They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all
things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark
7:37
This line is the conclusion to the story of Jesus healing a deaf
man who also had a speech impediment. The man was brought to Jesus,
Jesus took him off by himself, cried out “Ephphatha!” (that
is, “Be opened!”), and the man was cured. And though this was an
incredible gift to this man and an act of great mercy toward him,
it also reveals that God wants to use us to draw others to
Himself.
On a natural level, we all lack the ability to hear the voice of
God when He speaks. We need the gift of grace for this. As a
result, on a natural level, we are also incapable of speaking the
many truths that God wants us to speak. This story teaches us that
God also desires to heal our ears so as to hear His gentle voice
and to loosen our tongues so that we can become His
mouthpiece.
But this story is not only about God speaking to each one of us; it
also reveals our duty to bring others to Christ who do not know
Him. The friends of this man brought him to Jesus. And Jesus took
the man off by himself. This gives us insight into how we help
others to come to know our Lord’s voice. Oftentimes when we want to
share the Gospel with another, we tend to talk to them and try to
rationally convince them to turn their lives to Christ. And though
this can bear good fruit at times, the real goal we must have is to
help them to go off with our Lord by themselves for a while so that
Jesus can do the healing.
If your ears have truly been opened by our Lord, then your tongue
will also be loosened. And only if your tongue is loosened will God
be able to draw others to Himself through you. Otherwise your act
of evangelizing will only be based on your effort alone. Therefore,
if you have people in your life who do not appear to be listening
to the voice of God and following His holy will, then first and
foremost commit yourself to listening to our Lord yourself. Let
your ears hear Him. And when you do hear Him, it will be His voice
that, in turn, speaks through you in the way He desires to reach
out to others.
Reflect, today, upon this Gospel scene. Ponder, especially, the
friends of this man as they are inspired to bring him to Jesus. Ask
our Lord to use you in a similar way. Prayerfully ponder those in
your life whom God wants to call to Himself through your mediation
and place yourself at the service of our Lord so that His voice can
speak through you in the way He chooses.
My good Jesus, please open my ears to hear all that You wish to
say to me and please loosen my tongue so that I will become a
mouthpiece of Your holy word to others. I offer myself to You for
Your glory and pray that You will use me in accord with Your holy
will. Jesus, I fully trust in You.
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