Which of your senses would you find most difficult to go through your life without? Perhaps all of you, if you considered that question, would have one reason or another to argue for any one of them, whether it is sight, hearing, or whatever. Today I will suggest to you that for a Christian, the powers given to your ears and to your tongue are the most important. Martin Luther argues that the greatest difference between Christians and unbelievers is seen in how these two parts of our bodies are used, for example. One might also point out that one of the least evangelized, and most challenging, demographics in the world is the deaf. Generally we see that hearing and believing are closely connected in Scripture. Of course, our only focus is not on physical hearing and speaking, (and of course there are in fact deaf Christians), but also on the spiritual hearing and speaking. Jesus comes and opens Ears and Mouths, Ears, to hear the Gospel, and Mouths, to Glorify God.

Mark reports Jesus traveling through Galilee into the region of the Decapolis. This region was named for 10 Cities, and was more of a non-Jewish area, although plenty of Jews lived there as well. What is remarkable here is that we see that a good report has gone out about Jesus in this region as well. Some faithful friends have brought a man to be healed. This confidence in Jesus’ ability and willingness to bring healing to this man is an admirable trait displayed by these people. We should also note their efforts made on behalf of the man. They were doing everything in their power to aid a friend in desperate need.

Jesus naturally has pity on the man who is deaf and mute. Mark reports some slightly unusual behavior by Jesus. He takes the man aside, touches his ears, spits and touches his tongue (which probably does not mean that he spit on his tongue, but that Jesus is miming an action to demonstrate what he is about to accomplish), and finally looks up into heaven and lets out a sigh. Now, we know that Jesus has no need for rituals or any such routine in order to accomplish his healing. He heals at a word in other places in the Gospels, he heals without the person in question even being present even. No, Jesus goes through all this trouble in order to communicate to the man what he is going to do. All of it is in service of producing true faith in the man. Certainly healing is not contingent on the man’s faith but on the Divinity of Jesus. That the healing is coming from above Jesus demonstrates with his mimed prayer in his looking up to heaven and letting out his sigh. But still, Jesus always is even more concerned about the spiritual well-being of those he heals. He wants the man to know without a doubt that what is happening to him is coming from God. This is how Jesus will treat all of us as well- firstly, that everyone may have different circumstances. Some come to faith through great trials and are broken down from unbelief to faith through them. Consider the example of Jonah, who was brought down to the depths of the sea in order to be brought back to a life of faith. Others have been brought up in faith from birth and have had a life of steady, quiet faith. Jesus deals with you as your needs require.

One thing that we all share, every human being ever born, is that we were born by nature spiritually deaf. Without the intervention of Christ you could not hear God speak to you because of sin. Sin separates you from God, the prophet Isaiah has told us. We need Jesus to come open our ears just as he did for this man. Only then can we hear the wonderful truth of the Gospel: that Jesus has suffered and died in our place, that we have peace with God now and in eternity. The importance of the spoken Word of God can’t be overstated. You all were brought to Jesus by others to have Jesus open your ears, whether by faithful parents as an infant, or someone you were dating, or a friend from work, or whoever loved you enough to recognize the deep need for Jesus you had.

Jesus has indeed touched all our ears and made them holy. It is with our ears that so many of us come to this place to hear the Word of God and have it dwell within us. For that reason we should consider what else may go into them. There is much pollution of sin that also seeks to enter into your ears and deafen you once again to the Word of God. For example, what kind of music enters into your ears every day? What kind of language is used, and what kind of message does it carry? What kind of podcasts do you listen to? Are they building you up and nurturing you, and increasing the holiness of your ears which Jesus has opened? Or is it the pollution of sin once again threatening to interfere with the voice of Jesus?

Because it was Jesus who opened your ears and has sanctified them, you recognize Jesus’ voice, as his beloved sheep. You certainly have the capacity to judge the righteousness of music, talk radio, or even the everyday conversation, and decide if it is something good and upright. Filter out the voice of your Savior and focus on that.

Jesus also loosened the tongue of this man. He was able to speak plainly. This is also part of the miraculous healing. He needed no speech therapy or practice in order to speak clearly after a lifetime of being mute. He immediately began speaking about what had been done, along with the others who had brought him. This is notable- Jesus was urging them not to do it, yet they couldn’t help themselves. Jesus didn’t want to draw attention at that specific time, and certainly it is always best to do as Jesus commands; but they were so filled with admiration of Jesus and joy that they simply couldn’t help themselves.

You and I do indeed have a command to tell about Jesus. Jesus has made all Christians spiritual priests, opening our mouths to proclaim holy things. Here is where we take the example of the friends in the Gospel reading as our good example. We have the joyous duty to bring others to Jesus as well. Jesus has not only opened our ears to hear, he opens our mouths to speak of the Glory of God. Certainly Jesus also established and sends preachers, with an office, who speak these Words of God to the congregation and to the world. But this preaching office is not a reason for any of you to remain silent. You too are priests bringing good news to the world.

Consider whatever position God has placed you in as your priesthood. If you have friends, God has sent you to them. If you have coworkers, God has put you in that place to represent Him to them. Naturally, if you have children you have a very special duty to fill their ears with God’s Word.

Perhaps you wonder how you can do this. Perhaps you are nervous or frightened. Remember that it is Jesus who opens your mouth and enables you. It is not your own ideas, or your own cleverness, but the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ that God has placed in your mouth. If you take seriously this duty placed on you as a priest, then of course you must take the study of the Word seriously. From that study and from attending to the preaching of the Word flows naturally the ability and wisdom to speak it to others.

For myself, this task is easier in way since people ask me what I do and I can say, well I’m the pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church. Would you like to know about Jesus? Maybe you should be Lutheran as well! I would encourage all of you to consider whether the people in your everyday life even know what you do on Sunday mornings. That is a good place to start when it comes to using your words to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel to the world. If you wonder whether people want to hear about the Gospel, you don’t need to. They certainly don’t! They are very possibly ignorant of their own need for it. They have lived deaf to God for their whole lives. That is very different from whether they need to hear it. Of that you can be totally certain. Everyone needs to be brought to Jesus to have him open their ears and mouths. This wonderful duty and joyful task belongs to each and every one of you as well.

May God grant us willing hearts and able minds in order to accomplish this wonderful task- knowing that it was Jesus who has opened our ears to hear, and our mouths to speak! Amen.