Deaf and Mute

Day 14

³¹ Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ³² There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. ³³ After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). ³⁵ At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. ³⁶ Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷ People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” - Mark 7:31-37

Be the deaf and mute man. I cannot even fathom what it would be like to be him. Unable to express oneself, living in complete silence, that must be so difficult, especially if you develop it some point in time throughout your life. If he was deaf, how could he have heard about Christ? Only if he saw (which wasn't said in the passage). To have Christ pull me aside as who I am, I could not call out to him or anything, i had to be helped by others to get the attention of Christ.

Be one of the man's friends. It must be shocking to see your friend one day able to hear and speak to you, its a major change in your life, and I think i would be absolutely astonished, seeing a changed person, a new creation.

Similarly, Christ changes us in all aspects, in this passage it is in a physical sense, but I know he can change us spiritually, mentally and emotionally as well. Sometimes we are so helpless, unable to express our pain and sufferings to God, but we have community and brothers and sisters to support us, but most important, we have to trust God in the midst of our helplessness, trusting that he will save us and pull us out of such situations.

My Prayer: Lord, you change us with your life and your love. No matter what situation we are stranded in, you remind us to trust in you. And when we do, you show us a way out and ultimately transform us. Let us not be anxious in our trials, but be ready to see you work in our lives. Thank you for breathing life into me, giving me trials that strengthen me, and granting me hope and victory over sin. Amen.