The Gospel of Mark portrayed Jesus as a powerful Son of God who performed a lot of miracles to bring forth the Kingdom of God. Most of the time, Jesus simply commanded and the miracle was performed. For example, driving out demons, healing the paralyzed, calming the storm etc. Therefore, when we read of the healing of a deaf-mute in Decapoli (Mark 7:31-37), we feel a little puzzled about Jesus' actions.
Was it necessary for Jesus to put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue (Mark 7:33b)?
Was it necessary for Jesus to put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue (Mark 7:33b)?
We may argue that since the person was deaf. He could not hear Jesus' command. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to take some extra actions to perform this miracle. However, if this reason stands, how do we explain another exorcism occasion in which Jesus commanded a dumb and deaf spirit to leave a boy (Mark 9:25). The spirit was deaf and was not supposed to hear, right?
Wrong! This dumb and deaf spirit might not be dumb and deaf itself. It caused dumbness and deafness in others. Therefore, it could hear Jesus' command. But was it necessary for a person to hear Jesus' command in order to be healed?
Hearing the command did not seem to be a necessary condition because earlier on, Jesus droved out from a distance the demon which possessed the daughter of a Greek woman. The demon was not in the proximity of Jesus. Moreover, we do not expect waves and storm to hear, do we? Therefore, hearing Jesus' command was not a necessary condition for a miracle to happen. Jesus' action on the deaf-mute was not essential for the healing. It was meant for something else. And what was this something else?
Wrong! This dumb and deaf spirit might not be dumb and deaf itself. It caused dumbness and deafness in others. Therefore, it could hear Jesus' command. But was it necessary for a person to hear Jesus' command in order to be healed?
Hearing the command did not seem to be a necessary condition because earlier on, Jesus droved out from a distance the demon which possessed the daughter of a Greek woman. The demon was not in the proximity of Jesus. Moreover, we do not expect waves and storm to hear, do we? Therefore, hearing Jesus' command was not a necessary condition for a miracle to happen. Jesus' action on the deaf-mute was not essential for the healing. It was meant for something else. And what was this something else?
Putting fingers into the ears of a deaf man and touching the tongue of a mute were visible and symbolic actions. For us, even for a physician, such actions do not heal. At most, they are gestures of compassion. But Jesus is God. His actions heal. Therefore, these actions are sacramental. They are visible signs to convey God's grace/power to the recipients. Since they are sacramental, they go beyond the physical and bring forth the supernatural, the transcendental. The deaf-mute did not simply recover his hearing and speaking capacity, he could hear God's call and speak God's message to the others. I think this is the lesson of the whole story.
Everyone of us is, to a certain extent, deaf. Arrogance, inattention, mood, preconception, prejudice, preoccupation, stubbornness etc. prevent us from properly hearing what others are trying to tell us. Everyone of us is, to a certain extent, mute. Cowardice, diffidence, fear, greed, ignorance etc. prevent us from speaking the truth. Each one of us needs the grace of God to overcome such illnesses so that we may hear the truth clearly and speak the truth boldly.
Dear Lord, grant us the grace of humility to hear Your words and the courage to preach Your good news to our neighbours. Amen.
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