Many more are healed
Scripture: Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37
With this lesson we begin a new major section of study, finding Jesus ministering around the Sea of Galilee. Mk 7:31 “Then [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. Mt 15:29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them.”
As we travel with Jesus along the gospel path we have heard him preach to Galileans and Judean Jews, as well as to the remnant people of Israel who by this time had resettled in the Hellenistic region of Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis. Jesus now returns from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the region of the Decapolis which today is located mostly in modern-day Jordan.
Jesus would be walking along the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee and went up on the side of a small mountain where great crowds again gathered. As usual, they brought with them those that were lame, blind, crippled, mute, as well as many others with different conditions needing attention. These were brought to the feet of Jesus to be healed, which he did.
Mk 7:32 “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.” From all of those that came to be healed, attention is drawn to a particular man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Those who brought him begged Jesus to lay hands on him to heal him.
Mk 7:33 “And taking him aside from the crowd privately, [Jesus] 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.”
For some reason, Jesus wanted to honor this request in private where his method of healing was different than normal. Unlike other healings, Jesus use physical means to heal the man. This demonstrated that Jesus had the power to heal with the spoken word or by some physical means. Employing physical means to heal this man, I believe Jesus wanted privacy to prevent this from becoming a spectacle.
The people watched Jesus and Mt 15:31 “[As a result] the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. Mk 7:36 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.”’
As the crowd watch Jesus demonstrate his power, they were amazed and wondered and gave glory to God. In an attempt to control his popularity, Jesus charged then to tell no one else, but knowing human nature, they went and proclaimed with zeal what Jesus was doing because they were astonished beyond measure.
Conclusion
What Jesus was doing was fulfilling a prophecy made by Isaiah: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:5 – 6a).
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