Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Monday of Oculi (Lent III)
Monday of Oculi (Lent III)
Mark 7:34: And looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Some say that Jesus sighs because He knows the tongue He is about to loose will not always speak words of compassion and care but will say all of the detestable, sinful things with which our tongues are all too familiar. Some say He sighs because the ears He will soon open to hearing the words of Christ will also be used to listen to all manner of sinful sounds to which they will be all too eager to listen.
Jesus sighs because he has taken an interest in this man. This is the sigh of a man aquatinted with all the sinful harm in which this poor man is mired. It is the same quicksand in which we are all found. Christ sighs not only for this man but for all men in this sorry state.
How differently Jesus behaves from the way, we most often do. Our Lord is the One who sought to go away to a quiet place with his disciples, only to find that the people had beaten them there. Rather than turning the crowds away, Jesus has compassion for them, the same compassion offered to the deaf and mute man. Jesus is always concerned for the one hurting and needy person. Even when Jesus sought His own much-needed rest, His selflessness drew Him to put the needs of others before Himself. The private Jesus is the same as the public Jesus. He does not wear two faces as we do. Jesus has perfect empathy. He feels what you feel and more.
Jesus’ concern for the deaf and mute man is also the deep-seated love and concern He feels for you. The One who touched the unclean ate with tax collectors and associated with sinners is concerned for you and the hurts and pains you bear. The One who looked the deaf and mute man in the eyes and touched his fingers to the man’s tongue stoops down to come to you with his mercy and love to forgive and restore you. He continues to open ears and release bound mouths, setting us free by His commanding Word.
He’s concerned for the one held in bondage to habitual sins who appears normal on the surface but on the inside is conflicted, unsure, and hurting. Their shame is secret, but their damaged conscience affects their mental and physical health as well as all their relationships. Worst of all, it affects their relationship with God as they despair there is no one able or even willing to help. Jesus is concerned for those broken by abuse, whether by others or by themselves, who put on a brave face for the world to see yet weep out of sight of strangers and even friends. He’s concerned for the ones who have the appearance of being most pious but privately harbor doubt about their faith. He is concerned for those who turn to Him in times of trouble but just as quickly turn away when the problem is solved. In other words, Jesus is concerned for all His people of every situation and circumstance. He is concerned for you. This is why the Son of God came to die on the cross and rise again to grant you the forgiveness of all your sins and complete healing for all your maladies of body, mind, and spirit in the life of the world to come.