Jesus is not finished with us...

“31 Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, 2 ‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.’ 4 His disciples replied, ‘How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?’ 5 He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven.’ 6 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. 8 They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ 13 And he left them, and getting into the boat

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, ‘Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ 16 They said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ 17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ They said to him, ‘Twelve.’ 20 ‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’ 21 Then he said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’

22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’ 24 And the man looked up and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village’” Mark 7:31-8:26.

Five different episodes are strung one after the other in Marks text above.  He then drops hints that there is more going on than meets the eye, and leaves it to readers to work out the intended meaning. That is what happens in this section. Mark hasn’t just placed five odd incidents randomly one after the other. No, he has carefully selected five incidents that develop an important theological theme: Hearing Ears and Seeing Eyes! So what we have here are five miracles and their meanings.

Why is this healing miracle so different from the majority of Jesus’ other healings? Perhaps because it forms a pair with the healing of the blind man at the end of this section. Both stories suggest that opening deaf ears and blind eyes can be a long and difficult process, especially so when the ears and eyes belong to Jesus’ disciples! But the eyes and ears also belong to you and me!

The most obvious difference is that 7:31-37 reports the healing of a deaf man, and 8:22-26 the healing of a blind man. On one level, that appears irrelevant. Jesus’ power and compassion are equally available to the deaf, the blind, the lame, the demonized, the hungry, the storm-threatened. Each receives God’s grace as it is needed. But there is another level, the symbolic. The disciples also need hearing ears and seeing eyes (8:18). Without them, they cannot hope to avoid the influence of the Pharisees and Herod or understand the meaning of the feedings (8:14-21).

Mark presents the two miracles as actual (literal) occurrences in the ministry of Jesus. But it is not a coincidence that these two episodes provide the framework for this section. Mark has used the healing of deaf ears and blind eyes to direct our attention to the main issue addressed here. These miracles combine to show what can — and must happen — to the disciples and to you and me.

But the most remarkable difference between the two miracles is that in the second story, Jesus first not only causes the man to see (8:24), but then He touches the man a second time so that the man can understand what he sees (8: 25).  Does that surprise you? 

I think Jesus wants us to see these stories as our own situation in life. The blind man gains his sight gradually, just like the disciples and we do!  After the first touch, the blind man sees without understanding. He doesn’t see clearly, in other words. But after Jesus’ second touch, he sees everything clearly, with understanding. So, the disciples are standing between the two touches, and I think many of us are as well. We have seen the feeding miracles, yet we do not see it clearly. We see without understanding. Still, there is hope that we will yet understand. Why? Because Jesus is not finished with the disciples, just as Jesus is not finished with you and me!

Today you and I are called by Jesus to allow Jesus to touch us a second time because He is not finished with us at all. Open your hearts up to letting Jesus touch you some more. Don’t walk away! Jesus is not finished with you!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner!