Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Comment: The decapolis was on the Eastern side of Lake Galilee. In one of the ten cities of Decapolis, Gadare, Jesus had healed ‘Legion’ the man possessed by many demons. The owners of the pig herd had driven Jesus out of the area and the ex-Legion had been told to go everywhere and share his story. We don’t know but I wonder if this deaf and dumb man was brought to Jesus because Legion had been faithful in ‘proclaiming’ the fame of Jesus! Jesus could have spoken to this man but unless he was able to lipread it wouldn’t have helped. So Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears probably to indicate what he was about to do, and maybe get the man’s authority to do something. I can’t understand the spitting business. I presume that Jesus touched the man’s tongue and put the spit onto his tongue. I can hear some say “yuck’, but I suspect that it was to indicate that the healing power was His. I’m sure that the healed man could recite every detail of what Jesus had done, when he repeatedly told the story. I wonder if we share our experiences of Jesus often enough? At any rate another miracle is recorded in detail for us. Mark is still busy convincing us that Jesus was and is the Son of God.
“Proverbs 22: 17-18 “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.” – hearing is one thing, listening is another!
Prayer: As Samuel said, I pray ‘Lord speak for Thy servant heareth’.
As I read it! 