Some people, a deaf man and Jesus - Mark 7:31-37
Thre are three people in this story that I want to look at:
Some People
A man who was deaf with a severe speech impediment.
Jesus.
Some people
“After this, Jesus left the coastland of Tyre and came through Sidon on his way to Lake Galilee and over into regions of Syria. SOME PEOPLE...”
Who are the Some People that this passage talks about?
Jesus was in Sidon. Sidon was a bustling city - a thriving place with lots of trade that is now in modern-day Lebanon - a really old City that is mentioned in the Old Testament quite a bit. Sidon also received its name from the great-grandson of Noah.
For a long time, the Sidonians oppressed Israel. Jezebel was a Sidonian princess and Solomon even married a Sidonian which basically meant that idolatrous worship came from Sidon into Israel.
There are quite a few prophecies in the Old Testament about it and about its destruction - all of which have come to the pass as every man and his dog has conquered the city, often completely destroying it.
At the time of Jesus, it had become a thriving port city again under Roman rule.
Some people = regular people
But despite the paganism, and the oppression of Israel and the history - Jesus still ministered there and healed people there.
And this is important as for the last two weeks we’ve seen how Jesus deals with both prejudice and sexism. And here, Jesus continues breaking prejudice. There was no ‘them & us’ for Jesus. Even today, he is still breaking down the walls and barriers of separation and segregation.
So Jesus is in Sidon. And some people bring to him the deaf and mute man.
It's reasonable to assume that Some People were probably Sidonians. And they were people that had probably encountered Jesus previously, and even been healed themselves.
Some people. They were regular people. Ordinary people. People not particularly liked by religious folks at the time. They didn't have special skills or abilities it seemed. They weren't leaders or kings. They were just ordinary people. People like me. People like you.
Some people make a difference
Some people bring this a man who was deaf with a severe speech impediment to Jesus. And here’s the thing - if they didn’t help their friend, if they didn’t intervene and bring the deaf and mute guy to Jesus - he would have died a deaf and mute man.
Sometimes the thing that stops Jesus doing things in the lives of others is ‘some people. Normal folks, everyday people. You. Me. People that have encountered Jesus before.
The Sidonians didn’t know if Jesus would or even could heal this guy - but they bought him to Jesus to find out. And we need to be ‘some people’ to the world out there. We, who have encountered the healing and life-transforming grace of Jesus need to bring those sick and hurting to him.
How do we bring people to Jesus?
Some People pleaded with Jesus to lay hands on him and heal him. That is what prayer and intercession are. It's where we stand before Jesus and ask him to do something for someone else that maybe doesn't know they can ask Jesus themselves.
We bring people to Jesus by inviting people to church.
We do that by bringing groceries to those that can’t go and get them themselves. We do it practically. We do it spiritually. We do it metaphorically. We do it in a number of ways - but the bottom line, people need to see the goodness of God and sometimes, folks are so hurt, they are so ill, they are so unable to hear or to speak for themselves and they need someone who will help them get to where they cannot get themselves.
We are the Some People in this story.
Stepping out from the crowd
Notice the crowd for a second. There is a crowd of people and the Bible draws our attention to some people. There is a large crowd but the Bible puts our attention on just a few of them. Some people stand out from the crowd.
You see this all over the Bible - and you still see it today.
Imagine the folks that stayed at home - the ones that didn't want to see Jesus or believe Jesus really was doing incredible things. They didn't want to investigate it. They didn't want to find out more. They want things to stay as they are, despite what the fanatics are saying around them.
Then you have the crowds - the people who actually seek out Jesus. They are curious and they want to know more and to see more. They want to know if the rumors are real.
They get to hear him. They get to see the miracles and get the stories of those that have their lives changed.
Sounds like the church right? You have crowds of people who gather still around Jesus to hear him speak and to see him work miracles.
Then you've got people some people - the ones who step out, do something a little bit different and bring to Jesus those whom society has written off, those who are beyond help, those who know that God's power extends beyond all of those things.
Some people are the people that bring the hurting to Christ regardless of their background and education and regardless of protocol and tradition.
I want to be some people.
I don't just want to be in the crowd. I want to make a difference in the lives of others.
“After this, Jesus left the coastland of Tyre and came through Sidon on his way to Lake Galilee and over into regions of Syria. Some people brought to him a deaf man with a severe speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hands on him and heal him.”
A man who was deaf with a severe speech impediment.
In this story - a man who was deaf with a severe speech impediment. needed help, a miracle. And he got it. And as far as we know - he too was just a regular guy, an everyday-chap. This is good news because Jesus doesn't just heal the elite, the leaders, or the religious. He goes outside those borders to those that even persecute his people - just like Sidon did to Israel. Which is good news for all of us!
But also notice - He didn’t need to become a Christ Follower to get healed - Jesus didn’t require that of him. Which is important. It's important if you're reading this and you wouldn't call yourself a Christian. Jesus will still heal you.
All he needed and all you need is some people to bring him to Jesus.
“So Jesus led him away from the crowd to a private spot. Then he stuck his fingers into the man’s ears and placed some of his saliva on the man’s tongue. Then he gazed into heaven, sighed deeply, and spoke to the man’s ears and tongue, “Ethpathakh,” which is Aramaic for “Open up, now!””
Setting the scene
When I read these stories in the Bible, I like to take a moment and set the scene in my mind - I like to picture what is going on.
We know we have a crowd of people. It’s a hot day, the sun is strong and relentless. You can smell the sand that is moving in the air with a slight offshore breeze that is coming through. You can hear the noise of the crowd. You can see them. You can even smell them. You have people just hanging around, watching, waiting. You have people crying out for help, trying to get to the front of the crowd to see Jesus, trying to get their healing. You have some people shouting obscenities and blasphemy because they don’t know any better. Kids are running around not sure what to make of the whole thing but trying to enjoy it at least.
And at the edge of that crowd, you have the disciples, and you have Jesus. They are talking to some people and there, standing for all to see is a deaf and mute man.
And there he stands, in front of Jesus.
Imagine how he is feeling. Does he feel like he is in a show? Everyone looking at him because he's a freak? Maybe this is one elaborate joke that some people have been playing on him.
We all have the same thoughts. We all stand before Jesus and we can feel exposed, like the attention of the world is upon us, like we've been set up like it's all one big hoax and I'm the last person to know about it.
I wonder if this is the reason Jesus takes him aside from the crowd?
It's an interesting little piece of data in the story.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
On show, for all to see?
So Jesus led him away from the crowd to a private spot...Why does he do that? I am intrigued.
What does he say to the crowd to get them to wait as he wanders off with this guy? What did they think when he did? What would you have thought if you’d have seen this? I wonder if they thought to themselves, this guy must be too hard, beyond help? Maybe Jesus is sending him away?
I don’t know - but a big part of me would be happy with the theory that Jesus knew he didn’t need to put on a show for the crowd, but rather kept the dignity of the person. Sometimes, Jesus heals in the crowds, sometimes he heals in the quiet, still and private spots.
Prayers not answered as expected?
Often times, Jesus doesn’t answer your prayers in the way you are expecting. Some people wanted Jesus to lay hands on this guy and have at it. Jesus didn’t do that. He took the guy away privately. He shoved his fingers in his ears and spat on the man’s tongue. The mechanism of Jesus’ healing here, the how if you like, is different from what was expected.
How many times have we seen this? We go to God with a prayer and not only do we have the answer to the prayer that we want in our minds, but we’ve also mapped out the route that God will take when answering that prayer.
We all do it.
Except for this time - the map that Jesus took was a bit off the beaten track, it was something that people didn’t really expect. And everyone had to deal with that. Including the deaf guy.
We have to deal with the fact that the journey to answered prayer is as important as the answer itself but the journey may not be what we expect.
Jesus always brings about wholeness
So whilst the journey will look different for each of us. For some folks, it’s straight forward and simple and obvious to all. For others, it is more private. For others, it may be longer or shorter than we think. Our journeys look different but I do know one thing - and that is this - at the end of this, when the prayer is answered and delivered, it is always the same - and that is the wholeness of the person.
Jesus always brings about wholeness.
That’s his aim with you and with me. To make us whole as people. That’s dealing with the sin, the sickness, the separation, the fear, the loneliness, the anxiety, the despair, the ego, the masks, the blindness, the deafness, the inability to speak - whatever is holding us back from being all the God has called and destined us to be, Jesus wants to heal and make us whole.
And that’s what happens to this guy. He is healed and made whole. His life is transformed by Jesus.
So don’t lose heart if you feel like God is not answering your prayers how you think He should. Don’t lose heart if plan A, plan B or even plan C is not working as you think it should. People may have written you off. Society may deem you as an outcast. But maybe, just maybe - Jesus has something else in mind for you, something that is different from what has happened for everyone else, something this is in the private spot, something that is unique and just for you.
And it will be beautiful and whole and miraculous and your like will be transformed and you will hear things you have never heard before, and you will speak things that you have never spoken before. And you will stand before crowds and they will marvel at the work God has done in your life.
It’s good, isn’t it?
Jesus, the centre of the story
So let’s look at Jesus in this story. All good stories are centered around Jesus, and this story is no exception. Jesus has stood before him a deaf and mute guy. He takes him off to a private spot and works an unusual miracle in an unusual way.
Let’s look again at what happens:
“At once the man’s ears opened and he could hear perfectly, and his tongue was untied and he began to speak normally. Jesus ordered everyone to keep this miracle a secret, but the more he told them not to, the more the news spread! The people were absolutely beside themselves and astonished beyond measure. And they began to declare, “Everything he does is wonderful! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!””
I am again picturing the scene: The crowd sees what Jesus has done, and they are absolutely besides themselves. They are astonished beyond measure. They didn’t think it was possible for Jesus to do what He did, but Jesus did it anyway.
And that’s the thing about Jesus. He does what people think cannot be done - especially when it relates to the wholeness of people. People, crowds, society, they all wrote this guy off. They didn't think it was possible for him to ever have a better life, to ever get to a place of wholeness. But some people thought differently. They bought him to Jesus and Jesus confounds everyone by bringing wholeness to something that was impossible to be made whole.
I don’t know about you, your life, what you’ve grown up with, or what you’ve grown up without. Your background, your history, your experience, your mind, your body - whatever it is and wherever it is is not beyond the grace of Jesus - regardless of what other people have said.
Just enjoy the journey as well as the answer to your prayers. Because the journey Jesus takes you on will be specific for you.
“The people were absolutely beside themselves and astonished beyond measure. And they began to declare, “Everything he does is wonderful! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!””
Jesus
Everything he does is wonderful...this is as true today as it was back then. He still astonishes today. If you will get up out of your chair and hunt him out, and find him, he will astonish and amaze. That’s what I discovered.
When I was living abroad, I had to answer these questions for myself. I had to find out if Jesus was really alive? was he really who he said he was? Was he still working in the earth today? I had a lot of questions and a lot of skepticism but I couldn’t think of a more important question I had to answer.
And as I went on the search for Him, guess what I found? I came across crowds of people, I began to see what was going on, I began to see miracles and hear stories of transformed lives, and of wholeness and soundness. And I started to see Jesus for myself, I started to experience him for myself until one day I realised that I was in fact the deaf and mute man stood before him.
I wasn’t in a crowd of people. I was in a private spot, in my bedroom, and I told Jesus if he could do anything with my life, he was welcome to have it.
And to be honest, I thought I was doing OK at this point. I was happy. I wasn’t massively sick. I wasn’t aware of any major shortcomings in my life.
Jesus took me anyway, and he took me at my word and he transformed my life inside and out - so hear I stand over 25 years later, and can tell you that he still opens deaf ears, he still helps the mute speak, he still opens blind eyes, and yes I am still absolutely beside myself and astonished beyond measure.
Because that is just the nature of Jesus.