Theme: Do You Hear God?
Many people suffer from hearing problems, not just the senior citizens. Of course, old people do not hear well because of the deterioration of their health. But some people do not hear well as a result of occupational hazards, such as those who spend most of their working time in very noisy environments. Many others do not hear well because they choose not to. Why do I say this? Look at people in MTR or West Rail. They plug their ears with ear-phones to enjoy their music or watch their videos. This is a common sight nowadays. Times and again, it can be a problem. They do not hear because they choose not to pay attention to the people around them. Why don't they pay attention to the others? One possible answer is that they are too egocentric. They only care about themselves and ignore the others.
Is it a problem? Yes, it is. If we do not pay attention to the others, the others are unable to teach us or share with us new knowledge. They cannot even warn us of immediate dangers ahead. That can be life-threatening. Moreover, hearing is essential for speech learning. A person is not able to reproduce what he cannot hear. Therefore, if a baby does not start talking, parents check its ears first rather than its tongue.
In the gospel story today, Jesus went through a number of places. We are familiar with the Sea of Galilee which was in the north, close to Gentile world outside. What about Tyre, Sidon and Decapolis? Well, they were Gentile cities. Therefore, Jesus performed this healing in a Gentile environment. Next chapter, Jesus will perform one more multiplication miracle to feed 4000 Gentiles. This is significant. It shows that God's salvation is not limited to the Jews. It tells the Jewish readers not to be ego-centric.
This deaf person suffered also from a speech impediment. It was to be expected. Most likely, this person had suffered deafness since a very young age, thus preventing him from learning speaking. That speedy recovery of speech made the healing all the more miraculous. This previously deaf person took no time to pick up the ability to speak. Was it not miraculous? Moreover, restoring the hearing opens up a whole new world of sounds to this previously deaf person. Life becomes rich in textures, colours and sounds together with their interactions.
What has this healing to do with us?
Therefore, instead of reading more books, I suggest praying over the passage we read. In praying, we stay quiet. We do not speak. We open up ourselves and listen to God and receive His revelation.
After we are able to hear God, we should start speaking about God. We should start speaking about God to our neighbour. Speaking will reinforce our hearing. Evangelization will enhance our understanding of God. Why? Jesus promises us that when we speak, it is the Holy Spirit which speaks through us. That is to say, we are not speaking about ourselves and our knowledge, but the knowledge of God. Here is another opportunity to hear God. That is why speaking will reinforce our hearing and our relationship with God.
Brethren, most of us are weak in hearing God. Receive this healing from Jesus Christ so that we may be able to hear the most important thing in the world, that we may be able to hear God. Then sing praises to the Lord. Speak of His mercy to your neighbour.
First of all, all of us need to check our hearing. Of course I don't mean our physical hearing. I mean to challenge you. Of all the things in the world, the most important thing we need to hear is God's message. Do you hear God? In your prayers, do you hear God? You might say, "Well Deacon, we don't need to hear God because God's words are in the Bible. We can simply read the Bible if we want to know His words and to know His will."
You are both correct and mistaken! You are correct that God's words are written in the Bible. We can read them and know God's will. But you are mistaken because the words we read have different meanings in different contexts. Which meaning is the correct one? Well, we can read more books written by scholars and experts to discover the correct meaning. Let me assure you. Reading more books does not help much. Most of the time, it only adds to greater confusion.
There is another reason why reading more books shall lead to confusion. It is because many of us already have some preconceived ways of thinking. It would be difficult for us to change our mind. For example, people brought the deaf-mute to Jesus, expecting him to "lay his hand on him" (Mark 7:32). People felt comfortable with the "laying of hands". But what did Jesus do? His actions were unhygienic and might be disgusting for some: "He put his fingers into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue" (7:33) Are you comfortable with new ways of thinking and doing things? Beware! God always does new things!
We all know very well how difficult to stay quiet. In praying, many noises and thoughts come up from within to distract us. What can we do? Before we read the Bible, pray to the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen our desire to love God. Then, start reading in such a way that you hear your own voice. Read slowly and repeat a few times until you settle down on a few phrases. There, God speaks to you. When noises and thoughts come up, don't worry. Soon, they will die down. Let the Holy Spirit take care of them. Build up this habit and you will be able to hear more clearly.
God bless!
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