In our passage this morning Jesus is still traveling among the Gentile cities. This proves He is able to march straight into pagan regions and perform miracles just as great as those He performs in Judea. If He had not made deliberate forays into pagan regions to heal the Gentiles, some of His enemies might be able to claim He only has the power of God when near the temple or when near the people of God. But no, the Lord Jesus is mighty to save wherever He goes! No stronghold of Satan can withstand Him!
"Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis." (Mark 7:31) The Decapolis was founded by the Greeks and it gets its name because it was made up of ten cities. You will recognize the root word deca (meaning "ten") from which we get our word "decade". These cities were Damascus, Philadelphia, Scythopolis, Gadara, Pella, Gerasa, Hippos, Raphana, Dion, and Kanatha. The man known as "Legion", out of whom Jesus cast a large number of demons, was from the city of Gerasa. After being healed by Jesus, Legion begged to go with Him and the disciples, but Jesus instructed him to stay there and tell everyone what the Lord had done for him. Legion obeyed, "So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed." (Mark 5:20) This verse from Mark 5 is of the utmost importance, for if Legion had not published the news of how the Lord had blessed him, the people of the Decapolis would not be ready to see Jesus in our passage today. Because of what the formerly demon possessed man had to say about Jesus, the people of this mostly pagan region believe Jesus has the power of God.
When Jesus gets into the area, a man with physical handicaps is brought to Him. "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." (Mark 7:32) These people have faith in Jesus, just as the Gentile woman did in the passage we studied yesterday. They prove their faith by taking the time to fetch this man and take him into the presence of Jesus where they believe he can be helped.
"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. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, 'Ephphatha!' which means 'Be opened!') At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly." (Mark 7:33-35) Jesus uses various methods of healing. If He had not, He would have been accused of sorcery. His enemies would have said that He performed a magic spell each time He healed or that there was a specific formula He had to follow every time. Also I believe He tailored His healing to the needs of each individual person. For example, He touched lepers who had not felt human contact for a long time, restoring not only their health but their human dignity and their emotional stability. In other cases He didn't even have to see the sick person but simply spoke the words of healing. It should be both humbling and awe-inspiring to realize that the Lord Jesus knows each of us so intimately that He takes a different approach with every single one of us according to our specific needs and personalities.
"Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more He did so, the more they kept talking about it." (Mark 7:36) The Lord's fame in Judea has grown to the point that He can barely walk down the street. His fame has already brought too much negative attention from the religious leaders. His fame is about to reach the same heights in the Gentile regions, which could hinder His ministry when He returns to the Jewish territories, for His enemies will be saying, "This man is unclean! He's been socializing with heathens. How can you listen to the words of a rabbi who is willing to eat with Gentiles? Why, we Pharisees go out of our way not to even allow the hems of our robes to brush against Gentiles on the street. You can't trust the teachings of a man who associates with sinners!"
The people can't help themselves; they have to talk about what Jesus has done. If we don't ever feel a desire to share with others what Jesus has done for us, we need to check the condition of our relationship with Him. Maybe we've drifted away from Him. Maybe we've placed too much attention on worldly things and not enough attention on spiritual things. Relationships can't be considered close unless we spend time with a person or unless we talk to them on a fairly regular basis. The same can be said for our relationship with Christ. The last thing we want (and the first thing Satan wants) is for our relationship with Christ to grow stagnant.
"People were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'" (Mark 7:37) The Gentiles may not have recognized the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, but we can be certain Mark recognizes it. Isaiah foresaw the healing ministry of the Lord and said of it, "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy." (Isaiah 35:5-6a)
It behooves us to meditate on the things the Lord has done for us and it strengthens the faith of those around us when we share our testimonies. If you are feeling down today, or if you are going through a rough season in life, think back on all the times the Lord has come to your rescue in the past. He is still the same God today as He was then. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He is eager to direct your steps. He desires to help you in a way that is specifically tailored to your own needs and personality. As a child of God, you have the right to approach the throne of grace with the confidence that Jesus, the One who does all things well, has grace and mercy for you in your time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
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