SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR6/22/2012 9:06:07 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Healing a Deaf Man
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Mark 7:31-37
Message of the
verses: In today’s SD we will finish
looking at chapter seven of Mark, the chapter that I have been looking at this
month. The main title of this section
from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary is entitled “Healing the Gentiles,” and it actually
covers Mark 7:24-8:9, but we will save that portion from chapter eight until
July.
Healing a deaf man (vv. 7:31-37): “31 Again He went out from the region of
Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of
Decapolis. 32 They brought to Him one
who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand
on him. 33 Jesus took him aside from the
crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He
touched his tongue with the saliva; 34
and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him,
"Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" 35 And his ears were opened, and the impediment
of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36 And He gave them orders not to tell anyone;
but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.
37 They were utterly astonished, saying,
"He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute
to speak.’”
Jesus remains in Gentile
territory even though he has moved from Sidon to the Sea of Galilee to a place
called Decapolis or Ten Towns. This was
like a miniature Rome and Marks readers would be familiar with it which may be
the reason that this miracle is only found in the book of Mark.
The man that Jesus was
about to heal could not hear and could not speak properly and so the way Jesus
heals him is different than the way that he healed others. We can see the great compassion of Jesus in
the way that He heals this man for the man could not hear, but he could feel
the touch of Jesus and that is how He healed Him, with touch. This healing along with other healings was
actually the touch of the Creator, for in some cases new parts of the bodies
had to be created. In this case this
man’s ears and tongue had to be made well and they were. This, of course, for Jesus was not difficult,
but what was difficult for Him was to see the awful results of what sin has
done to the people on planet earth and also the planet itself. We see a word in verse thirty-four that is
translated “sigh” and that same word is used in the book of Romans chapter
eight in two different verses. “23 And not only this, but also we ourselves,
having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our
body.” The word is translated “groan” in
this verse. “26 In the same way the
Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should,
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words.” “Groanings” is the noun form of
this word used in Romans 8:26.
Again we see that
Jesus asks the people not to tell everyone about what happened, but again they
did not follow what He asked them. The
people were happy and joyful to see the great miracles that Jesus did while in
their towns, but Jesus had gone away to get some much needed rest and
relaxation. He did not get that but
because of His great love for the people He healed all of those who were in
need of physical healing, but we wonder how many were seeking the spiritual
healing that sin has caused.
One more thing before
we conclude this section and that is the word “Ephphatha” and this is an
Aramaic word that means “be opened, be released.” Jesus did just that as He opened up his ears
and released his tongue so that the man was completely healed.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I think about
physical healing that I suppose all people are in need of from time to time,
and how important that is, but the more important is the spiritual healing that
only Jesus can do. Jesus sighted when He
saw the results that sin had on planet earth and its inhabitants, and the
question I have to ask myself is does sin affect me in the same way when I sin
or when I see the results of sin. To
have the wonderful compassion that Jesus has is truly a great gift from God.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
·
Continue to remain in the Vine.
·
Continue to work on my memory verses in order to be
transformed by the renewing of my mind so that I can discern the will of the
Lord for my life and to triumph over sin.
Memory verses for the week:
2Peter 1:1-3:
1. Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness
of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2. Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3. seeing that His divine
power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through
the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
6/22/2012 10:04:23 AM
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