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Posted At: 12:26pm by Brent Kuhlman
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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Immanuel Lutheran Church
24 September 2006 Daykin, NE
Mission Festival
+ Jesu Juva +
St. Mark 7:31-37
What’s the Lord doing with His fingers? He puts them in ears that don’t work. He spits on them and pokes them in a mouth whose tongue is out of order.
Fingers poked in the ears. Fingers wet with spit poked in a mouth and grabbing a tongue. Not exactly what the deaf-mute’s friends had in mind. All they wanted was a hand on the head. Or on the shoulder. Give a little blessing. But there’s the Lord. He does what He does. Gives what He gives. Having Himself a mission festival. With His fingers! Pokes them in the deaf-mute’s ears. Spit-stained fingers probe his mouth and touch his tongue.
The deaf-mute’s friends bring him to Jesus. We’d call it outreach. Evangelism. That’s a good thing. Bringing people to Jesus to have Him touch them and bless them. Quite simple. But the really big deal isn’t what the friends get done. It’s what the Lord does, says, and gives.
He takes the deaf-mute away from the people. He’s there for this man. Totally. Personally. Touching the untouchable. Poking and probing what’s broken. With his hands.
Whose hands are these? God’s. Christ’s hands are God’s hands. He is God in the flesh. He’s the Word that took on flesh. The fingers of God are having their way with this man He created but is broken and burdened. The spit of God is having its way with this man whose ears and tongue don’t work.
Jesus looks up to heaven. Rightly so, since every good and perfect gift comes from the God of heaven. And now the very God of very God from heaven stands before this deaf-mute in the body of Jesus. To help him. So much so that Jesus groans. He pokes. He prods. He probes. He spits. He groans. Amazing.
And then God in the flesh having Himself a mission festival in the region of the Decapolis Jesus sticks something else in the man’s ears, mouth, body and heart: His word. “Ephatha! Be opened!”
The Lord’s words do and give what they say. “Ephatha! At this the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosed and he began to speak plainly.” Jesus does with a word what no one could do with all his might. The ear and tongue defects are healed.
And then, right in the midst of doing His Decapolis mission festival – right after repairing the man’s tongue – Jesus commands the people not to say a word about this to anyone! The man can speak clearly. His tongue is fixed. But Jesus puts a gag order on everybody. Now isn’t that odd?
So why the gag order? Because Jesus is more than an ear, nose, and throat specialist. He’s more than a quick fix. He’s more than a miracle worker. He’s God the Savior.
And as such He had more mission festival work to do. His mission is taking Him somewhere. To Golgotha. To do a Good Friday. To do a Cross on Mount Calvary dying. And an Easter morning rising. As the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Reconciling the sinful, broken down world to the Father in His beaten, bloody, dead and risen Body. Every sinner died for. All sin answered for. Forgiven. All the sin, brokenness, evil, sickness, death, and rot of the fallen world Jesus absorbed in His wrecked and smashed Body hanging on the Tree. In his dead as a doornail corpse. All that would devastate, destroy, and damn you the Lord Jesus has taken and buried in the black hole of His death. Then the apostles and the church were commanded to preach this Jesus. To speak only this Jesus.
The people who see the miraculous healing of the deaf-mute couldn’t keep quiet. They are so excited. “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
What about you? Do you have anything to say? Of course you do. You speak of Jesus too. After all, He died for you. Rose for you. Lords His death and resurrection over all your sin. Over the grave that stares you straight in the face. Over the devil who wants to devour you. He has ephatha-ed you (opened you) to eternal life and salvation. This is the Jesus of whom you speak.
Anything else? Sure. There’s always more with Jesus who does everything well. He took water into His hands and baptized you in the Triune Name. He has ephatha-ed your ears to hear His Word. His absolution and sermon Word that speak and deliver His Good Friday forgiveness into your hearts to believe.
Can there be more? Of course there is. With His own hand and with His own fingers He feeds you the fruit from the Tree of Life: His Body and His Blood. Given and shed for you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of your sins. Life and salvation. You know that because He says so in His Word.
And with His Word spoken into your ears and hearts, His Body and Blood nourishing your bodies, He has freed your tongue and opened your mouth to pray, praise, and give thanks.
It’s OK. Go ahead. Speak to your friends and relatives about this Jesus. We’re nothing. He’s everything. Bring them to Jesus to be blessed by His Word. His ephatha-ing Word of forgiveness. He indeed does everything well. You are new creations in Christ. Behold! The old has passed away. The new has come. What an ephatha! What a Savior!
In the Name of Jesus.
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