If you sat down and read through Mark today, and you probably could do it, it is the shortest of the Four Gospels, you would find many examples of Jesus’ healing miracles. Sometimes it seems quite repetitive. Someone might wonder, what is the purpose of recounting so many different miracles, surely one of each category would be enough to get the gist. I doubt any of you here would actually say something like that, because any miracle is a wonderful thing to read about Jesus doing, but let’s ask today, what is the purpose of Jesus’ power? We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus did many miracles that were not written down. Each Gospel writer chose what to include for a reason, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to teach us about Jesus the Savior. Mark is the only Gospel writer to include this miracle, making it somewhat unique. So it’s worth pondering today, the purpose of Jesus’ power.

            The reading this morning opens with a record of Jesus’ travels. We are used to hearing about these travels in the Gospels, but this report stands out. It is quite a distance. Tyre is a city in the northwestern portion of Palestine, on the Mediterranean sea. The Decapolis was a group of ten cities across the Jordan river and south of the sea of Galilee. Walking there would be quite a distance, but we don’t hear anything about it. The important thing we hear about from the Holy Spirit is what Jesus does for people. Both of these places, by the way, were outside of Israel and were likely populated by Greeks or Romans or otherwise non-Jewish people. Mark doesn’t make a big deal about it other than to point out the geography, so I won’t either, but its something to keep in mind.

                 After this journey Jesus is brough a deaf and mute man to be healed. Before we get into the specifics of this miracle, I want to point out the similarity between the description of this man and the words used of the coming of the Messiah in Isaiah 35 which we also read. A big part of the purpose of Jesus’ power was to tell people that what Isaiah spoke about was here now. We read the comforting promises God revealed to Isaiah, Be Strong, Do not Fear, God will come with a vengeance to save you. That is a promise made to you because Jesus has begun the age of the Messiah. Ears are opened tongues are loosened – Because Jesus has come. Christian comfort and hope is hope now, and hope for the future. You can be strong now because Jesus has come and is still coming. Isaiah’s promises were given to the Israelites but they were for the whole world. Jesus communicates that subtly here by doing the kinds of miracles for God’s Kingdom in the places where the nations lived.

               Mark reports to us Jesus’ unusual method of healing this individual. Jesus can heal however he wants to. He can heal and raise the dead without seeing them or touching them, He called Lazarus to life with his word. Here he works differently. He touches his ears and put his spit on the man’s tongue. This may seem strange to us now. But consider the perspective of the deaf man. He probably had no idea what was happening. He had never heard of Jesus, he had never heard anything in his life most likely. People brought him here to see someone. But Jesus takes him aside, and comes to him and communicates in a way that he is able to understand. He touches his ears, his tongue, these useless parts of his body. Jesus tells him what he is going to do before he does it.

                A pattern you would notice with Jesus’ healing miracles is that they are always accompanied by instruction. What is the real miracle here? The healing yes, but also the faith. The Physical miracles of Jesus serve the spiritual miracles. Jesus told the man, I am going to fix your ears, your tongue, and when Jesus, the Promised Savior, does so, he also awakens faith in the man by coming to him externally, in a way that he understands, in a unique way to him.

               Jesus comes to us similarly. The spiritual miracle and conversion of faith has come to us spiritually deaf and mute people externally just the same. He comes to us verbally in the Word. It is not just an invisible movement of the spirit apart from any means, but attached to the voice of a preacher, the words on a page. This Word is attached to physical elements in the Sacraments – Water and Wine and Bread. When Jesus speaks he brings forth what did not exist before. He says, Ephphatha- be opened. He says I am the Word of Life- believe in me- and your ears are opened and your tongue loosened.

               Consider how important Ears and Tongue are for the Christian life. Your Ears are opened to hear the Gospel proclaimed. Your Tongue is loosened to praise the Lord. Yes at times the devil is allowed to afflict these bodily abilities in some people. There remains no doubt that in the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus’ Kingdom that all will be freed from the physical bondage – tongues, ears, arms, legs, all freed to praise God!

Jesus reveals this power to teach us that the healing provided by Jesus is total: Consider this, Perhaps someone’s deafness is cured by medical technology. Depending on the cause certain implants and other technology can cure deafness. If someone was deaf from birth they could not talk right away. They would have no words, they would have to relearn everything from scratch. This man was not like that. He immediately began to speak clearly. Jesus filled his head with words he had never heard before.

             The spiritual miracle Jesus accomplished here, and accomplishes all the time through the Word is no different. God provides us clear words with which to confess the glory of Christ to the world. How much more blessed was this man who was given words to speak by Jesus! He was probably looked down on as someone cursed by God all his life before this. But now with Jesus’ healing he is more blessed than many in this life, to be touched and healed by God!

                 Jesus reveals his power to bring us to amazement. The crowd was amazed beyond measure and said, he has done all things well! You have to wonder if they fully understood what they were saying. Perhaps they would have obeyed his command not to speak! Did they fully see how truly they were speaking? Did they understand that they were talking about not just a great teacher, or a great miracle worker and healer, but the creator of the universe? Would they be saying the same things when Jesus was hanging on the cross, paying for their sins? How easily we might also mistake or take for granted Jesus in our own lives! Do we really consider what an amazing savior we truly have? We live in the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom now! Fantasy and science fiction stories are very popular. People like to imagine a world with limitless possibilities. Well we live in that world! We live in the world of God With Us!

            Perhaps that’s where we should leave this text. There’s a lot of comfort here in seeing Jesus’ individual care for this man. Application in a sermon is always important, putting the truths of God into practice is always valuable. But for today, let’s hear and be comforted. Jesus has done everything well. Be strong, Do not be afraid. God has come with his vengeance. Jesus has brought his healing and comfort- There is no greater purpose for Jesus’ power than your salvation! Amen.