PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Mark 7:31-37

What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?

“With a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!’)” (Mark 7:34)
When we talk about doing what Jesus did, we need to clarify what this means.
I’m not sure why he put his fingers in the man’s ears, or touched his tongue with spit.
But I am sure that this is not meant to be a method for healing people.
There were cultural and contextual reasons for many things Jesus did.
What they do tell us though is that he was immersed into that world.
He stepped into the real world, culture and context and all, to help people!
His focus was on people, helping, encouraging, healing and blessing people.
What we should learn from Jesus is how he loved and blessed all people.
Not just the covenant people, but Samaritans and people in Tyre and Sidon.
He was not just trying to impress people, he wanted to bless people.
This is why he urged silence, to keep things from becoming a circus.
“With a deep sigh” (deep inside) he wanted to “ephphatha” people’s lives (v.34).
Jesus calls us to “be opened” to all people, as he was, so their lives can “be opened”!
Am I stepping into my world “with a deep sigh” to bless people, or am I hiding away?
PRAYER
Lord, there are things about you I don’t understand. But what I do understand is your call to love and bless people. Help me to be open to this!