Solitary, Sticking, Spitting, Sighing, Speaking

Trinity 12

August 26, 2012

Solitary, Sticking, Spitting, Sighing, Speaking

Mark 7:33-34

Dear baptized souls,

Sometimes Jesus heals the sick from far away. Other times He gets in close. Today is one of those times.

We see five up-close ways Jesus heals this deaf-mute man. Jesus did things for that poor man that only a mother might do. He laid His hands on this poor man and made him feel well, and even better than any parent, He actually made him well.

First, He gets him alone. He takes him aside. He does this to get him away from the crowd. Even though this poor man couldn't hear the commotion, Jesus was making it clear that He was responible for this man's healing.

Second, He sticks His holy fingers in this man's dirty ears. (Our antispetic culture says, “Gross.”) But again all those other people watching would see that this man was deaf, then Jesus took him aside, and then this man came back to the crowd well and whole. Sticking His fingers into his ears emphasized that Jesus was at work directly with His broken creature.

Third, He spits. He puts His saliva on His finger and applied this holy water to this mute man's broken tongue. Again, every witness saw Jesus' contact with this man and what happened next was all about Jesus and to His credit.

Fourth, Jesus sighed. The original Greek word Mark used meant the kind of sigh you sigh when confronted with great evil or sadness. When you heard that those two girls were missing in Evansdale, you may have sighed with deep sadness, even from far away.

Jesus was up close to this man who was a walking poster boy of life in a sinful world. And He sighed.

Finally, He spoke, “Ephphatha!” This Aramaic word is exactly the sound that came out of our Savior's mouth. And because God spoke, it was so. The man ears and tongue were opened, so that he could hear and speak clearly. It was a miracle.

God speaks, and it is so. He speaks and the heavens and the earth—everything—is made. He speaks to Adam and Eve of a coming Savior from this evil world and our evil selves, and He comes. This Savior, Jesus, comes and speaks, and the stormy winds and waves are still. This Savior Jesus comes and speaks, “It is finished,” and it is so.

He still speaks today. Just as He touched the poor man's tongue with a finger of His body, so He also places His body on our tongues in His Holy Supper. It is truly Him in the flesh. It is a miracle. He comes to us in mystery, and it is a mystery that washes away our sin.

And His saliva reminds us of our Baptism, when He washes not just our tongues and ears, but our whole selves, body and soul, with His life-giving word, “You are baptized in My name!”

Jesus heals your sin-sick souls from that far-away cross. But He also get up close to you and heals your soul through the work of the Church and her pastors. He gets up close to you through His faithful people in the world and at home who care for your earthly needs.

Let us bless the Lord who cares for us up-close with His holy hands, water, and Word.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.