what the man would hear, the language that would of been spoken around the 'Decapolis' or Ten Towns. I wonder if Jesus was sighing because of what God told him, when he looked up into heaven, or if he sighed because he was using aramaic language. Not sure, but I find this neat to ponder.
There are a couple things about this passage that hits me: a) God works, how he wants to work, but it won't always be with flaire, or by being neat. b) God meets us where we are. Jesus didn't speak to the man in Hebrew, so a Jewish person could understand, but he spoke Aramaic, a language that the deaf man could understand.
If find that comforting ...but also a challenge for myself, to be where the people are.
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