How great is the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus! Some people from the region of the Decapolis brought a deaf man with a severe speech impediment to Jesus for healing. The way Jesus responded is truly remarkable and it shows his gentleness and understanding for all those who come to him. He knows our burdens and he cares for each one of us individually. Jesus took the man aside from the crowds, who no doubt had ridiculed the man his whole life. The Lord touched his ears and his tongue to communicate with the man in a way that he would understand. Jesus looked up to heaven, the source of all his power, and sighed a deep sigh. At his command, "Ephphatha!", the man's ears were opened and his tongue was loosened.

The lesson of this passage goes beyond one man's healing. We need Jesus to miraculously open our spiritual ears. We need his touch upon our hearts and souls so that we might hear his life-giving word and obey it. We also need our tongues loosened to proclaim the good news of salvation to the whole world. Following the example of the deaf man's friends, we are to bring the lost and hurting to Jesus. He continues to do everything well and the hope of the whole world is in him.


Application: Lord Jesus, place your fingers in our ears and touch our tongues, so that we may hear your word and proclaim it to the world.
One Word: "Ephphatha!"