The God of peace will be with you! Amen.
Mark 7:31-37
At the beginning of Mark chapter 7 – as we heard last Sunday – we find Jesus under severe criticism by the Pharisees. The Pharisees were indignant because Jesus didn’t force his disciples to follow their tradition of a ceremonial hand washing before meals. This was one of many occasions in which the Pharisees tried to discredit Jesus. If we were to believe the things the Pharisees said about Jesus we would get the impression that Jesus couldn’t do anything right. But of course that is incorrect. The Pharisees were terribly wrong. It takes the crowd of people in the
Gentile area east of the Jordan River to catch on that Jesus, “does everything well.”
Today we are reassured of this important fact – Jesus has done everything well!
Consider his perfect compassion for people. Jesus came into the world to reach out to all. Sure, he said that he came first to the lost sheep of Israel. But he did not come exclusively for the chosen nation of Israel. He made it abundantly clear in word and action that he came to save all. For God so loved the world … God was in
Christ reconciling the world to himself … So we find Jesus touring the Gentile countryside teaching, preaching, and healing. That is remarkable all by itself, but what is more remarkable is that Jesus reaches out to all – one at a time. He had just finished a preaching tour up in Tyre and Sidon, a region that was rife with unbelief ever since the reign of Queen Jezebel in the prophet Elijah’s day. There he met up with a Greek woman with a demon-possessed daughter. After testing her trust, he healed the woman’s daughter. And now we find Jesus in a different Gentile region of Palestine again taking time to speak with and heal an individual. Mark tells us:
There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him,
“Ephathah!” (which means, “Be opened!”). At this the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. See the great care and concern, the deep compassion that Jesus had for this man he just met! He takes the time to communicate with this man away from the crowds. He is not too busy to care for this one person in need. Jesus is never too busy to seek and to save, to help and to heal.
Jesus has this very same perfect compassion for you. He is not too busy to take some time with you alone, to speak to you in a way that you understand, to spend time with you and you alone. Jesus gives his attention to you as an individual. He has compassion on you in your sin. Just last week we heard Jesus teach us that sin is not the result of outside influences polluting our souls, but rather it comes from within, out of the heart. We are sinners – born in sin – falling for Satan’s lies daily.
But this does not cause Jesus to stop caring for us. He cares for us all the more. He takes the time to lovingly show us our failures before him. He points out our spiritual corruptness. But he also comes with compassion to announce his forgiveness and declare his deep love. Jesus has compassion for you as you struggle with your sinful nature. Paul writes about our struggle in Galatians 5: For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
You know the struggle all too well. Sunday after Sunday you walk out of this sanctuary thinking to yourself – I will do better this week, I’ll control my tongue or my temper, I’ll trust the Lord to provide or to heal, I’ll speak the truth in love, I’ll tell my friend about Jesus – only to come back the next week having failed once again.
It is terribly frustrating. The sinful nature gets the upper hand far too often. We know it. We are pained by it. It is so discouraging. I want to do better. You want to do better. It seems to be a recipe for disaster, we are so disappointed in ourselves.
But then Jesus enters the picture with his healing compassion. He calls us aside and assures us, “I have forgiven you. I will give you strength. I love you with an everlasting love.” Jesus has perfect compassion for you in your service. How frustrating it is to serve others without any appreciation! The years of cooking and cleaning with nary a thank you. The time you have spent on the lawn and no one seems to notice. The long days of working and only complaints are heard. The willingness to volunteer, but no one asking. The long hours of working to provide for the family and they think that you are just their own personal ATM. The dedication to the congregation that seems so thankless. Take heart fellow servants of the Lord! He comes to you in his compassion and reminds you that his Word will not return to him empty and that he sees your faithful service to your family, to your employer, to your congregation, to your neighbor, and ultimately to him. In his compassion Jesus invites, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Simply put if no one else seems to care, Jesus does.
Oh what complete compassion Jesus has for people! Oh what complete compassion Jesus has showered on you! His complete compassion culminates in his greatest work – his perfect fulfillment of God’s promise.
Be opened! So Jesus said to the deaf-mute. It was a phenomenal miracle. He could hear clearly. He could speak plainly. Through his word he healed a man giving him attention, assurance, and ability. He cared enough to give the man his attention. He assured the man of his deep love for him. He gave the man ability to hear and speak, so he could hear the Word and speak it as well.
Be opened! Jesus says that to us today. For we have ears that so often fail to hear the message he addresses to us. We have eyes that so often fail to see the power

Jesus revealed in his Word and sacraments. Jesus still uses remarkable means for healing. The water of Holy Baptism and the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper are the very vehicles of Christ’s full and complete forgiveness. Together with the preaching of the gospel, these sacraments extend the power of Jesus right into our lives. Jesus uses his Word and sacraments to apply all that he has earned for us in another time and place to us right here and now. Jesus says to us, “Be opened!” He endured the cross and grave so that he could speak that word. And he gives us ears to hear his Holy Word and hearts to believe his promises. He gives us tongues to speak in witness and in praise.
In this account we see Jesus actively fulfilling the promise God had made to sinful humankind – the promise of a great deliverer from sin. Isaiah prophesied:
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Not only was this miracle special for the deaf-mute man, it is special for us all. For here Jesus shows himself to be the long promised Savior. He had fulfilled the prophecy
So Mark informs us: Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Jesus didn’t want them to tell everyone because the popularity could keep him from going to the cross to save sinners. But here too he had loosened the tongues of the people as they saw him as the fulfillment of God’s promise. So overwhelmed with amazement they stated: “He has done everything well,”
The promise God made of a Savior is a promise that Jesus fulfilled for you.
Would you like some evidence of God’s love? Then take a look at what Jesus does in this account – see his caring compassion for people! Jesus went to the cross and rose from the dead because he loves you more than anyone else! What grace to know that Jesus has done everything well for you! Hear your Savior say from the cross, “It is finished!” He has secured your salvation by his sacrifice. He creates trust in him through his Word. The reality is his perfect work has given you the reality of a secure salvation. Jesus has done it all! Heaven is yours!
The story is told of a rather priceless error that appeared in the printed program for a performance of Handel’s Messiah. The line that was supposed to read, “The
Lord God Omnipotent reigneth” read instead “The Lord God Omnipotent resigneth.”
God hasn’t given up. He hasn’t resigned and isn’t going to resign. Salvation is yours! Jesus has done everything well! What is more – Jesus has done everything well for you! Amen.
September 17/20, 2009
Mark 7:31-37
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