God Stretches out His Hand to All People (Mark 7:31-35)

“Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. (Mark 7:31-35 NKJV)

This event shows how we were reached out to know Jesus Christ and be healed from the deadly muteness and deafness. The man who was deaf and hardly spoke was brought to Jesus. He was isolated, ignored, outcast, and disregarded by the townspeople. He was such a poor person that he was out of reach from all source of life. His presence represents the Gentiles who were completely out of reach from the blessings and promises of God. We were once all like this man who was found in Jesus Christ. It was in the Gentile territory where Jesus came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.

When the man brought to Jesus, He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. It seems a bit strange but the most appropriate in reaching out to the man. Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears to get his attention, awakening his interest to the Lord Jesus and telling him that He would do something for hearing. The act of Jesus was designed to arouse the man’s faith through which he would be restored in hearing.

And Jesus spat and touched the man’s tongue. To spit someone could mean insulting and very offensive. However, the Lord Jesus spat and touched his tongue anyways. The word of God is coming out of the mouth of God, says the scripture. The act of Jesus symbolizes that He utters the word of God to the man who was the deaf, intending to heal the man in speaking.

Then, looking up into heaven, Jesus sighed and said to the man, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was loosed. The man was fully and completely restored both in hearing and speaking. Jesus looked up into heaven because He was seeing the Father in heaven who wanted to heal this man. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19 NKJV)

Before Jesus healed the man, He sighed. Why did He sigh? It’s because the man who were mute and deaf represents the fallen race. We were all dead in trespasses and sins, says the scripture. All were in darkness and frustration, not knowing the light of truth. All have gone astray like sheep, says Isaiah. But God reached out His hands to lay on His Son the iniquity of all.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV)

The acts of putting His fingers in the ears of the deaf and spitting and touching the tongues of the mute are stilling going on through the saints in our age. Think about how you were reached out by the hand of God. Probably as many as hundreds of people may be involved to reach you out to be restored and healed from the deadly poison of darkness and confusion. Christ is in each individual believer who is used together with other saints to fulfill the will of the Father.

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:19-23 NKJV)