S. Mark 7:31-37 (NIV)
31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[a] 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
O. Jesus heals a deaf and mute man. However, he didn’t just lay hands upon him. He didn’t just speak and healed him. He put his fingers in the man’s ears, he spit and touched the man’s tongue - and the man could see and speak. But what I see is that in some cases Jesus would lay hands upon people. At other times he would simply speak it. Other times people would touch him or part of his garments. Others times he would put mud on the eyes. The observation is that Jesus does not work out of a bottle, he doesn’t work off a prescription or be boxed in. He will honor faith. That seems to be the constant (even a faith that is “challenged”).
A. As we look for Jesus to work miracles in our life today, we mustn’t try to “put him in a box.” We can’t expect him to do things the same way but Jesus has shown that He will not be boxed in by our expectations. He simply wants us to approach Him in faith, believing Him for the miraculous and then trusting Him to do what only He can do.
P. Thank you Father for your word today. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me. Grant me a bold faith to ask Jesus to do what only He can do and to leave the results with Him! In Jesus’ name!
