Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

“ And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. ³² And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. ³³ And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; ³⁴ And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. ³⁵ And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. ³⁶ And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; ³⁷ And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”

Our sermon is based on the healing of the deaf mute. You will see that the sinner often feels closed out, closed off, by life in the world, but that the Gospel reveals how everything you encounter is part of God’s perfect cure for the soul. Again, from the miracle:

And looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain.

Lord Jesus, bless Thy Word that we may trust in Thee. Amen.

If you were the deaf-mute in our lesson today, if a man you had never met before did to you what Jesus does to him, sticks his finger in your ear, spits at you, taps your tongue, groans in your face, you might think it a bizarre experience to say the least, insulting, demeaning.

But I offer for your consideration today, this wasn’t really all that out of the ordinary an experience. Not for the deaf man it wasn’t. No, he’s been through all this before. And by this point, his encounter with Jesus, he’s probably grown sadly accustomed to such treatment.

You see, from the earliest days his parents first suspected there was something wrong with their little boy, the odd behavior began. The awkward claps about their child’s head trying to get a reaction, peering into his ears, down his throat to look and see what could be wrong. Neighbors, offering to help, repeating the same nonsense. And all the ‘medical professionals’ of Jesus’ time could do was poke and prod him themselves. Shove a finger in his ear, yank on his tongue, all to end up with the profound diagnosis, “Your son can’t talk.undefined

This Jesus’ encounter with the deaf-mute happens in the region of Decapolis. Decapolis is a Greek word, decathlon plus metropolis, a region of ten Greek cities, riddled with pagan healers who had all sorts of quack advice, interpretations, and treatments. Which, oddly enough, included something Jesus uses, spit, human saliva, a common medicine at the time, attempt at medicine that is.

At least, though, the family, friends, and doctors, these people were trying to help. Neighborhood bullies wouldn’t have. Bullies who taunted him with no good intent. Stick their fingers in his ears for fun, or boxed them in with their hands from behind as a cruel joke. Sighing in front of him in mimicry of the only crude sounds he could make. Perhaps even in jest saying, “Ephphatha - why don’t you talk!undefined

Now, for this deaf man, so closed off from the world about him, alone and alienated, so accustomed to bullying, Jesus seems to offer more of the same: “He… put His fingers into His ears… spit… touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith… ‘Ephphatha… Be opened.’”

You don’t have to be deaf to have had experiences like this. To be poked and prodded by doctors with no real answer, one follow up appointment after another, one procedure after the next, all to end up with no better diagnosis than, yep, it still doesn’t work.

We might not have the pagan healers of the Decapolis running about the Dakotas, but quack cures and condescending advice still abound. From self-help home remedies to the clichés and mottos of people who find meaning in life, without church - none of which can prevent death.

And of course, there are bullies today who prove opportunistic regardless of your particular weakness. Boxing in and taking advantage of your kindness, naïveté, humility, patience. Those you know mock you, even if they don’t do it in front of your face.

Yes, while not as extreme as the deaf men, we have had experiences like his. We have been bounced about, back and forth, by factors in life out of our control. The pain and disappointment we wish we could vocalize but can’t. The loneliness when no one seems to hear what we’re trying to say. The disorienting and confusing encounters we can’t understand. Leaving the heart to wonder, to doubt, if the biggest bully of all isn’t our God. If He weren’t the One playing with, toying with, us.

Which brings us back to the odd behavior in our gospel lesson, Jesus tapping the deaf man’s tongue, finger in the ear, a moan and sigh before his eyes, enunciating “ephphatha” with such emphasis, he can feel the spittle on his face.

The difference, though, being this—when Jesus says “Ephphatha -open up, why don’t you just talk,” it works! The deaf man does. He talks. And with this miracle, all the odd behavior from Jesus and all the cruel treatment his whole life are transformed by the Savior’s gracious act from bullying into blessing.

The difference: our words, our actions, tear one another down, close one another out. But Jesus’ Word has the power to heal, the power to give life. And all that deaf man did was watch Jesus, take it in, and receive blessing upon blessing.

So too the crowd, those he had grown up with, who had gone through all the same motions Jesus just did… with no result, other than hurting him more, closing him out farther from the world, they’re changed as well. No longer bullying out of boredom, their quack advice silenced, they bless in return: “He hath done all things well.undefined

It was love and mercy the deaf man took in with his eyes for the healing of his ears. Love and mercy we take in today with our ears for the healing of the soul.

For though they had seen the wonder of Jesus heal a deaf man, the greatest miracle was yet to come, when the One who said, “Let there be light!” would fall silent and become mute Himself. The eternal Word made Flesh, Jesus, killed.

The good news that your God not only knows every cruel experience you have been through from His high exalted all-knowing throne. The good news that He came to know them, experience them Himself, that you and I might watch with our ears a Redeemer suffer what we do, watch Jesus suffer what you never will, and thereby turn all your bullying into blessing too.

In a mockery of a trial, “when Jesus was accused by the chief priests and elders,” of many false tales. Browbeaten, intimidated to the ground, spit upon, and slapped, “Talk, why don’t you!” A sight so shameful Pilate couldn’t help but wonder, “Answerest thou nothing?” “But Jesus yet answered not a word.undefined

Jesus “led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth.” So closed off by those who heckled Him on, He cried out in deepest despair: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?undefined

As the doctors of the law and those caught up in the crowd, poked and prodded a Man with no ailments, offering one maltreatment after the next, with no better diagnosis than, “He’s not that great after all, is He?undefined

He was. Because in all those groans and sighs at the hands of those deaf to the wonder before their eyes was the love of God on perfect display.

Dear friends, the Scriptures admit, the feeling is real, the experience of being bounced about by life with no good explanation, you’re not making it up, but the fault isn’t God’s. The Scriptures teach that the reason we feel so bullied and ignored is our broken relationship with Him on account of our sin.

A diagnosis with only one treatment, with only one cure, for the righteous Son of God to be offered in our place, to make atonement for our spiritual disease, in order to heal you in full.

You see, the few times did speak in His suffering and death, seven brief words, seven crystal clear utterances, Jesus only broke His silence that you might know He did it all for you.

And come to believe that after the ultimate quiet, Jesus’ mouth shut, lips closed in death, body sealed in a tomb, He rose again in victory. To prove how all that bullying He endured had secured eternal blessings for you.

For this your eternal redemption is a story which cannot remain silent, just as surely as the grave could not remain shut. The Easter angel’ first words, “He is risen; He is not here…” opening our mouths to repeat the same: “You, go your way and tell…undefined

Jesus Himself giving commission: “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.” - “Preach the Gospel.” - “Teach all nations.” That we who have received the good news of reconciliation with our Creator by Jesus’ precious blood might say with the crowd who beheld the deaf man speak: “He hath done all things well.undefined

That’s faith. The ability to look past what you have to go through and trust God has not left you. That He couldn’t be closer to you than He is, through the righteousness now yours in Christ our Lord. A miracle which can only be worked in your heart by this Gospel.

You see, spiritually speaking, we are the deaf and dumb. Incapable of vocalizing our true problem, the human heart can only make up cruel stories of a God distant and aloof, or listen to supposed life experts as deaf and dumb as we. As the quack advice of this world closes you off farther away from the Creator who wants nothing but to draw you eternally near. Here and now through the forgiveness of sins. And on the final day, when He who said, “Be opened” and it was, will say to your body “Arise!” and it will. Ears and mouth healed in full. Knees and hips, mind and heart, that final day, working at last as God first intended, as originally designed and more.

So if you’ve found yourself poked and prodded, whether you’ve been bullied or been the bully, for every poor treatment in this life, find it all in Christ’s cross and empty tomb eternally transformed.

Yes, God does seem silent, when you’re looking anywhere other than His Word. In the Gospel, though, you find a God, who neither abandons nor teases, but beckons, urges you on to look to Jesus, in Him find true healing, and in the end a heavenly goal, where all question and doubt will be silenced indeed.

Now the peace that passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

—Pastor Timothy T. Daub

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Hecla, SD

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Ministry by Mail is a weekly publication of the Church of the Lutheran Confession. Subscription and staff information may be found online at www.clclutheran.org/ministrybymail.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version.