In the Gospel of Mark, we find Jesus using a small but deeply significant word as he brings healing. A word which has been said to sum up the whole of Christ’s message and all his work. The word is recorded in the Aramaic language Jesus spoke to draw our attention to it.
The word is “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.”
Like all healings in the Gospels, the physical cure of the deaf and mute man is real, but also has a deeper spiritual significance. God designed human beings not only with the physical senses but also with marvelous spiritual capacities to see, hear, and relate to him.
To perform this healing, the gospel says, “He took him away from the crowds.” Into the quiet, into the silence.
Jesus took the man off by himself away from the crowd. In this quieter place Jesus touches the man’s ears and tongue, looks up to heaven, and with a deep sigh says: “Ephphatha!” (“Be opened!”). And immediately the man began to hear and to speak plainly.
May we respond to the Ephphatha Invitation of Jesus. In the quiet place, in the silence of prayer, may we hear the Voice Of Love who says: “Be Opened.”
With you on The Journey and The Way,
Rob+
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