Mark 7:31-37: The Sigh, The Secret, and Evangelism

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Explanation

A number of aspects make this text a bit unusual.

First, Mark tells us that Jesus is moving from Tyre back toward Galilee (that’s what is meant by the phrase “Then he returned”), but he is doing so through the Decapolis by way of Sidon.

This is a highly inefficient route back to his familiar territory. Specifically this route would cut a sort of horseshoe pattern across the Decapolis that would have required a journey of 120 miles on foot.

Now that is totally fine from one perspective. Consider that Jesus sent an emissary in the person of the man formerly possessed by Legion into the Decapolis back in Mark 5. So if this is a sort of “harvest mission” in which he seeks out those whom have heard of him it totally makes sense.

Unfortunately we never get any hint of such a purpose, and in this text, the people whom he interacts with he tells to keep it on the down-low, which seems to be antithetical if that is his purpose.

As well, a whole set of oddities flow from the healing itself.

Jesus takes the man aside privately. That is unusual at this point.

Jesus puts his fingers in his ears and touches his tongue.

Jesus spits, which is apparently relevant.

Mark feels it is necessary to record Jesus’ command in the original Aramaic.

If those things aren’t odd enough, the man who can command demons and diseases, the winds and the waves can’t get a small group of people to keep a secret.

Our goal this morning is to get past the oddity and see what Jesus is doing here by focusing on two elements of this story and some practical application.

The two elements are

The Sigh

(and) The Secret

And from there I want to turn then to a practical discussion of evangelism.

The Sigh

First, the Sigh. In verse 34 we read:

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

As I already noted this event is a bit unusual, which might lead us to skate over the details in pursuit of the simple meaning—but consider the adage we have used again and again, that Mark does not waste words.

Mark is constantly cutting unnecessary details out the life and ministry of Jesus. But here Mark feels it is necessary to record a sigh.

Why?

The Only explanation I can fathom is that the sigh carries meaning. It communicates something about the nature and identity of Jesus.

One commentator notes that there have been a number of theories put forward about the meaning or purpose of the sigh:

The sigh or groan is puzzling and has been variously interpreted as: (1) part of a magical procedure or incantation; (2) the exhalation of breath, which carries life force and so the power to heal; (3) an expression of deep compassion for the sufferer or heartache at the ravages of disease; (4) an indication of strain or emotional involvement in the healing; (5) an expression of heartfelt prayer.

- Strauss, ECotNT: Mark, 322

My view is that it is a combination of (3), (4), and (5). In other words Jesus’ sigh is a signal of compassion, strain, and prayer. I draw this from the other occurrences of this particular term.

Consider Romans 8:18-27 we read,

English Standard Version Chapter 8

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Here the same Greek word for Jesus’ sigh in Mark 7 is translated “groaning together,” “groan,” and “groanings” in this passage.

In the context of Romans 8 we see the intersection of compassionate prayer:

(the Holy Spirit is helping us in our weakness with groaning prayers on our behalf)

(Paul notes that we groan as we “await…the redemption of our bodies.”

In other words, our bodies and creation have been made subject to the Fall—the effects of sin. And we groan, creation groans, as we wait for a body free from the physical and spiritual death sin has brought.

In 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 we find:

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Here again we see groaning—same word for Jesus sighing—in the context of awaiting our resurrected bodies and the lifting of the burdens of our current earthly bodies.

One more: Hebrews 13:17

English Standard Version Chapter 13

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Here, mildly self-serving, the author of Hebrews instructs his readers to not be the sort of congregation which causes groaning—we can pretty easily gloss this with exhaustion, burden, or weariness in the midst of compassionate ministry.

This brief word study shows us that the common context for Jesus’ sigh carries two associations—compassionate ministry and the burdens of a fallen world.

Applying that context here we can understand Jesus’s sigh as a prayerful exhalation in the course of a ministry action which undoes a result of the Fall.

He is pushing back the effects of sin and restoring properly working created order.

This is something Mark hints at, not only by including Jesus’ sigh, but also with a thinly veiled reference to Genesis 1 when he concludes:

37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well.

The language here echoes Genesis 1:31:

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

The subtext of this passage is that the personification of the creative force of God—the Word made flesh—is restoring the created order which the Father willed and which he brought about.

Now, I think I hear what some of you are thinking. “Come on, that is a lot of freight for a sigh to carry.”

Maybe, but consider what is taking place here.

The deaf has hearing restored.

The mute has the power of speech given back

In the next chapter,

The blind will receive site.

Such things are no mere party tricks and they go beyond human capabilities.

In the book of Isaiah, chapter 34 describes the undoing of creation as an act of judgment and the consequences of human sin. Isaiah 35 though, preaches of the restorative grace of God and in the end of verse two through verse 6 we read:

English Standard Version Chapter 35

They shall see the glory of the LORD,

the majesty of our God.

3 Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,

“Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Do you see that, when the prophet Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, takes up his pen to write of the grace and mercy of God on sinful man and the groaning creation—what he is writing about is the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Oh, and let’s not forget verse 10:

English Standard Version Chapter 35

10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

“Sighing shall flee away.”

The sort of sighing spoken of there is the burden, sorrow, and groaning of the fallen world.

One way of saying what is happening here in the overlap of Isaiah 35 and Mark 7, is that Jesus sighs so that one day our sighing may cease.

Jesus can prayerfully exhale lifting the deafening effects of sin from this man’s shoulders because he will sigh and groan again from the cross.

So, let’s come back to the question of this series, the question pushing forward the entire Gospel of Mark: Who is Jesus?

In the sigh and the astonishment, Mark is trying to tell us subtly what John tells us explicitly:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Church, this is our message. This is the gospel. This is deeply needed in our culture where the effects of sin are so present.

From the pandemic

To the loneliness and isolation

And the division and divisiveness

We see sin at work all around us and in us. The world needs the gospel, Santa Cruz needs the gospel. But that prompts a question:

Why on earth is Jesus trying to keep this a secret?

The Secret

Probably the oddest part of this text, as weird and gross as putting your fingers in a guys ears and then touching his mouth, is the secret.

In a little bit I am going to give some thoughts on evangelism, so I think it is pretty critical that we get what is and isn’t going on here.

Fundamentally, I think we should realize that Jesus is primarily concerned with misunderstanding. That is, Jesus knows that these people don’t really get it.

In fact, in Mark 8:22-26 Jesus is going to heal a blind man, and oddly enough Jesus has two attempts at it. At first glance it looks like Jesus took his hands off to early and had to touch him again to heal him completely.

But most scholars believe that what is really happening there is that Mark is recording an event that acts as a real-life parallel to his ministry.

In the first touch the man sees the truth, reality, but only blearily. Much like the disciples see what Jesus is doing and seem to only kind of get it.

Then Jesus touches the man again and he sees clearly. It is no coincidence that the next text in Mark’s gospel records Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ—Peter get’s it, but a few verses later Peter is told:

English Standard Version Chapter 8

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Because Peter rebukes Jesus for talking about his coming crucifixion.

Peter sees only blearily. He needs the second touch of clarity.

Similarly here, I think we have a set of people who are high potentials for misunderstanding who Jesus is. In doing so they would make him some simple Jewish healer.

Contrast this by the way with the emissary I mentioned at the beginning of my sermon from Mark 5.

In that story, you have a man whose mouth, under control of demons, confessed the true identity of Jesus:

7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

In that story you have a man who spends time with Jesus:

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.

Consider for a moment how long that all would take. The demon’s leave, Jesus probably cloths him quickly and begins ministering to him. The demons then go into the pigs, the pigs run down a hill fall into the river and drown. Having witnessed this, the headsmen flee for the city, once in the city the news has to spread, once the news spreads the crowd must gather and set out for the countryside. That whole time this man is with Jesus—likely learning from Jesus or at least experiencing Jesus in such away that he is going to get in the boat with him.

Think about that as well, there is no comment about the desire of these men in Mark 7 to follow Jesus, to go with Jesus, to be a disciple of Jesus.

One more contrast, these men refuse to obey Jesus—sure they share about what he did, but they do so against his own admonition.

In fact the text implies reoccurring and increasingly emphatic attempts to stop them:

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

By contrast, consider Mark 5:18-19,

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Jesus disappoints by not allowing him to come with, but he still obeys and proclaims.

What is the difference? There is substantial reason to believe that the difference in treatment is boils down to understanding and grappling with the identity and nature of Jesus.

And these guys don’t get it, so Jesus tries to quiet them down.

In fact, verse 36 makes it sound like Jesus—had he not been fulfilling Isaiah 35—he would have made them mute in order to stop them.

I point all this out in order to continue to beat the drum that we must work hard in order to make sure we are getting Jesus right. Because we want the people of Santa Cruz to hear the gospel and to meet the resurrected Lord Jesus.

We as a church have, by God’s grace, experienced some growth over the past few months. I speak for the other pastor-elders when I say that I am glad you’re all here.

However, many of you come from other churches. We want to see growth, not first and foremost because Christians are leaving their current churches and coming to us, but we want to see growth because the congregation of Santa Cruz Baptist Church is making disciples of Jesus out of their previously non-Christian family, friends, and neighbors.

In other words, we want to see growth in our church and the other gospel-believing and gospel-preaching churches of Santa Cruz because of evangelism.

But in order to evangelize well we need to get the gospel and get the identity of Jesus.

So who is Jesus, Mark has told us who he is in every text—but most explicitly in his first verse of the entire book. What is Mark writing?

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

The good news of the Messiah, the Son of God—Jesus.

Evangelism

So having said clarified all of that let me close with some thoughts on evangelism.

Even though our text this morning offers a misguided example of this, we can note a few aspects that are instructive. I find it most helpful to consider them in terms of hearing, listening, and proclaiming.

First, hearing.

The path to discouragement in evangelism lies in thinking evangelism is primarily about us. It isn’t. Like the deaf man in our text the miraculous work of God is needed for “effective evangelism.”

John 6:44:

English Standard Version Chapter 6

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Through out the gospels we find reference to “those who have ears to hear.” We can understand this to mean those whom the Father is drawing. Without the ears to hear evangelism is hopeless.

That being said, we are still called to participate and we must acknowledge that we do not know who the Lord is drawing:

Romans 10 reminds us of the simplicity of salvation:

English Standard Version Chapter 10

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

And a few verses later we read:

English Standard Version Chapter 10

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

We are sent into the world as the someones of this text. Maybe just my imagination, but I feel some of you thinking rather loudly, something to the effect of “but I am no preacher.”

But consider Mark 1:45, which appears in the context of Jesus miraculously cleansing the same word is used:

45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

When I encourage you to evangelism, I am encouraging you to this. To “talk freely about” Jesus, to “spread the news.”

Second, listening.

Biblically speaking listening is nearly always connected to obeying. Who you listen to is who you obey. Wind and the waves according to Mark 4:41 obey Jesus—literally translated “listen to.” Or Ephesians 6:1:

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right

Again, the literal translation is to “listen to you parents.”

Why is this important, because we need to listen to Jesus on multiple levels in order to evangelize well.

Consider the Great Commission of Matthew 28:

English Standard Version Chapter 28

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Here we are commanded to to make disciples. So we need to listen and obey to this command.

Further, notice that listening to this command requires listening to Scriptures teachings in general. After all how will you teach others to observe Jesus’ teachings and commands without knowing his teaching and commands.

A slight shift, but we should also consider the motivation for our obedience. John 15 gives us some thoughts on this:

English Standard Version Chapter 15

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Here we see several motivations that are to be lived out in obedience to Christ’s commands.

That the Father is glorified.

That we abide in the love of Christ

That Christ’s joy may be in us and our joy may be full.

This is the PR campaign of the Christian faith. Yes, the Christian faith calls us to die to ourselves, yes Jesus commands us to think of others before ourselves, but in such commands we find peace, joy, and the love of Christ.

Evangelism is substantially easier when you realize that you are not offering monkish self-denial, but the love and joy of Christ.

Third, proclaiming.

I have already eluded to this but this is not limited to public speech. Our proclaiming is most frequent and most effective in relational discussions. Again, let’s look to the man that Jesus casts the legion of demons out of: