( Sermon MARK 7:31-37 ) [ Predigt ] [ Abkündigungen535.35 KB ]
Being deaf, dear congregation, can have different causes.
I am either deaf because of medical reasons.
Or I am deaf because my attention is elsewhere.
And I am deaf because I do not want to hear.
The words that others say to me do not reach me. Communication with one another is impossible in this way.
Sometimes we need more than just words. The best example is Saul, once a person fervently persecuting Christians. Deaf for the good news of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we also need other signs. A light from above blinds Saul and then he cannot see anymore. Physically he now experiences what he has been spiritually: blind for Jesus. A messenger of Jesus places his hands on him so that he can see again and is filled with the holy spirit. He can see again and can see even deeper than that which is visible to the eye.
Saul who became Paul is an example: God changes people.
Another example is contained in the text for our sermon today.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.
32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.
33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.
34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.
37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Do you believe in miracles? This is the tangible question in the classroom when I talk about Jesus at school. How he healed people, how he walked on water, how he changed water to wine.
As it is put so beautifully in the lyrics of a song: miracles happen, I’ve seen them happen. There is so much we fail to understand.
Dear congregation, that is what it’s all about:
Miracles happens in order to amaze us, they cannot be understood. They cannot be explained logically and yet they happen. Time and again, without us being able to exercise any influence. They simply burst into our reality, they are unpredictable.
Of course, I often wish that a miracle would occur. In my own life or that of my family. If I see the horrible news from Afghanistan, the forest fires, floods and earthquakes. But it does not happen. But the mere fact that I do not experience miracles as I expect them to happen, does not mean that they do not happen.
Now let us hear how the deaf man experiences his personal miracle.
I come from the region of the 10 cities. The land of the heathens. I could not hear and hardly talk, I could only stammer and utter odd sounds. It was hard for me because others of course avoided me. The most human ability to express myself and to be heard by others, was no option for me. I was often alone, lost in my own thoughts. “He must have done something wrong that he was punished in this way from birth – or perhaps his parents? Rejected by God – and thus also by people. That is how I lived with the other outcasts on the periphery of the city as a beggar. What else could I have done? If you cannot communicate, life is tough. Unseen, unloved, not cared for, I lived without knowing why I was on this earth. Until Jesus came. Which I, obviously, did not hear. But some others thought of me and brought me to Jesus and asked him that he would place his hands upon me. Quite honestly: they saved my life, I now think when I look back. And their trust in Jesus was amazing. They knew: if there is anyone who can heal, then it is him.
My own faith played no role at all.
Just imagine, there was a crowd that had gathered. And Jesus turned to me. He looked at me and took me aside. Just him and me. What happened then was invisible to the other eyes.
It almost hurt when he pressed my ears so hard as though he wanted them to open up, he spat onto the ground as though he wanted to show the evil forces that torment and break the world how he rejects them. And then he touched my tongue.
Jesus looked up to heaven. It was clear to me that he was seeking God’s help, was talking to God and eventually he sighed.
Yes, just as I did. A stammer, a sigh “Ephphatha, be opened.”
And, what can I say: my ears opened and my tongue was released and I could talk properly. At last I could talk to the world. I was no longer an outcast, but at long last a part of the community.
Dear congregation, they were astonished beyond measure, it says in the text. That which had happened simply did not match any expectations of the people. It leaves them irritated, astonished. And, thus, the moment of astonishment and fear is always at the heart of miracles.
And we, we are to take our stand. How do I deal with that which cannot be explained rationally and yet happens. To be astonished can have a productive function. It can lead to the insight: God has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak
Because he is merciful.
And he sends us his son Jesus, the saviour not only of our inner being, but also the healer of our physical illness. And I think we know how intricately intertwined body and soul are. When you are physically ill, you need to care for your soul. And when your soul is ill, you can also become physically ill. Experiences of faith are often also physical experiences:
Jesus heals by touching people.
Yes, I believe that God does miracles.
Jesus shows through his life in words and deeds that God’s kingdom is coming.
It is already amongst us, every now and again we get to see a glimpse of it.
But it is also still outstanding.
People turn to one another, understand one another, hear and speak. They can see and see deeper. And where this happens, we can sample what is promised to us: being together with him, salvation and healing forever.
Amen