8 September 2024

8 September 2024 - 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Transcript

Reading:  

Isaiah 35:4

Write:  

Thus says the LORD:
 Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
 Be strong, fear not!
 Here is your God,
 he comes with vindication;
 with divine recompense
 he comes to save you.

Reflect:   

Misunderstanding the mission of Jesus. So why did I quote Isaiah? Because this sets the stage for the work of Jesus. The healing we have reported in Mark’s gospel this weekend does not occur in any of the other Gospels, despite so much being shared between Matthew and Mark and Luke. So this is obviously something very important for Mark.

In addition, there are so many details here about the event that I think it would be a mistake to dismiss this. I think it actually happened as it is described. Too many people want to dismiss any and all miraculous events out of Scripture. Huge mistake! The very next scene in Mark’s gospel is the second multiplication of food. This is also not an insignificant connection.

But let’s back up to before the healing in the gospel today. Earlier in Mark’s gospel there were a lot of other healings and people raised from the dead. But with this particular healing – and the next healing to follow – which is the healing of a man who was blind, Jesus is laying the foundation for the mission work of his followers.

Look at it this way. How deaf are we to the voice of Jesus? How dumb are we – in the sense of not being able to speak – not stupid, but dumb – in regard to the gospel? How blind are we to the work of Jesus around us?

These miraculous works of Jesus following after his multiplication of food – for the second time in Mark’s Gospel – is pointing to his desire to bring more than sustenance to humanity. His desire is to bring full and eternal healing.

But with these particular healings, he is showing us what he expects from his church. Jesus is expecting us to be able to hear, to speak, to see the work that he calls us to do. In the previous chapter of Mark we have the story of the Gerasene demoniac who is told to go back to his home and tell people what Jesus did for him.

We also cannot forget that Jesus tells the deaf man and the blind man not to tell of their healings. This is sometimes called the Messianic Secret of Mark. He does tell the demoniac to go home and tell others all that happened to him. It is one of the only times in Mark’s gospel that Jesus tells somebody to go and tell what has happened.

Apply:   

So, why aren’t the people supposed to talk about their healings? The primary reason is that Jesus would be misunderstood. People would want to make Jesus their king. But that is not what he came for. That is also not the only reason why Jesus wanted it a secret. I think He wanted to use the healings as a way to convince the church that it needs healing – that all of its members need healing. We need to have our ears opened; we need to have our tongues loosened; we need to have our sight restored so that we might be the voice, the hands, the eyes, and the ears of Jesus in today’s world.

That is why I started with that quote from our reading from Isaiah. Let me repeat that now:

Thus says the LORD:
 Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
 Be strong, fear not!
 Here is your God,
 he comes with vindication;
 with divine recompense
 he comes to save you.

Jesus took the deaf man away from the crowd probably because the man was confused and possibly scared. But Jesus in his gentleness brought healing to him. Jesus desires to do the same for each of us. And then, once made whole, he expects us to begin to use that healed voice to share the message of what he has done for us. Those who Jesus healed in his day were asked to keep it a secret – but only until such time as his mission was completed on the cross. Then their eyes were fully clear; their ears were fully open; their tongues were loosened to proclaim the news of Jesus’ salvation.

Yes, I am asking it again. Do you have your faith story ready to tell? How has Jesus healed you? How… has… Jesus… healed… you?

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