Christ’s Compassion in Healing

October 18, 2009

Lesson: Mark 7:24–37

Key Verse: Mark 7:26

Introduction

When Jesus had opened the ear and cured the tongue, he warned all that had witnessed what he did, that they should tell no man. However, they continued to publish it, “and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak” (Mark 7:37). Do people see a measure of astonishment in our witness of what Christ has done? Should not the preacher go to the pulpit with a sense of astonishment at the message that the Spirit has given him from the Word of God? Should not the preaching of the Word of God be Spirit led?

The people were struck with astonishment, as if they could do nothing else but be amazed at what they had seen. It was a response that they could not hold back, or make up. Many crowds are brought to the point of amazement by the frenzy of the crowd or the auction pitch of the speaker. However, when the quiet voice of the Lord brings about a true healing or delivery, the spirit of the heart is so moved that it is unable to deny its wonder, if not its explanation. If we have to be ‘worked up’ in order to sing out his praises, it is no praise at all, except to those who have ‘worked the crowd.’ True wonder and praise come from a heart redeemed by the precious blood of Christ within the best and worst of circumstances.

The Psalmist praises God for the wonders he has done, saying, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God who doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people” (Ps. 77:11–15)!

The Unclean Spirit—Mark 7:24–30

The first wonder before us is the cleansing of a daughter who had an unclean spirit. This unclean spirit can be defined as the breath which gives life to the person who is under the influence of evil. It is a spirit whose will is to move the soul and body to do that which is immoral and against the moral law of God. The person becomes unclean in thought and life. Matthew writes that the daughter was ‘badly demonized,” or “grievously vexed with a devil.”

Demon possession, along with diseases and sins, encompasses all of those things of which man must be cleansed (Matt. 4:24). To be possessed by an unclean spirit means that one is being controlled by another. However, the emphasis put on the cleansing of those who are so possessed, is not to show just the healing power or authority of Jesus, but to reveal that the Messiah has come with a great and majestic moral Kingdom. Jesus testifies that “If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come unto you” (Matt. 12:28). Christ Jesus came to establish his kingdom. In Christ’s written testimony he speaks of Israel giving him birth (Rev. 12). He speaks of the throne of God and the spiritual war of heaven, from which “Satan which deceiveth the whole world,” was cast out of heaven. The joy of heaven is recorded as crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down.” The cleansing of this woman’s daughter is but another sign of this great victory of our Deliverer, Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word of the deeds of our Savior goes before him. When he arrived at the borders of Tyre and Sidon, he was confronted by a woman “whose young daughter had an unclean spirit.” This Greek woman “besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.” Jesus replied, “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to the dogs.” She answered, “Yes, Lord; yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”

Our Lord tests our faith today. This woman, according to the account, had a measure of faith of which Christ recognized, saying, “For this saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter.” Matthew adds another statement of what Jesus said, “O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (15:28). Jesus was at first silent. But his voice opened the door of her faith. Our Lord convicts us of our humble position before Him that we might know his grace and love. Are we willing to take the crumbs? That will be enough, if it would come from our Father in heaven. The crumbs from the Savior’s table are more than the world can give. Even while we seek his blessings, he has given all that we need.

Discussion: How do we approach God in our prayers and worship/

The Ear and Tongue—Mark 7:31–37

Jesus travels to the Sea of Galilee, “through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.” A man is brought to Jesus who “was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech.” They ask Jesus to put his hand upon him. Jesus takes the man aside “and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue.” Jesus then looks toward heaven, and says, “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” The healing which Jesus gives is complete and immediate. For straightway the man’s “ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”

The compassion of Jesus Christ is revealed in his taking this man aside, away from the crowd. He shows it again when he took the blind man of Bethsaida by his hand and led him out of town (Mark 8:23). The compassion of our Lord and Savior is very personal. He leads and heals us as the Great Shepherd who knows us by name and holds us in his hands. The Psalmist prays to the Lord as sorrows and trouble surround him, saying, “O Lord I beseech thee, deliver my soul;” he does so on the grounds that the Lord is gracious, “and righteous; yea, our God is merciful” (Ps. 116:4–5). The prophet Micah asks the question, “Who is a God like unto thee?” Do the authorities of this world have the attributes of the Almighty God? Is not the Lord God who gave us his Holy Scriptures our only deliverer? It is the Triune God who alone “pardons iniquity … (who) delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18–19).

The man’s ears were opened. There is no doubt that the divine healing came by the Savior who is the promised Anointed Messiah. Though Jesus had charged those who witnessed the miracle not to tell others, they rather became heralds of such good news. They spoke about the healing with astonishment in their hearts, saying, “He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” Multitudes came to Jesus, the “lame, blind, dumb, maimed …Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel” (Matt. 15:30–31). Let us also remember the joy we have received in the salvation of our souls, that what we have received by grace alone gives glory to Christ alone. For we love him whom we have only seen by faith, “in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9).

Discussion: How shall we use our ears and tongues, which have been freed from sin by the blood of our Savior?