Jesus has done all things well.

 

Sermon for Trinity 12, August 30, 2020

Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Mark 7:31–37  ³¹Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.  ³²They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment.  They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him.  ³³Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd.  He put his fingers into the man’s ears.  Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  ³⁴After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”)  ³⁵Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly.  ³⁶Jesus gave the people strict orders to tell no one, but the more he did so, the more they kept proclaiming it.  ³⁷They were amazed beyond measure and said, “He has done everything well.  He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!” (EHV)

Jesus has done all things well.

Dear Christian friends,

            Throughout the course of your life, you will work thousands of days at your job, commit uncountable hours taking care of your family, devote numerous hours to your civic responsibilities, and spend who knows how much more time simply helping your friends and neighbors.  Yet, at the end of the day, who among us could swear that we have done all things well? 

We ask ourselves, was every one of those days, hours, and minutes perfectly executed for the good of those around us?  Is there ever a moment when our attitudes are less than loving and kind?  Could anyone of us really claim to have obeyed parents, coaches, and teachers, perfectly, and always gone above and beyond expectations?

I have to admit that I’ve never been named “employee of the month.”  I’m not likely to receive any lifetime achievement awards.  At the end of the day, it is possible that I haven’t always been even my wife’s favorite person.  Likewise, I suspect that if you are anything at all like me, it’s pretty safe to say that none of us have “done everything well.”  In contrast, however, here we see the amazed crowds of Galilee acknowledging with great enthusiasm that Jesus has done all things well.

The gist of this account is that a group of people brought a deaf and mute friend to Jesus with the sincere hope of a miracle to release that poor man from his sorrow.  Jesus’ response seems like such a simple act of mercy, especially for the Son of God, but we should look a bit closer and see all that Jesus did for us that day.

Mark notes that “Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.”  That sounds like a simple report, that is until we note that this is a bit like us going to Sioux Falls by taking a shortcut through Willmar, and Jesus did it on foot.  Now, I don’t know the exact length of His journey, but the point is, Jesus went out of His way to be in position to carry out this miracle.  Our sinful nature likes to think that most things happen by chance, but Jesus left nothing to chance when it comes to carrying out His Father’s will, and it was God’s will to demonstrate Jesus’ power and bring relief to a suffering individual, and to us.

Mark’s report of this miracle supplies several pictures that teach about how Jesus’ help and salvation come to us.  Mark reported: They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment.  They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him. 

In this deaf-mute, see a picture of our natural condition.  Many in our world like to think that we can learn of Jesus on our own, seek His mercy on our own, or otherwise learn, without God’s intervention, of the salvation won for us.  Yet, the Bible makes it clear that on our own we are spiritually dead, deaf, and blind.  Furthermore, apart from Christ, we can’t even say a good word to a neighbor. 

Therefore, here, we have two pictures of how salvation comes our way: on the one hand, friends bring this troubled man to the only One who can heal his misery.  Second, the true Son of God opens the man’s ears to hear, and thus empowers him to speak plainly.  The point is that no one comes to Jesus on his own.  Yet, God works behind the scenes in the world to carry the saving message of the Gospel through the people who believe in Jesus.  It is believers like you and me who can lead hurting, deaf-to-the-Good-News souls to the only Physician who can help them.

As we continue with our pictures, Mark tells us: Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd.  He put his fingers into the man’s ears.  Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”)  Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus took that deaf man and dealt with him privately, individually, personally.  We can speculate about how or why Jesus did His miracle in this fashion, but it shows us that Jesus deals with us individually and in a way that we can learn what He is doing for us.  And then, He points us to heaven. 

Jesus used one word to repair that man’s hearing.  That same word tells us what Jesus has done for us eternally.  “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”)  By that simple phrase Jesus healed the deaf man’s ears.  At the same time, Jesus shows that He has opened heaven for all who hear His voice and believe.

Dear friends, our failures, sins, and deafness to the commands of our Creator kept us locked in a prison of suffering and pain.  It kept us voiceless to tell others about how to escape the shame.  Then someone who loved us brought us to Jesus, and Jesus heals us, in our case not with a spit on the ground, but with a bit of water poured over us or sprinkled on our heads as the words of Baptism healed our spiritual infirmity, giving us faith in Jesus, and opening the gates of heaven to us.

Was the miracle a success?  Mark tells us, Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly.  Speaking is something children have to learn how to do.  In order to do so, they need to hear other voices speaking.  We learn to speak the language of those who care for us.  A deaf person does not have that chance, therefore, it is impossible to learn to speak clearly.  This man was restored both in hearing and clear diction.  There was no doubt a miracle had been performed.

Likewise, a miracle happens in each person who has his, or her, spiritual hearing restored.  When we are brought to faith, the words of the Gospel enter and effect a change in us.  That is the power of Jesus’ voice in the Gospel.  It isn’t someone making a decision to be healed; it is God healing us and giving us the ability to hear, learn, and speak.  We should even say, it gives us the ability to love truly.

Jesus took the man where He found him and gave Him the gift of hope.  The deaf man’s friends showed their love for him by leading him to Jesus.  They believed Jesus could heal his condition, and the reward for their faith is that Jesus also loved that man, not in emotion, but in action.  This is God’s promise to parents who bring their children to baptism, that Jesus will heal their spiritual deafness and give them hope.

Of course, we know that not every person who is baptized continues in saving faith, but that isn’t Jesus’ fault.  Rather, it may be ours if we don’t continue to bring our loved ones to Jesus. 

If Jesus has done all things well, why might He not want this news spread around?  Jesus was already dealing with those who wanted to make Him king just for His miracles.  Christ didn’t want the crowds seeking just the physical miracles but rather the eternal blessings He came to achieve. 

Jesus didn’t come into the world to give momentary happiness while leaving us to destruction.  Instead, He came to win our release from the prison of sin and death.  Therefore, Jesus wanted people focused on the prophetic message of the Scriptures which point to Jesus as the Lamb of God who would suffer and die for the sins of the world. 

Jesus gave the people strict orders to tell no one, but the more he did so, the more they kept proclaiming it.  They were amazed beyond measure and said, “He has done everything well.  He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”  Here, Mark gives us a picture of the joy of faith.  As much as Jesus wanted the people to wait to spread the news, they just couldn’t help themselves.  Trouble is, they didn’t yet know what Jesus really could do.  Instead of healing just minor ailments like deafness, disease, and hunger, Jesus would soon do His greatest miracle: He would give His life to restore righteousness to sinners like you and me.  Until that victory was won, it was too soon to proclaim what Jesus could do.  For you and me, however, that time has come.

To the last breath He drew, and the last words He spoke, Jesus has done all things well.  Jesus lived a perfect life so we could be credited before God with perfect righteousness.  In love, Jesus carried our guilt to the cross and suffered the shame of death in our place so that He could restore us to eternal life.  And now, it truly is time for us to tell our neighbors the good news. 

Because Jesus loved us like he loved that deaf man, we have the opportunity to lead our friends to Jesus for this same healing.  Immediately before ascending to His Father’s side in heaven, Jesus told His followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.  And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Because Jesus has fully conquered sin, death, and the devil, we can have the same joy that the crowd around that deaf man experienced when they saw him healed.  We can take those we care about by the hand and lead them to Jesus.  We bow our knees and pray to God to touch the spiritually deaf around us so that they too may hear His Word.  Through our congregations, we proclaim at every opportunity, both great and small, that Jesus died to give them eternal life. 

Now, we know that none of us does this perfectly.  Many times we might be afraid to speak, afraid we might say the wrong thing, or maybe afraid our friends won’t like us for leading them to the Healer.  Often this fear is a misguided concern that we have to change that person, but we can’t change anyone.  We can only share the Good News that Jesus has healed us, and He is ready, willing, and able to heal them too.

Dear Christian friends, we live in a time when it is apparent that the world needs Jesus’ love as much now as it ever has.  In spite of our fears, our neighbors need to know that Jesus loved them enough to live and die to make them right with God.  In all this, do not be afraid.  Because Jesus has done all things well, He has perfectly covered our sins and weaknesses and opened heaven for all who believe.  Jesus did that for you and me.  His death covers all our sins—and all our fears too.  If ever you wonder whether Jesus’ sacrifice was enough to cover your guilt and fears, remember the words of the crowd that day: Jesus has done all things well.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen.