23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk. 7: 31-37 – The Healing of a Deaf Man

Background

Again I am presenting the work of John Meier, A Marginal Jew, Vol. Two: Mentor, Messiah, and Miracle. The opening geography is Jesus passing through predominantly Gentile region with his salvific message and actions. Hopefully, we can recognize the symbolic value of healing a deaf man; for Jesus and the early Christians experienced many who were deaf to the meaning and message that Jesus and they proclaimed. Possible evidence of this passage’s origins lies in the many symbolic expressions involved in Jesus’ cure. Naming them could bring them easier to our awareness.

The real struggle in hearing this story is for each of us to identify our own deafness. The fact that the people brought the deaf man to Jesus might suggest that others in our life are better able to identify our own deafness since the deafness we are dealing with is, not the physical deafness of not hearing, but the psychological deafness of not wanting to hear, listen. If our enemies were to talk about what we most don’t want to pay attention to, what might that be? Our answer gives us a window into the struggled effort on Jesus’ part to heal this deafness in us. Normally such deafness is threatening to our life as we understand ourselves; it is challenging to who we think we are and such thinking on our part is in actual conflict with who God intends us to be.

Our Questions

There are always, as well, our three basic questions. Keep in mind that the who question has been extended to identify the role that each plays in the passage and that the roles can best be determined by focusing on what is said and/or done; or not said and /or done but what we would expect to have been said and / or done. God’s word speaks to our heart, so the most significant effort on our part is to pay attention to what moves us and question that.

Our Characters

1. Jesus
2. People, later identified as “the crowd”

  • bring the deaf man
  • beg Jesus to heal him
  • “proclaimed” what Jesus had done
  • were exceedingly astonished
  • remark that Jesus “has done all things well …”

3. A deaf man
4. Who the “them” and “they” in this passage are not exactly clear but from the context the “them” seem to be the people, the crowd; and the notes make the same identification.

My refrain:

Before we read though, let’s quiet ourselves, remember whatever we can from the background, our questions and, most importantly, pay attention to what happens inside of us as we read.

The Reading

31. Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.

32. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.

33. He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;

34. then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”– that is, “Be opened!” —

35. And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.

36. He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.

37. They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Your responses, questions, and / or comments are welcomed. You can add them by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.

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