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The Four Pillars
Part 4 in a series by
Ronald Boelte
Ephphatha!
See also:
The prophet Isaiah looking forward in time, saw that the Messiah would
have power over many different human aliments and diseases. Isaiah 35:5-6
says this about that power "Then will the eyes of the blind be
opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a
deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the
wilderness and streams in the desert."
Mark in the 7th chapter points to the fact that Jesus has
the power that Isaiah foretold of the Messiah when he tells of Jesus’
healing of the deaf- mute person. In this incident, Jesus spoke only one
word, the Aramaic word "ephphatha." For us the translation is
"be opened." Other than that we are told that Jesus used sign
language with the man. Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears and
spit and touched the man’s tongue. With these actions, Jesus was telling
the man that He was going to give the man the ability to hear and speak.
Mark is using this story to point to Jesus as the promised Messiah, but
this story also shows the concern that Jesus has for this individual. As
we look at our world today do we see the individual, especially those that
may have handicaps. It is estimated that in the United States there are
over 2 million deaf people and that 3/4 of them do not have a church. In
the bigger picture, the elderly often have hearing problems and can’t
hear the worship services they may attend. The improved sound system may
help some, but what should we do for those that are not helped? There are
no easy answers to that question, but some way we need to find help for
those with this problem.
As we look at the Four Gospels we begin to see that Jesus had the
desire to help all people in need, and through His love He reached out to
every man, women and child. This included those that were often excluded
from worship by the religious leaders of that day and time. The blind, the
crippled, the disabled, the sick, and the deaf. Jesus’ message is that
no one is to be excluded. Our own desire should be to show the world that
Christians and our churches are more accepting and caring than anywhere
else in the world. If they see us with the Christ-like attitude for all
people they will then be open to the message about Jesus. Let us be sure
that our hearts, our homes and our churches are open to all, especially
those who are deaf or with other aliments.
Jesus sums it all up even for us in one word. Ephphatha!! "Be
opened!"
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