This morning I felt led to read from Mark's Gospel, the seventh chapter. I read the whole chapter, and the verses that made me stop and think and reflect were the last verses of the chapter, having to do with Jesus healing the deaf and mute man. Here is the story, as recounted by Mark 7:31-37 NIV:
[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.”
What caught my mind, was the actual healing that took place, and is greatly understated by Mark, that of the man's healing in his mind. Speaking words clearly has much so much more to do with just being able to hear, it requires a knowledge of language, which for those who hear is gained through listening. I studied deaf education for a bit, back when I was getting my education degree, and specifically the acquisition of language for the profoundly deaf. It was such an interesting topic and one that intrigues me to this day.
Without getting into the depth of this topic, let me summarize and say that apparently when Jesus prayed for the man, not only were his ears and mouth healed, but his brain was rewired, as knowledge of spoken language was suddenly acquired as well, for he could speak plainly. This is a HUGE deal! The Greek word used to describe his speaking is Orthos, from which we get the word othrodontists, it means straight and correct. In other words the man spoke correctly, which would be impossible without an understanding of language.
Thus when Jesus prayed for his healing, He didn't just pray for his ears, He prayed for his mind as well, that He might know language, hear language and speak language that everyone else could understand, a complete acquisition and understanding of the complex rules of language instantly. This would normally take years of intensive work for the profoundly deaf person, and he received it instantly!
That is Awesome, and that is why the people were so amazed in verse 37!
So what does this have to do with me, and my life? Well, this morning I was praying that I might hear and understand the word of the Lord better, both for myself, but also for our church body. Yesterday one of our pastors preached on the importance of going to a quite place (wilderness) to converses with God, to hear from God, to be empowered by God. That is impossible to do, if we don't have the ability to hear, and understand! God does speak to us, and does so constantly, but many of us, myself included miss most of what He is saying, for we are not able to hear His voice in the midst of the busyness of life. Thus, our pastor encouraged us to get away to a place where we could hear!
Secondly, as important as hearing is, thinking correctly is just as important! One of the reasons I read scripture is to see where my thinking doesn't line up with the word of th Lord, so that I can change the way I think. I believe this should be a common prayer, "Lord help me to think clearly, and correctly!!"
Just the other day in my daily prayer, I was reading through one of Paul's letters, and I saw something where I was out of line with the Word of the Lord, and I had to repent (Change the way I was thinking, and have been thinking for a long time). It wasn't a chastisement, but rather a gentle correction. Some of us need bigger corrections of course for the way we think, or have areas that specifically need adjustment. We can ask the Lord to help us both hear and understand (think correctly), and He will do that which we ask! That is really good news!
Lord, I pray that you would heal my ears AND my mind, help me to hear You clearly, and help me to understand exactly what You are saying to me! Amen!
I pray that the Lord might bless you this day with a clear word, with an understanding of His word to You! I pray that His word would bring You peace and Joy, as You hear Him clearly!
Sam
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