MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St.Mark

St. Mark 7:31-37

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IT WOULD be sad if we read this passage and ones like it, marvel at the miracle, and then pass on. There is, as in all Scripture, much more than that which sits on the surface of the passage.

The first thing that strikes us as we read the story is the main character - a man who was deaf and could hardly speak. We are not told how this man came to be in this sad condition, but there is no suggestion that he was like this through some sinful action, although no doubt some would have suggested this was the case. Rather he was deaf and dumb through no fault of his own. He just suffered from this disability. The world is full of trouble and pain. The problem of pain is a large one. People so often ask how a loving God can allow such suffering. The Bible is the only place we get a glimpse of the source and ultimate reason for it all. Ever since Adam's sin, the world lies in the authority and power of the evil one. Satan is full of malice, and whereas God created the world good, Satan has brought disorder and suffering just to feed his hate and malice against God and his creatures. The fact Jesus healed this man so lovingly, reveals clearly that God is not the author of the suffering, he takes no pleasure in it, and sent Christ to bring deliverance.

Next there is a lesson for us in the action of the friends of the deaf and dumb man. They first brought him to Jesus, then they prayed to Jesus for him. We are not told anything else about these friends, and specially whether they were Christians or not, but even if they were not believers, their action is an example of ministry every Christian should make the business of life.

Christ is the Saviour and deliverer. He is this world's only hope. He alone can free us from the dominion of Satan. He is our succour in all the problems of life. He alone can reconcile us to God and save us from the consequences of our sins. Though this is true, the majority of people in the world do not know him or his love. It is the duty of all who know his love and salvation to bring people to Jesus and to pray to Jesus for them. We are not able to bring people physically to Jesus. Jesus is in heaven. We bring people to Jesus when we bring them to hear the truth concerning him. Thus we bring people to Jesus when we share with them the knowledge of him we have gained, also when we bring them under the sound of preaching concerning him, and when we place them where they can hear and receive the Gospel of his love. Much more we must pray that people may be brought to Jesus and that Jesus may save and heal them. This must not be simply for bodily needs but also for the greatest need we all have, which is the salvation of our souls. The most profitable way to engage in this ministry is to ask the Lord to lay on our heart some particular people and to concentrate our prayer and love mainly upon them, still not forgetting general prayer for a needy world. Let us notice the way these people prayed who brought the deaf person to Jesus. They begged Jesus to heal him. This begging has the element of humility, knowing that they had no claim on Jesus, but also the element of earnest entreaty, which is a great desire for the blessing. Let us make our prays like this.

We can not read this incident without being struck by the healing of Jesus. Let us notice three things we can learn here. Firstly, the peculiar way Jesus went about the healing of this man. Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears, and then placed his own spittle on the man's tongue. Then Jesus looked up to heaven with a sigh and said 'Be opened'. There are so many different examples in the Gospels of Jesus doing many different actions when healing, and in some cases simply doing nothing outwardly, except telling that a person is healed. Jesus is not tied to any action. There is no procedure or rules we can follow that will always bring a result. Rather, healing is a sovereign act of God, and entirely in the hands of God's mercy to give or not to give, and when he does heal, he needs nothing else than his will to achieve the result. However Jesus used different actions, and this is mirrored in the Christian life. We are puzzled sometimes at the strange experiences God allows us or calls us to experience. This man gave himself up to the action of the Lord. He expressed no surprise or resentment at the way the Lord treated him. He simply trusted. This is the way we must also receive the ministry of Jesus to us.

Then in this healing we see again the mighty power of Jesus, and the exercise of his mission to overthrow the power and works of the devil. The devil ultimately was the author of this man's deafness. Jesus healed him, freeing him from the power and malice of the devil in this respect. By it Jesus demonstrates his ministry. He came to deliver us from this present evil world, to translate us from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God, from darkness to light. This miracle, like all the miracles shows Jesus' great power to achieve this, which culminated in his great and perfect victory on the cross. Just as we trust him for our acceptance and reconciliation with God and freedom from Satan's authority, so we can trust him to keep us from all the malice and power of the evil one until he brings us finally to heaven.

Then let us notice that when Jesus looked up into heaven, he sighed. Surely this is a clear demonstration of his compassion and care for all suffering human beings on this earth. He feels for our sadness, and cares about our pain. He showed this compassion and love when on the cross he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows - the grief and sorrow of our sin and its consequence, willing and being ready to be afflicted and smitten by God, in order to make perfect atonement for our sins. The Gospels clearly speak of the deep compassion and love of Jesus for us in our pains and sufferings. We must never let anything destroy this truth with its comfort, and in faith rest ourselves upon his love.

Lastly in this passage we have Jesus again telling someone not to spread the news of their healing. Jesus knew that people are so earth-bound and so wrapped up in their bodily and temporal needs, that if the healing was reported people would come to him not for the prime need of their souls, but simply for some healing of body or mind. We need to remember this. The same is true today. Human nature has not changed. If we concentrate on telling people of healings and miracles, they will simply trust Jesus for these and neglect their souls.

However this man's disobedience in telling people of his healing brought about a blessing we can't underestimate. It was the independent witness of many, not necessarily believers, to the character and power of Jesus. They give testimony with the words "He does everything well". What greater testimony do we need to the perfection of the Lord's character and life.