Read Mark 7:31-37
This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation”, with our mini-series on “The Miracles of Jesus.” After Jesus healed the Syro-Phoenician woman (discussed earlier) He traveled from Tyre, through Sidon, and came to Decapolis, an area also known as “Ten Cities”. Today’s miracle takes place there. Let’s get to the story.
In Luke 5 we discussed a man who was paralyzed and could not get to Jesus. So his four friends carried him to his breakthrough, tearing up a roof in the process. In Decapolis there was a man who was deaf and could barely speak. His speech impediment was probably tied to his deafness, being that we develop our speech through our hearing. The text says that “some people” brought him to Jesus and begged Him to place His hands on the man. Looking at the circumstances I see that this man was in a bad situation. Most miracles involved faith. Jesus was approached by people who either acted in faith, spoke the language of faith, or exhibited faith in some form. In the story of the paralyzed man brought by His friends to Jesus, the Bible says that Jesus “saw their faith”. While the paralyzed man could not do much, his friends could and they did. Jesus honored the faith of his friends and provided the paralyzed man a breakthrough. However, in this story, the people who brought the deaf man to Jesus did not exhibit faith. They simply brought the man to Jesus and asked if He would lay hands on him.
The deaf man in this story was in a bad position as far as faith was concerned. He could not hear the good news about Jesus, nor could he speak the language of faith to get his breakthrough. All he had was his sight. So Jesus would work with that! Jesus took the man away from everyone else and ministered to the him in a way he had the ability to receive. The man could see so Jesus took His fingers and put them into the man’s ears, as if to stir up faith in the man to believe for hearing. Jesus then moistened the man’s tongue with saliva from His own mouth, as if to stir up faith in the man to believe for clear speech. Jesus then looked up to heaven and said, “Ephphatha!” This word literally means, “Be opened!” Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened. He began to hear and speak clearly.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God does all He does for you by grace, which is unearned and mostly undeserved. However, his grace is accessed with our faith. Which is why He requires us to walk and live by faith.
2. God is looking for your faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6).
3. God will go out of His way to meet you where you are. Jesus did all He could to offer the deaf man in the text the opportunity to release his faith, and He will do the same for you!
4. Jesus tailor-made this miracle (Mark 7) for this situation (the deaf man with a speech impediment). And guess what? Our God has tailor-made miracles for you as well!
5. Our God will get creative, if He has to, to find ways to bless you!
6. We are called to operate like Jesus in the earth. So, like Jesus, we should seek every opportunity to BE a blessing to someone else, even if it means getting creative.
7. Just because it is strange, it does not mean that it is not from God. Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ear (in Mark 7) and put saliva from His own mouth on the man’s tongue. If that happened today people would be talking about Pastor Jesus. But no matter how strange it was, it worked! Once the man was able to hear and speak, he did not have a problem with HOW his breakthrough came.
a) Sometimes God will lead you to do strange things, but you must do them (even at the risk of looking foolish), in order to get your breakthrough.
b) God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not common this world. So when God tells you to do something, DO IT, no matter how strange it seems.
8. Once we realize the extent that God will go to in order to bless us, we will be more open to being used of Him in creative ways to BE a blessing to others.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I am open to Your supernatural power, like never before. I know Your ways are above my ways. I know Your thoughts are above my thoughts. That is why my heart and mind are open to whatever You want to do and however You want to do it! You can do it TO me or THROUGH me; FOR me or BY me! Whatever You want to do today Father, I am available to You. You are creative. You are dedicated. You are limitless. You are God! I am Your child and I am ready to be used of You today. You have the power, I have the faith. Together we will change the world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
