The Miracle of Hearing

Good Evening, its good to see yall this evening.

I want us to focus on 31-37 of

Mark 7:31–37 ESV

Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

(Let’s Pray)

Tonight were going to look at the miracle of hearing.

The story begins with an overview of where Jesus was traveling.

Mark 7:31 ESV

Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

I wanna make several observations about these places.

First thing to note is that the places mentioned here are all Gentile. This passage represents the first and only time Jesus intentionally traveled outside of Jewish territory during His Earthly ministry. He is among the Gentile people.

Secondly notice this is a long journey, the route described here is no quick trip. Some scholars say that it could’ve taken Jesus up to 8 months to travel the route described here in verse 31.

If so somewhere around a third of the three year ministry of Jesus was spent among the Gentiles. Its a wandering trip, I remember a time when my dad and I were going to see my uncle Bobby who lived in New Mexico and I thought it was crazy that we would fly to Atlanta then to New Orleans and then to Las Vegas before flying to NEw Mexico.

Why not fly straight there I thought?

This is the kind of trip being described here in the text its a outta the way trip.

It would be like leaving alabama to go to Chicago to go to Atlanta

The route Jesus takes almost seems unrealistic. Most likely Jesus takes this trip into Gentile territory because He wants to avoid the stubborn religious leaders the crooked political authorities and the thrill seeking crowds as long as possible.

His time away from the pressures of the Jewish tension with Jesus is also time alone. To prepare the disciples for their ministry after His crucifixion and ressurrection. According to MAtthew 15:39-41

The people in this region brought all kinds of sick folk to Jesus and placed them at his feet and He healed them. But specifically MArk focuses on three miracles that Jesus performs during this extended trip into Gentile territory.

In verses 24-30 Jesus cast a demon out of a syriophynecian woman in our text Jesus heals a man who is both deaf and has a speech impediment and in the beginning of chapter 8 verses 1-10 Jesus will feed more than 4,000 people with only a few loaves of bread.

Our passage tonight is the middle miracle here Mark says Jesus performs here during this walking seminary in Gentile territory. In 24-30 by delivering the daughter of the syriophenecian woman from this demon, Jesus is showing that His ministry ultimately is not ONLY to the Jewish people.

That the King of the Jews is the Savior of the whole world. Now we see another illustration of the grace of the Lord Jesus coloring outside of the lines in order to reach those who quote “DO NOT BELONG”

But there is something important here in verses 24-30 Jesus performs the miracle for the syriophenecian woman reluctantly. he does everything to turn this woman away trying to let her know that the main focus of His ministry is to the lost house of Israel but she just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

she was determined that the dogs under the table should at least get the crumbs that fall from the childrens bread.

but in this passage tonight Jesus heals this deaf man, with what you might describe as eager grace. he doesnt have to be talked into this miracle. The minute this disabled man is brought to Jesus Jesus takes personal interest in His situation and restores him to health.

This miracle is a parable it is a miracle with a message: ONLY JESUS CAN RESTORE WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN BY OUR FALL INTO SIN

There are 4 main groups in this story

The Anonymous Heroes

Mark 7:31 ESV

Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

This is a long wandering trip into Gentile territory, but the end of verse 31 lands somewhere in the region of the decapolis.

The term decapolis means 10 cities, it was a state a region made up of 10 cities. Were not told specifically which city Jesus visited or how far into the decapolis went but Jesus mark tells us in His travels ends up somewhere in the region of the decapolis.

This is way outside the Jewish territory but as we will see Jesus in the midst of this Gentile territory cannot show up unannounced they know who He is, even in the decapolis how do they know who He is in the decapolis?

Glad you asked

In Mark 5 a hurricane blows Jesus and the disciples off course and they land in the country of the Garesenes and meet a demon possessed man who is filled with a legion of demons and Jesus sets him free and the demons enter into the pigs who run down the banks and drown themselves in the ocean.

In the aftermath of the miracle the citizens of the land beg Jesus to leave, Jesus being a gentleman doesn’t stay anywhere He is not wanted and so He leaves but tells us that the man who had been possessed by the demon pleaded and begged Jesus to go with him but Jesus refused but told him to go home and tell your people what the Lord has done for you and how the Lord has been merciful to you.

The Bible says in that he didn’t just go home and tell his family and friends he traveled through the decapolis and went from city to city telling everybody he could what Jesus had done for him!

This church is the power of genuine Christian testimony if grace has transformed your life you cant keep it to yourself...

This terstimony of legion a testimony of both lip and life apparently has an inpact in decapolis all around people heard about Jesus and now sometime later when Jesus shows up in the decapolis the people know who He is and they declare IF HE CAN DO IT FOR LEGION HE CAN DO IT FOR MY LOVED ONE!

So many people come to Jesus for help, Mark tells us in the midst of those who were coming

Mark 7:32 ESV

And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

THEY brought to Him a MAN

We’ll get to the Him we’ll get to the man but lets focus on the THEY

The THEY represents Anonymous Heroes in 24-30 There is a woman with a need she has a child at home whos in trouble she comes to Jesus because only He can make a difference and nothing could turn her away. JESUS IGNORED HER BUT SHE WOULDNT BE TURNED AWAY THE DISCIPLES TRIED TO DIMISS HER BUT SHE WOULD NOT BE TURNED AWAY, JESUS TOLD HER ITS NOT RIGHT TO TAKE THE CHILDRENS BREAD AND CAST IT TO DOGS BUT SHE WOULD NOT BE TURNED AWAY

SHE HAD A NEED AND ONLY JESUS COULD MEET THE NEED SO SHE CAME TO JESUS AND WOULD NOT LEAVE HIM ALONE UNTIL SHE GOT WHAT SHE NEEDED

Not here though here is a deaf man with a speech impediment his need IS JUST AS GREAT BUT HE IS UNABLE TO GET TO JESUS ON HIS OWN

BUT THANK GOD

We dont know they names we dont know what the relationship was we dont know their title office or position but THESE ARE HEROES THIS ANONYMOUS THEY IN THE TEXT REPRESENT A GROUP OF HEROES WHO CARED ABOUT THEIR FRIEND ENOUGH TO BRING HIM TO JESUS

Question is:

DO YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WITH PROBLEMS THAT ONLY JESUS CAN FIX?

The question is are you willing to be an anonymous hero you need to be one of the they, who bring those who cant help themselves to the Lord and beg Him to help in believing prayer. The question at this point is this:

WHOSE YOUR ONE?

bc if you really believe that He is able you’ll come to Jesus with needs but you wont come to Jesus with only your needs.

Cause if you really believe in Him you believe that there is no secret what God can do what He has done for others he can do for you!

So we oughtta bring those who need help to Jesus.

they did it, in doing it they were right and wrong

They were right (32) because they begged Jesus for help , they begged Jesus for help because He was the only one who could make a difference they were WRONG bc begging Jesus for help they begged Him specifically to lay His hands on him.

They had either heard or seen Jesus perform miracles by laying His hands on people and so they brought the friend to Jesus and begged Jesus lay your hands on him.

They were right but they were wrong, your right to bring your loved ones to Jesus but your wrong when you try to tell Jesus how to fix people.

You cant tell Jesus how to fix other people you just gotta bring people to the feet of Jesus and trust that His grace is sufficient.

So it begins with anonymous heroes but then moves on to

The Double Handicap

Mark 7:32 ESV

And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

When the attention shifts to the man in (32) we see he has a double handicap. Mark shows us in 2 ways the problem of his handicap.

He is Deaf

He is unable to hear His hearing has been closed

We don’t know why but it is fair to assume that he wasn’t born this way. There had to be some accident or some circumstance that robbed him of his hearing. We know this bc he is a deaf man with a speech impediment literally the language was he found it hard to speak.

He either stammered or stuttered he had some problem in his motor skills the fact that he was able to talk indicates that at some point he had to be able to hear in order to be able to form words but somehow his problem hearing affected his ability to speak as well.

So he is a deaf man with a speech impediment, the deaf were often mute, many scholars conclude that in the ancient world it was worse to be deaf than it was to be blind bc you were shut off from communication the deaf could not speak they were considered to be victims of demon possession

This man is struggling with this double handicap he is deaf and he has a speech impediment but the problem of his physical hanidcap is a picture of a spiritual handicap. This disabled man, is an illustratio of sins condition.

Sinners every sinner had this mans problem sinners cant hear right and sinners cant talk right

Sinners cant hear right

Jesus is teaching about the kingdom and is trying to describe how the rule of God is coming down on planet Earth and in

Mark 4:9 ESV

And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Just because you got ears, dont mean you can hear.

bc recieveing spiritual truth is not just a hearing issue its a heart issue

Just bc you have ears dont mean you can hear bc hearing the word of god and the testimony of Jesus Christ is not just about functioning ears its about the awakening of a dead heart

In Jesus talks about a sower who plants his seed on the path and on stony ground and among thorns and it produces no fruit

bc the problem with the gospel reaching people is not a problem with the seed its a problem with the soil

People can have ears but still cant hear if God dont open their hearts. Thats why a husband and wife can come to church every week sit in the same pew read from the same Bible listening to the same sermon and one is growing and one is not

Thats why 2 different young people can sit in the same church and hear the same preaching over and over again and one determines that as soon as they aint gotta go to church they never going back and one commits the rest of their life to serving the Lord

This is why 2 unbelievers can sit under the same gospel message and one says nothing but foolishness and the other runs to the cross and puts their trust in JEsus Christ

Thats why you better be careful how you criticize spiritual stuff somethings you sit through in church and worship that dont make sense to you it may not be that something is wrong with everybody else it may be theres something wrong with you!

HEARING IS NOT AN EAR MATTER ITS A HEART MATTER

Sinners cant hear right and sinners cant talk right

You dont believe turn on the news listen to people who are educated and rich and succesful and think that if you take a gun out of peoples hand they wont kill people.

Psalm 14:1 ESV

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.

They cant talk right they think life is whatever they choose it to be without consequences

This is the problem with sin, sinners cant hear right or talk right

The Prophetic Miracle

Here this man has a double handicap

but Jesus steps in, you see in the text the authority of JEsus but this is about more than the authority of JEsus its about the identity of JEsus

THIS IS WHO JESUS IS

Mark 1:1 ESV

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus displayed mercy Jesus displayed and the miracle Jesus performed

The mercy Jesus displayed

This is one of the miracles that is only found in MArk. Why does Mark write about it and none of the other writers?

it’s not bc the miracle itself is so great that its the greatest miracle The act of the miracle is not what makes it remarkable its how it happens and before the miracle is recorded Mark first shows us the mercy he dsplayed

these nameless heros bring this deaf and mute man to Jesus beg Him to lay his hands on him and look at verse 33

Mark 7:33 ESV

And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.

Mark 7:34 ESV

And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

Jesus ministers to him privately THEY bring him to Jesus but they will not be allowed to witness the miracle, before Jesus does it he takes him from the they.

Leads him, into privacy to work a miracle.

Why does He take him away privately?

Jesus does not want the evidence that He is the son of god to be the convincing point of everyone there, he wants proof of who He is to be when he dies on the cross and rises from the dead So Jesus is not a faith healer with his own tv show

Jesus is not trying to put on a show

So he takes the man away not just for his sake but for the mans sake

How many of you know there are many times God moves mightily away from the crowd more than He does in the midst of the crowd

Think of the disciples he took them off to teach them things

The tranfiguration

Look what happens

Mark 7:

Mark 7:35 ESV

And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

ONE WORD FROM THE LIPS OF GOD IN THE FLESH AND THE MAN WAS HEALED

But notice the odd charge ‘

Mark 7:36 ESV

And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

Why would JEsus charge the they to be quiet?

The divine timetable… explain

But the more Jesus was telling them to hush the more they proclaimed it bc they had discovered glory they had et the one who fixed the problem of sin, they met the one who had the power to cause the deaf to hear and the mute to speak

Mark 7:37 ESV

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Are you having trouble discerning the voice of God?

Are you finding yourself in need of help that you cannot help by yourself, theres good news we know who can take what Satan meant for evil and turn it around for Gods glory

Trust Him tonight, and know that HE can do exceedingly abundnantly above all we could ask or think