Tag Archives: Trinity 12

Wholly Opened – Sermon on Mark 7:31-37 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Mark 7:31-37

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

No one expects infants to be able to speak from the moment they are born. They cry and fuss and make noises. After a while they start to babble and eventually are able to say “Mama” or “Dada.” For most, it takes more than a year before they are able to say words, and months more before they can put those words together into a sentence. Even then, most people outside the family can’t understand a toddler and need parents to translate. Learning to speak is a long, slow process. That’s not what happens to this man.

Jesus is far from His normal stomping grounds and is in Gentile territory. He has just healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter near Tyre and Sidon and is returning to Galilee, but He takes an odd route. Instead of traveling straight south, He turns east and goes through the region of the Decapolis. That would be like traveling from here to Fargo by way of Bemidji. It appears that Jesus goes out of His way to be at this precise place at this precise time. Even though He’s far from where He spent most of His life, the people there know that Jesus can heal. So, they bring this man who was deaf and mute to Him.

Jesus takes the man away from the crowd and does this little liturgy. He stuffs His fingers into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, sighs (lit. ‘groans’), and says one word, “Ephphatha,”which means “Be opened.” Jesus isn’t just acting like a magician with some sleight of hand. His power is displayed through His one-word command to deaf ears. He’s the One who spoke creation into existence (Jn. 1:3). This miracle shows us that the Creator has come down into His creation to undo the Fall. And this comes at a cost to Him.

Mark wants us to ponder that last part where Jesus looked up into heaven and sighed. ‘Sighed’ is a fine translation so long as we see it as a heavy sigh. The word is normally translated ‘groan’ (Ro. 8:23, 26; 2 Co. 5:2, 4). We should see that Jesus is pained and burdened when He sees what sin and death have done to this man and to all creation. Also, see that these miracles come at a cost to Jesus. They take something out of Him. With this groan, it’s like Jesus is taking the man’s deafness and muteness into His Own body, and it weighs on Him.

And the word Jesus speaks, “Ephphatha,” is interesting. He’s speaking a command to deaf ears, but He doesn’t demand them to open. (Sometimes, I’ll try to open a jar for my wife and command the lid, “Open.” Spoiler alert: lids don’t care about my commands.) That isn’t what Jesus says here. Instead, it’s a passive command, “Be opened.” And they are. (Maybe I should try that next time I come across a stubborn lid.) Immediately, the man’s ears are opened, his tongue is released, and he spoke plainly. The word Mark uses for plainly is orthōs, which is where we get the word ‘orthodox’ and means rightly or correctly.

The remarkable thing is how thoroughly the man is healed. Even though this guy had never spoken, he doesn’t start in the same place as a newborn. He didn’t have to go through the long process of learning words; learning how to manipulate his tongue, lips, and mouth to speak them; and then combining those words into sentences. He spoke as though he had been speaking correctly his entire life. Jesus opened his ears and lips wholly and completely. This is the same kind of power Jesus demonstrates when He rebuked the wind and waves. Jesus simply says, “Peace! Be still!” (Mk. 4:39). The wind didn’t slowly die down. It ceased. The white caps didn’t turn to rolling waves then ripples. The sea turned to glass. The same thing happens here. The results are immediate and complete. He opened this man the same way—wholly. 

This is what Isaiah had promised in our Old Testament reading (Is. 29:17-24), “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see” (Is. 29:18). The man had been closed in the gloom and darkness of silence, but the word of Jesus reaches him and does its work. The man hears and speaks the way he was created to hear and speak. Our Lord opens his lips, and his mouth declares God’s praise (Ps. 51:15).

God created our ears to hear His Word and our lips to respond in worship. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ (Ro. 10:17). With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Ro. 10:10). Now, this man can do both. He hears the Word and speaks it rightly.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus often heals immediately. This man. The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years is made well the moment she touches His garment (Mk. 5:25-34). Lazarus (Jn. 11:43-44). The blind, the sick, the lame, and the leprous are all made whole at His word (Mk. 1:34).

We often pray and desire those immediate results. We want the diagnosis reversed now. We want the relationship fixed now. The grief gone now. The wandering soul to repent and be saved now. We pray for all sorts of things and want God to have it done before we finish with our “Amen.”

Sometimes, God will do that. More often, He makes us wait. But in that waiting, He is doing something more. So, what should we do when we have to wait? We remember and retreat to His promises.

God is not slow to deliver on His promises (2 Pet. 3:9). He is not reluctant or limited in giving us what is good. The same Jesus who immediately and wholly opened this man is the One who hears your prayers. If the full restoration is delayed, it is not because He cannot do it. Instead, it is because God knows what He is doing. He is working a better opening than the one we have imagined. He is teaching us to live by every word that comes from His mouth (Dt. 8:3), and not only by the kind of answers we can see and hear right now.

So, when you have to wait, you can groan with Jesus at the fallen state of creation. But you do not groan without hope (Ro. 8:23-24). Christ has given you the Holy Spirit to open your ears to the Gospel. Let His promises drown out the noise of the rest of this broken world. Your tongue has been loosed. Use it to confess that He has defeated death by His death and resurrection and that He now reigns.

Even as you live through things that are not as God intended them to be, you know that Christ’s return is coming. Jesus Himself will descend from heaven with another word—a cry of command (1 Th. 4:16). That cry will be another “Ephphatha.” The graves will open. Ears that have been closed by death will hear. Tongues that have decayed will speak correctly. The meek shall obtain fresh joy, and the poor shall exult in the Holy One of Israel (Is. 29:19). He will make all things new (Rev. 21:5). Until that day, you wait. But you wait with Christ’s Word in your ears and the confession of His Gospel on your tongue.

Dear saints, your Savior has done all things well, He does all things well, and He will do all things well. He knows what He is doing. The One who spoke “Ephphatha” to this man will speak again over all creation. And in that day, nothing will remain closed. It will all be wholly opened. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Enoughness – Sermon on 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

2 Corinthians 3:4-11

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine that you received an invitation to a banquet. You get yourself ready and put on your best suit or dress. You drive to the location and enter the building to find that this banquet is a lot fancier and way more formal than you realized. The crystal chandeliers and candles cast a golden light over an exquisitely decorated room. The tables are set with fine china and crystal flutes. You look at all the other guests and discover that they are wearing either designer tuxedos with cufflinks and cummerbunds or sparkling gowns and jewelry. There you are sticking out like a pigeon in a peacock parade.

You try to mingle with the glittering guests, but they mostly ignore you. The only acknowledgement you get are cold smiles and people saying, “Oh, I love your outfit,” as they turn away laughing and asking each other, “Who’s that guy?” You pull out the invitation, and, sure enough, it’s got your name and address. But you’ve had it. It must have been a mistake. So, you start looking for an exit, one that will allow you to avoid as many people as possible.

As you’re leaving, the host of the gala approaches and calls you out by name saying, “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve got all sorts of people I want to introduce you to.” You try to explain that you should probably leave because you don’t fit in. You point out that you aren’t as polished as everyone else there and mention how the crowd has already rejected and made fun of you. But the host simply says, “You aren’t here to be fancy. You’re here because I invited you. My choice is enough to make you belong. Just stick with me.” The rest of the evening, he takes you around the room showing you off, bragging about you, and highlighting how important you are to him. He seats you next to himself at the head table. The rest of the evening, your confidence grows. Now, you are treated with respect and honor by everyone else – not because you’ve won them over. Your importance is rooted in the host’s attitude toward you, and his opinion carries a weight that no one can challenge. It is enough.

Dear saints, such is the confidence you have through Christ toward God.

In this text, Paul is defending his office of being an apostle. There were some false teachers in the congregation at Corinth who were saying that Paul didn’t have the authority to say anything in the church. They questioned the sufficiency of Paul’s preaching. They were saying that Paul’s preaching of God’s grace through Christ was not enough. That’s why he says that God had made him sufficient to be a minister of the ‘new covenant’ of the Gospel that points people to Jesus as the Messiah (2 Cor. 3:6). And that’s why Paul goes on in v. 7-11 of this text to compare his ministry of the Gospel to Moses’ ministry under the old covenant.

Now, this would be a really good text to preach at an ordination service as a man is called by God to be a pastor. All pastors, myself included, need to recognize that when they preach, they aren’t doing it by their own authority but by the authority that God has given (1 Pet. 4:11). When God puts a pastor into a congregation, he is there to deliver God’s gifts to God’s purchased and redeemed people.

Pastors are called to speak two different words to their congregations. First, pastors are to preach ‘the letter that kills’ also called here ‘the ministry of condemnation.’ In other words, pastors are to preach the Law. And second, pastors are to preach ‘the ministry of righteousness,’ the Gospel. God sends pastors to declare that people are sinners so they can be pointed to repentance and faith in Christ. That’s the main point of this passage. But what Paul says here can be applied to other callings and vocations as well.

Dear saints, you have been called out of the darkness of your sin into God’s kingdom. You are called to be God’s hands and feet to the people around you so you can render service to them. And you can have confidence as you serve and carry out those vocations. You are not sufficient on your own. God Himself has made you sufficient. In this text, the word translated ‘sufficient’ means enough.

There are all sorts of places we might look to build confidence and find our enoughness, but there is only one legitimate source of confidence. Any other source will lead to bad outcomes. The most common place we look is inside ourselves – our abilities, our eloquence, our strengths or skills. There are certainly productive, able people who are successful at many things. The problem is that when those moments of success come and we think it’s because we’re sufficient in ourselves, pride sneaks in. We start comparing ourselves to others and look down on them. We get puffed up, and when that happens, we’re setting ourselves up for a big fall. Even when you are successful and humble, the devil will attempt to draw your attention back to yourself and your humility, and again, pride sprouts up.

If you to think that you are strong and capable on our own, you will start to think that you can handle the challenges in life by yourself. When that happens, you’ll quickly find that your own strengths and abilities fade and fail. And when you fail, it’s easy to fall into despair.  The devil wants you to be constantly looking at yourself because there you’ll see that your strength and ability isn’t enough to do all that God has called you to do. Any setback or misstep can be used by the demons to paralyze you.

But when God is the source of your confidence, and He is, then, you lack in nothing. Look at the sheer holiness and privilege of your callings – spouses, parents, children, teachers, friends. When you first recognize the massive, holy responsibilities that God has given you, you realize that these things are beyond you. And you aren’t adequate to carry those vocations out. You can’t claim anything – any ability, any strength, any eloquence, any skill – as coming from you. But God Himself has given you everything. He has won and purchased you by giving His Son, Jesus to die on the cross as your Savior. Everything you are, everything you have, every calling and responsibility has been given to you as a gift. And what God has given you is enough.

As citizens of God’s kingdom, recognize that God has given you more than enough, more you can imagine. He has given His gifts in full measure, pressed those gifts down into you to make room for more and His gifts are always running over (Lk. 6:38).

The same Holy Spirit who blew through the upper room at Pentecost now fills you with everything you need to carry out the tasks entrusted to you. The Holy Spirit who abides in and with you is like that host at the gala. He accompanies you and makes you worthy to be in His kingdom. Anyone who questions that worthiness insults Him directly and isn’t worth listening to. God Himself has made you sufficient and enough. 

By His calling, His redeeming, His grace, His sanctifying, He has made you enough. And that is enough. Dear saints, your enoughness is from God, and from God alone. So, go; boldly carry out the tasks that He has given you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Broken Bonds – Sermon on Mark 7:31-37 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Mark 7:31–37

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he 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. 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.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine you’re being punished for something – it doesn’t matter what – and the punishment is that you will be sent to live on the moon, which has become a penal colony. (This is my analogy, so I get to make the rules.) You will never be allowed to return, and no one is allowed to visit you. You beg the judge for mercy, and he gives you a choice between two options.

The first option is that you can have a magic mirror, like the one from Beauty and the Beast, but it doesn’t transmit any sound. That mirror will allow you to see your spouse, kids, parents, siblings, and friends, but you can’t speak to them or hear them. And the mirror is on a ten second delay that doesn’t allow any communication. It blacks out if there are letters, so they can’t wear a shirt that says, “I love you,” or hold up a note; it also doesn’t allow any sign language, thumbs up, hand hearts, or anything like that. (Again, this is my analogy, so I can make the magic mirror do whatever I want.)

The second option the judge gives you is that you can have a magic phone that lets you talk to your family and friends whenever you want, but you will never be able to see them. Which option would you choose? I’d bet we’d all take the phone. We’d rather be able to have a conversation and communicate with our loved ones than simply look at or watch them because God created us for communion and communication – with Himself and with others. It isn’t good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). This is why God created us with ears to hear and mouths to speak. Besides the angels, humans are the only created things that interact with God and others through words.

In Genesis, God speaks to Adam before Adam says anything, and the first words Adam heard were, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). God promised to provide Adam with all the delightful food and nourishment he would need. You can think of God’s first words to Adam as a sermon, which is basically, “Listen Adam, I’ll take care of every need you have. I don’t want you to ever know what evil is. Just trust Me on this – evil is bad.” So, God created Adam to hear His Word and, by hearing that Word, Adam would trust and believe. But God also created Adam to speak.

The first recorded words of Adam in Scripture are his response to seeing the bride God made for him. “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23). However, we know that Adam used his voice prior to that because, before God created the woman, God had Adam give names to all the animals. Genesis would be a whole lot longer if it gave us all those details. “God brought Adam a four-legged, creature with black and white stripes, and Adam called it, ‘Zebra.’” By naming the animals, we have a concrete example of how Adam is created in God’s image. Like God did with Day, Night, Heaven, Earth, and Seas (Gen. 1:5, 8, 10), Adam joins with God in naming parts of creation.

That is why, when we consider this text, we know that this deaf and mute man’s condition is so pitiful. He isn’t what God created him to be. He can’t hear or communicate like he should. But Jesus releases this man to be what he was created to be and to do what he was created to do. Christ opens His ears to hear and releases his tongue to speak. Our translation there does a decent job by using the word “released,” but the Greek is even more vivid. In Greek, the text says, “the cords of his tongue are untied.” Jesus breaks the bonds that imprisoned this man to a lonely world without any communication. With one word, “Ephphatha,” Christ, the Word made flesh, restores this man to be what God had created him to be. A man who speaks rightly and plainly. (The Greek says that he speaks ‘orthodoxly.’)

Our Epistle reading today (Ro. 10:9-17) also highlighted the importance of hearing and speaking. “Faith comes by hearing” (Ro. 10:17). God’s Word goes into your ears, and the Holy Spirit creates faith in your heart. Then, with the mouth you confess and are saved (Ro. 10:10). We are created to first hear God’s Word which creates faith. Second, we are created to confess with our mouths, pray to God, and praise Him. This is what God intended for our lives. He speaks, and we respond. Over and over. Even now, after the Fall, prayer and faith is a continual conversation with God.

When we understand how sin has bound and imprisoned both our hearing and speaking, we can start to see how far we have fallen. The things that come out of our mouth should cause us extreme grief and shame (Mt. 15:11). James 3:8-10 says that our sinful tongue is a restless evil full of deadly poison that lives in contradiction. We use our tongues to bless our Lord and Father, but then we turn around and curse people who are made in the likeness of God. This should not be so. It doesn’t help that, most of the time, the damage our tongues do to our neighbor goes unpunished. You aren’t going to be fined or jailed for gossip or so-called “little white lies.” Christian, with God’s help, you need to control your tongue and ask for mercy for the havoc your tongue causes in creation.

You also need to guard the communication you have with yourself in your mind. Philippians 4:8 says that we are to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Your mind, and the minds of others, is never a vacuum. You’re always communicating something – even if it’s only with yourself. That is why we always need to put the most charitable construction on the actions of others. When we think they are doing things for wrong motives, we are more prone to think that they do the same toward us.

Here, Jesus tells this man and the people present to not tell anyone about the miracle. Jesus will periodically do this. We don’t always know why, but we do see in other instances that, when people disobey this kind of command, Christ’s ministry is hindered (Mk. 1:45). When Jesus tells you to be silent, be silent. But, and this is me speaking here, I think we Christians have adopted the attitude that this command is for everyone all the time. But that is wrong. There are other times where Jesus will tell people to return home and declare to others how much God has done for them (Mk. 5:19).

Yes, there are times to be silent but not always. The world needs to hear what God has done; the world needs to hear God’s truth very badly. There is a phenomenon in group communication called “the Abilene paradox” which is when a group of people decide on a course of action that is contrary to the preferences of all or most of the individuals in that group.

It was named that because of a story by a guy named Jerry Harvey where a family is comfortably playing dominoes on a porch in Texas. The father-in-law thinks everyone else is bored, so he suggests they take a hot, 50-mile drive to Abilene, TX to have dinner. His wife says, “Sounds like a great idea. I haven’t been to Abilene in a long time.” Their daughter goes along with it as does the son-in-law. So, the four of them hop in the car to Abilene. The drive is miserable, hot, and dusty. The food is as bad as the drive. When they return, one of them dishonestly says, “That was a great trip, wasn’t it?” But the mother-in-law says she only went because everyone else was so enthusiastic about it. Their daughter says she wanted to keep everyone happy. The son-in-law confesses he didn’t want to go either, and the father-in-law admits he only suggested it because he thought everyone else was bored. So, the four of them sit back perplexed that they collectively decided to take a trip none of them wanted to go on. They all would have preferred to sit comfortably playing dominoes. The only thing that needed to happen to spare them the misery of that trip was for one of those four to speak up.

I wonder – and, again, this is my own speculation – if that is part of the reason our world and culture is so crazy right now. We Christians are afraid to simply confess the truth. Many people are insisting on things that are completely contrary to what is so obviously true. Just think of how often people want to redefine marriage or call a baby in a mother’s womb a cancerous tumor (yes, I actually heard someone say that), and a whole host of other insane things. The world needs us Christians to confess the truth. But too often, we are cowered into the corner and keep silent because we don’t want to rock the boat or be offensive. Christian, God has given you a mouth and voice. If you don’t use it and let the culture dictate the conversation, the world descends into chaos.

Christian, Jesus has opened your deaf ears and broken the bonds of your tongue to speak what is right, good, and true. Do that. Do it boldly. Do it lovingly. Do it with conviction.

Again, in our Epistle reading we hear, “Everyone who believes in [Jesus] will not be put to shame” (Ro. 10:11). And remember that Scripture connects believing with confessing (Ro. 10:8-9). When you speak the truth, you might be mocked, ridiculed, and told to be silent, but speaking the truth in love will never end in you being ashamed.

Dear saints, the bonds of your mute tongue and deaf ears have been broken by the Savior. Bring Christ and His work into your conversations around the coffee pot at work and in the bleachers at your kids’ games. Talk about Jesus while you eat with your children and buy groceries. Praise Him in the doctor’s office and wherever you go (Dt. 6:4-9). This is what you have been created, bought, and cleansed for. God speaks. We listen, respond, and declare that He does all things well.

Jesus is here today. He has opened your ears to hear His Word of forgiveness and mercy. He opens your mouth now to receive His Body and Blood. And Christ sends you from here with His praise on your tongue. Confess His name, proclaim His work, and declare His truth to the ends of the earth. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Charged to Silence – Sermon on Mark 7:31-37 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Mark 7:31–37

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he 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. 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.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The miracle is strange enough on its own. A man who is deaf and mute is brought to Jesus. Our Lord throws His fingers into the man’s ears. I know our translation says ‘put,’ but the word there is more aggressive and intrusive. It probably wasn’t comfortable for the man. But Jesus isn’t done being weird. Christ spits – exactly where, we aren’t sure. A collection of Jewish literature called the Talmud, which is an interpretation of the Old Testament, taught that saliva was a healing agent. Mark seems to indicate that Jesus’ saliva ends up on the guy’s tongue – either directly or from Jesus’ hand to his tongue. Jesus sighs and says, “Ephphatha,”which means, “Be opened,” and the guy can hear and speak. Again, strange miracle.

Why all the intrusiveness and all the ceremony? Why doesn’t Jesus just do as He had done all sorts of other times – speak the word and let the healing take place (Mt. 8:8)? Well, I don’t know. But what I can say for sure is that Jesus’ still has ‘it’ whatever ‘it’ is.

Through His Word, Jesus does amazing things. The same Jesus spoke all things into existence when He created the cosmos (Gen. 1; Jn. 1:3, 14). In the creation account, God spoke into the void and things that did not exist obeyed and came to be. Here, Jesus speaks to ears that He created but couldn’t hear anything, and they obey His command to open. He’s doing Jesus-type things – healing and fixing the brokenness that sin has brought to creation. Yes, the miracle is strange, especially the leadup to it. But what might be even more strange is what happens at the end.

Jesus tells that man to not use his newly loosened tongue to announce the healing to anyone, and He commands the crowds to be silent about it as well. In short, Jesus speaks to two different types of ears with two different responses. Christ speaks a command to deaf ears and a stuck tongue, and they obey. But then He charges hearing ears to keep their working tongues silent, but they zealously disobey (Mk. 7:36). They dismiss Christ’s Word and command.

The only clue we have to the mindset of these people who are blatantly disobeying Jesus comes from what they say, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” It sure seems like their intention is to say nice things about Jesus.

What they say is true. Jesus does do everything well. And He is good, good beyond our imagination. He has just made the deaf hear and the mute speak. That’s true too. However, we need to understand, saying nice things or saying true things can still be sinful. And we know that it is sinful here because, again, Jesus told them to not say anything about it. Exactly why Jesus told them to keep silent, we don’t know. Jesus repeatedly does this in the Gospel of Mark, and in other places where He does this and people disobey Him, we see that His ministry is hindered (Mk. 1:38-45). So, what are we to do with this?

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 says that there is a season for everything and a time for every matter under heaven; there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. And, certainly, when God commands you to keep silent, that is a time to keep silent. So today, God calls us to consider when and how we use our mouth, tongue, and voice and to regularly examine ourselves in light of the 8th Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In the Small Catechism, Luther’s explanation of it is so good: “We should fear and love God so that we do not deceitfully lie about, betray, backbite, nor slander our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the most charitable construction on all that he does.”

Of course, we break the 8th Commandment when we desire the truth to be different and lie. But we also break this Commandment when we hijack the truth in order to make our neighbor look bad and spread gossip. Yes, lying is bad, and we often have our conscience pricked when we lie. But gossip and tearing others down is just as bad. There are times when telling the truth is a sin and violation of this Commandment. For example, don’t tell Laura about Peter’s sin if Laura doesn’t need to know about it. You don’t like it when it happens to you. Don’t do it to others. So, don’t lie. Don’t gossip. But also know when to be silent.

We live in a world that is buzzing with communication. Technology has given you the ability chat with a person in Indonesia about a cat while you get into an argument with someone who lives in Spain about weather. With instant access to a majority of the world in our pockets, it is easy to get distracted and waste copious amounts of time communicating with people we don’t know about things that don’t matter, and when that kind of communication is happening, it is easy to use our tongues and fingers to break the 8thCommandment. So, hear this as a call to consider how you use your phone, social media, and the comments section on a news article to interact with others. You should be spending more time interacting with your family and the people around you than you do interacting with people on Insta-Snap-You-Twit-Face.

Also, in your regular in-person relationships and interactions, you need to use your God-given wisdom. Yes, absolutely, there are times when God is giving you an open door to proclaim the truth to those who blatantly deny it. There are times where you should correct, reprove, and rebuke evil and sin. But how do you go about doing it? Are you speaking the truth in love in an effort to correct the erring, or are you mocking, ridiculing, and belittling people and further turning them off to Christianity?

The tongue and all your communication has great power both for good and for evil. James spends a lot of time on this. In James 1:26-27, we read, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” And later, in James 3:2-8, he talks about how horses are guided by a small bit in their mouths and huge ships are steered by a small rudder. In the same way the tongue is a small part of your body, but it can set a huge fire.

Dear saints, what you say and communicate and how you say and communicate it, has great power to both tear down and destroy or to build up and edify. Guard your mouth, your pen and pencil, and, yes, your typing. Guard them in such a way that you declare God’s praise (Ps. 51:15) because faith comes by hearing (Ro. 10:17).

So, dear saints, hear again that Christ Jesus has forgiven you all the sins of your tongue and fingers. Know that His shed blood has covered all your iniquity. Continue to fight against your sin, as you live in Christ’s grace, now and forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Confidence, Glory, Boldness, & Freedom – Sermon on 2 Corinthians 3:4-18 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

2 Corinthians 3:4-18

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text is all about the two main doctrines (or teachings) of Scripture: the Law and the Gospel. Whenever you read the Scriptures, Law and Gospel is what you should be looking for. Put simply, the Law tells you what you must do or be judged and condemned by God. The Gospel tells you what God has done for you in Christ to forgive you for all your sins against God’s Law. Luther once put it beautifully, “The Law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done. [The Gospel] says, ‘Believe this,’ and everything is already done.”

Now, this text doesn’t specifically call these two doctrines ‘Law’ and ‘Gospel.’ No, this text is a lot more colorful using other terms for Law and Gospel to describe what they do and are. So, look through the verses quickly again. In v. 6, Paul calls the Law ‘the letter’ that ‘kills.’ In v. 7, Paul calls the Law ‘the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone.’ In v. 8, the Law is called ‘the ministry of condemnation.’ In v. 14, the Law is called ‘the old covenant.’ All of these terms for the Law give us a picture and understanding of what the Law does to us. In short, the Law is exposes that we are sinners who deserve nothing but death, judgment, and condemnation from God who is our holy and just Creator.

But now, listen to the terms Paul uses to for the Gospel. In v. 6, Paul calls the Gospel ‘the new covenant… of the Spirit who gives life.’ In v. 8, it is called the ‘ministry of the [Holy] Spirit.’ In v. 9, Paul says that the Gospel is ‘the ministry of righteousness.’ So, if you want life, righteousness, and freedom from sin, you don’t look to the Law. You look only to the Gospel.

But the main thing this text is showing us is just how glorious the Gospel is by comparing the glory of the Law with the glory of the Gospel.

With that in mind, let’s consider what happened when God gave the Law on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 20). Back in Exodus 19, we hear how God instructed His people to prepare themselves for the giving of the Ten Commandments. Around three months after the people had left Egypt (v. 1), God had the people consecrate themselves for three days (v. 11). God instructed the people to set up a fence around Mt. Sinai so that no one – neither man nor beast – could touch the mountain (v. 12). The third day came with glory. There was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud descended on Mt. Sinai. There was a loud trumpet blast that caused all the Israelites to tremble (v. 16). God descended on the mountain in fire, and smoke went up like a kiln. The ground was trembling, and the sound of the trumpet kept getting louder and louder (v. 19). Moses went to the top of the mountain, and God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me….

“Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….

“Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

“Thou shalt not kill.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.

“Thou shalt not steal.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s” (Ex. 20:2-17).

In this way, God spoke His perfect will for His people, and the people responded to that glory with fear and terror. They asked that Moses would speak with them instead of God (Ex. 20:18-20; Dt. 5:22-33; and 18:15-22). When God gave the Law, His people, who were sinners, were terrified in their conscience. They were confronted with the sins they had committed. And they understood that they were under the curse of death.

When Moses came down with the Ten Commandments written by God’s finger on stone tablets, the people saw that Moses’ face was shining. Exodus 34:29-35 tells us that his face was shining was because he had been talking with God. Whenever Moses would speak with God, he would remove the veil, and after Moses told the people what God had spoken, he would put the veil back over his face again.

So, the Law came with a glory and that glory continued to radiate from Moses’ face, but that Law brought fear and terror. It brought knowledge of God’s wrath. The Law commands and forbids, terrifies and threatens, curses and condemns.

Now, you have called me here, and God has sent me, to be your pastor. Part of that calling is for me to proclaim the Law to you. That means I have to tell you, people whom I love, things that you probably don’t want to hear. I’ve been called here to tell you that the way you handled yourself in that argument with your spouse was wrong. That you are making mistakes raising your children. That skipping church for your kid’s tournament is making an idol out of your kid and making that sport an idol for your kid. God has sent me here to tell you that you are sinfully disrespectful and rude toward your parents. That even though other people laugh, your jokes are inappropriate. That the way you talk about others when they aren’t around is sinful. That you drank too much. That you should have looked away from that show, that movie, that image. That your desires are wrong. And all these sins bring nothing but misery, destruction, and God’s wrath and judgment (Ro. 3:10-18). And I need to hear that as much as you do.

Now, we need to be absolutely clear here. The Law doesn’t condemn and judge us because the Law is bad. No. The Law is good. The Law is the perfect expression of God’s holy will for your life and for my life. The reason the Law brings condemnation and death is your sinful nature – yours and mine. The Law doesn’t causeyour condemnation; instead, it simply reveals it. Yes, the Law came with glory, but it is a glory that consumes and undoes us, like it did to the prophet Isaiah (Is. 6:5).

But there is hope for us sinners because there is something more glorious than the Law. Peter, James, and John saw the glory of the Gospel as it was manifested on the mountain of transfiguration. As those three heard Jesus talk with Moses and Elijah about His exodus the disciples were afraid, but Peter understood and confessed, “Lord, it is good to be here” (Lk. 9:30-33). The Gospel came with glory as Jesus was enthroned upon the cross. The earth trembled as Christ breathed His last and gave up His spirit. The tombs were opened and the dead were restored to life (Mt. 27:50-52). The Gospel came with glory when Christ rose from the grave as the angels proclaimed His victory over death and hell (Mt. 28:1-6). The Gospel came with glory when it spread to all nations on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was given, and people saw tongues of fire on the disciples and heard the mighty, glorious acts of God – the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name, salvation, and eternal life (Act. 2). 

Again, the Law tells you exactly what you must do to have eternal life (Mt. 10:17-19; 19:16-19), but the Law doesn’t lift a finger to help you do it. That is why, as your pastor, I am here to proclaim the Law and the Gospel. Because while the Law only condemns and accuses, the Gospel runs to you with rescue and help from heaven. The Law leaves you sinking in your sins, but the Gospel takes hold of you and lifts you to firm, solid ground. The Law leaves you naked and cold, but the Gospel clothes you with the glorious robes of Christ.

The Gospel is higher and more glorious than the Law. The Gospel declares that Jesus has finished His work to save you, and His work can’t be undone. He has taken upon Himself all the burden, all the punishment, all the wrath of God that your sins deserve. Yes, you still feel the burden of your sin, but your sin doesn’t belong to you anymore. It belongs to Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29) – that includes your sin as well. Now, you belong to Jesus. You are safe in Christ, and you are sufficient as you stand before God. You are not in yourself but in the sufficiency that Christ has won for you. Yes, the Gospel is higher and more glorious than the Law, and we can see that in how each was given.

But what might be the greatest and most glorious distinction between the Law and the Gospel is what Paul says in v. 11 – that the Law passes away while the Gospel remains forever. “For if what was being brought to an end came with glory,” and I can’t for the life of me figure out why our text uses the word ‘was’ there. It is in the present tense. And let me paraphrase v. 11 to make it absolutely clear, “For if [the Law, which] is being brought to an end came with glory, much more will [the Gospel which] is permanent have glory.”

Dear saints, once the Law has done its work to show you what you deserve from God, you can flee from the Law to the light of Jesus who gives you what you do not deserve – mercy, forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life. God gave the Law to chase you to Jesus, who is your refuge and strength. And safe in Christ, the Law cannot touch you. You are free, totally and absolutely free, from the Law’s judgment and condemnation.

Dear saints, because of the Gospel, you are in Christ. You now behold your Savior in His glory with unveiled face. You stand in awe of your God (Is. 29:23). You have freedom. You are being transformed into the image of Christ. Because of Jesus, and Him alone, you can be confident. You share the glory of Christ. Live boldly because of what He has done for you. Live in the freedom you have as a child of God. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Opening – Sermon on Mark 7:31-37 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

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Mark 7:31-37

Jesus Heals the Deaf and Mute Man Mark 731 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he 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. 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.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When God created Adam from the dust of the ground, God had a purpose behind everything. God created Adam with eyes so Adam could see not just the beauty of creation but also God’s goodness, mercy, and provision. God created Adam’s limbs to work in the garden that God had given to bless and sustain Adam. God gave Adam feet and legs to walk throughout creation and be in awe and wonder at everything God had given. When God created Adam’s mouth, God gave him a tongue and vocal cords that could declare God’s praise (Ps. 51:15) and mercy (Jer. 3:12; Mk. 5:19). Every part of Adam and Eve’s bodies were created to be in harmony with God, with creation, and with each other.

Contrast God’s ordered, creative work with the work of the devil. Unlike God, the devil hates order and cannot create. Satan is completely powerless when it comes to creating anything. So, when the devil saw the order and beauty of God’s creation, the serpent went to work to bring disorder and chaos.

Satan didn’t mind if Adam and Eve had ears that hear; he just wanted to make sure they were deaf to what God really says. So, the devil’s first words recorded in Scripture are, “Did God actually say?” (Gen. 3:1). That old snake went to work at closing the ears of Adam and Eve to God’s voice. And it worked. After they ate from the tree, Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the garden, and they fled from their Creator.

The devil didn’t mind if Adam and Eve had tongues that spoke. He just wanted to make sure those mouths spoke the same lies and bitterness that he has toward God. And it worked. After they ate from the tree, Adam and Eve spoke false words that blamed each other and even God Himself (Gen. 3:11-13) for the sin that they had committed with their own hands and mouths.

And still today, the devil doesn’t care if you have eyes that see. Satan wants to draw your attention to anything that will divert your eyes to God’s mercy and grace because he wants to blind you to God’s goodness. Satan wants to take your eyes off the cross where you see God’s unquestionable mercy toward you and instead focus your eyes on the wickedness, danger, and evil that surrounds you. The devil wants you to see the evil in this world and be filled with fear and worry.

No, the devil can’t create. But he can and does harm, mar, maim, spoil, disfigure, and paralyze. And the devil is effective and efficient at bringing chaos and disorder to our fallen world.

Consider how Satan has distorted your mouth which was created to speak the wonders and mercies of God, but now speaks lies and spreads gossip about your neighbor. Contemplate the ways in which Satan has closed your heart to helping and defending your neighbor who is a fellow son of Adam and daughter of Eve. Reflect on the ways your hands are tightfisted instead of generous. Think about the ways in which the devil has filled your mind with worry and anxiety instead of the peace of God.

Repent. God wants to open your eyes, ears, hands, feet, hearts, minds, and mouth and bring order once again. Consider this deaf man with a speech impediment.

Imagine what this man’s life must have been like. He had lived in a world of silence. He wasn’t able to communicate with others. Imagine his friends and family who have brought him to Jesus. Think of all the times they tried to tell him, “I love you,” but those words fell upon closed, deaf ears. This man’s family has wanted to sing God’s praise with his voice added to their chorus, but his tongue was wrenched and his mouth mute. So, they bring him to Jesus and beg Christ to lay His hand on him, and Jesus acts.

Now, with this healing, please notice first that Christ hears their prayers on behalf of this man whom they love. Dear saints, know that Jesus hears the prayers you pray on behalf of unbelievers who are deaf to God’s Word. Know that without question. But also notice Jesus doesn’t answer their begging and pleas in the way they ask Him to. Jesus doesn’t simply lay His hand upon the deaf man; instead, Jesus does more.

Jesus takes the man away from the crowd. Christ sticks His fingers into those clogged ears, spits, seizes the man’s tongue, and sighs. Actually, the text says that Jesus does more than sigh. Literally, the text says Jesus ‘groans.’ It’s the same word used in Ro. 8:22 where Scripture says that all creation groans as it waits for the revealing of the sons of God. After these things, Jesus speaks one word, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened.”

Tired Jesus leaning against a treeI’ve seen a picture several times this last week floating around social media. It is Jesus leaning against a tree with His eyes closed. Christ looks exhausted. The caption says, “He must be so tired of the mess we’ve made. Forgive us, Lord, don’t give up on us!” On the one hand, I don’t like the picture combined with the caption because it implies that Jesus didn’t know and is surprised by the mess we’ve made. However, there is something very true with that picture of the weary Jesus.

Jesus is wearied by and suffers because of His interaction with us. You see, Jesus sighs before opening this man’s ears and loosening his tongue because it does take effort from our Lord. This healing is work for Him. We tend to think that performing miracles and healings is just what Jesus does. We tend to think that Jesus can do this without any real effort. Part of the reason we think that way is because most of the time, Christ speaks a word and it is done. We think that is simple, easy-peasy.

However, even the miracles where Jesus simply speaks a word, those miracles and healings are still costly work for him. We see that these miracles cost Jesus effort here when He groans. It isn’t cheap or easy for Christ to do these miracles. It costs Jesus. In every miracle, Jesus is making an exchange. He takes upon Himself the deafness, muteness, sickness, paralysis, blindness, and leprosy. He does this because He is the one who bears our griefs and carries our sorrows (Is. 53:4). And this exchange happens with every miracle.

You see, the miracles that Jesus performs – healing the deaf, blind, and lame, cleansing lepers, and providing miraculous wine and bread – are all costly. He doesn’t just send the devil away. Christ Himself suffers Satan’s abuse and attacks. Just think of His temptation in the wilderness. He gets hungry and thirsty. Jesus comes into our broken world, breathes our poisoned air, suffers our backbiting, ingratitude, and greed. He endures and resists the temptations of Satan and the demons. Christ willingly did all of this knowing full well what it will cost Him. Yet, He does it anyway.

Our Lord does this for those He heals, and He does it for you because He has compassion for you. He looks at you the same way He looked at the deaf man and the same way that we look with pity at people who are suffering. Jesus sees us as having weaknesses and disabilities, as needing help. None of this makes Him angry, but it does hurt and move Him. It causes Him to act on our behalf, to intervene, and to send His holy angels.

Christ always has compassion on those who suffer. Yes, we are certainly sinners, but we are also victims. Jesus sighs in sorrow and frustration over our confusion and self-righteousness. He sighs in grief over our sins and self-inflicted pain. He sighs in anger over that which has been done to us by the devil, by our neighbors, and even by our loved ones.

Jesus knows that getting involved with us means that we will hurt Him, that we will complicate matters, that we will betray Him in a thousand ways – but it doesn’t matter. Christ gets involved anyway. He sticks His finger in our ear. He is dirtied by the interaction. He takes our sorrow, our sin, our blame into Himself in order to heal and save us.

As unconventional as the buildup to this miracle is, the man is healed. His ears are opened, and his tongue is loosened. The crowd responds to this miracle that Jesus, “has done all things well.” But, really, they spook too soon because they hadn’t seen nothin’ [sic.] yet. Jesus has more opening to do.

Those same fingers that became full of the deaf man’s ear wax and seized the man’s tongue are the same fingers that would curl around the nails that pinned Him to the cross. The same mouth of Jesus that spits here will cry out for a drink as Jesus became parched on the tree. The same lungs that exhaled here with a groan are the same lungs that would breathe their last as Jesus gave up His spirit.

And Jesus has done all of this so He can do more than open your deaf ears or loosen your muted tongue. He did this to open to you the way that leads to eternal life with God.

As weird as this miracle is – and it certainly is – Jesus stuck His actual fingers into that man’s ears and mouth. But He comes here now to stick His actual Body and Blood into your mouth. Jesus has been crucified as a ransom for your sins. Cross and CommunionHe has bought you for Himself through His death. And now He is risen and alive for your justification (Ro. 4:25).

Jesus has opened the way to God and invites you now to His table. Jesus comes to you in this holy Supper to remove your doubt that everything He has done is for you. Jesus comes now to drive away all your evil. He comes to you placing His Body into your body. He binds you to Himself. He opens your ears to hear His Word of forgiveness and loosens your tongue so that you can confess Him clearly and be saved.

Oh, Lord Jesus, pull us out of the crowd. Open our ears to hear Your Word and receive Your love. Loosen our tongues to sing Your praise. Jesus, You have done all things well, even loving, forgiving, and saving us. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Shut, Spit, Open, Shut – Sermon on Mark 7:31-37 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

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Mark 7:31-37

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. H-66 Trinity 12 (Mk 7.31-37).jpeg32 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he 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. 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.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If this healing sounds strange, you are reading it right. In fact, this miracle sounds even stranger in Greek. The strangeness starts with the location. Jesus is in the region of the Decapolis; in other words, He is outside of Israel and among Greek-speaking Gentiles. That is important later; keep that in mind.

While Jesus is there, a man is brought to our Lord who is deaf and has a speech impediment. I’ll probably just say ‘mute’ through the rest of the sermon since it fits with the crowd’s reaction (v. 37), and it’s one syllable instead of five. Jesus takes this man with shut ears and a shut mouth off to the side privately. He throws His fingers into the man’s ears. (It’s the same word Thomas uses after the resurrection when Thomas refuses to believe until he throws his fingers and hand into Jesus’ hands and side. It doesn’t just mean to carefully and politely poke around.) Jesus throws his fingers into the man’s ears. Jesus spits. He touches the guy’s tongue. Our text says Jesus sighs (more on that in a minute) and says one word. The man’s ears and mouth are opened. Then, Jesus immediately tells them to not say anything.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on why Jesus tells them to not say anything. Jesus repeatedly does this in the Gospel of Mark. It isn’t reverse psychology. When people disobeyed Jesus’ commands to not publicize their miraculous healings, Jesus’ ministry is hindered (see Mk. 1:38-45).

The whole thing is strange, odd, and weird. Shut, spit, open, shut. But two other components make this whole thing strange.

First, our text says that Jesus ‘sighs.’ The Greek word that gets translated as ‘sigh’ is stronger. This is the only place where the ESV translates the word as ‘sigh.’ Elsewhere it is translated ‘groan.’ And, yes, it’s an important difference. Sighing is a usually an intentional thing. We sigh when we are weary or frustrated. Groan.jpgGroaning, however, is an involuntary response to being hurt or wounded. Every time the New Testament uses this word ‘groan’ it is from sorrow or suffering because of sin. And, in the New Testament, only four things groan – creation groans, believers groan, the Holy Spirit groans, and Jesus groans twice.

When the deaf man is brought to Jesus, our Lord does this odd ceremony of shoving His fingers into the man’s ears, spitting, touching the man’s tongue, and then He groans in pain.

What this teaches us is that these miraculous healings were not simple tricks for Jesus. They cost Him and caused Him pain. Remember Isaiah (53:4-5) says that Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yes, Jesus’ main work – His main miracle – His death and resurrection cost Him and caused Him pain, but so do these other miracles. When Jesus does any miracle, He is committing Himself to the cross. These miracles are not a raw display of divine power, they are all redemptive. Jesus changes places with the cripple, the lame, the blind, the dead, and here the mute and the deaf.

The second thing that is strange is the one word Jesus says, “Ephphatha.”And there are two strange things about this word. Mark translates it for us into Greek – it means ‘be opened.’ But Jesus says, “Ephphatha,”in Aramaic. Consider that. Not only do these ears not hear, but they also wouldn’t understand Aramaic. If they worked, they would have understood Greek words, not Aramaic.

The second strange thing about this word from Jesus has to do with grammar. Jesus doesn’t speak words of prayer to His Father asking Him to open the man’s ears. Jesus speaks to ears that don’t to ‘ear-y’ [sic.] things. They don’t hear. And (for you other grammar nuts) Jesus speaks a passive imperative.

We can’t hardly do this in English. After our dishwasher has run and cleaned our dishes, I can’t command it, “Be emptied.” No. I have to command my kids, “Empty the dishwasher.” Think about the last time you were stressed and worried about something and someone told you, “Calm down.” It’s a command, and it is helpful. But you need to do something. You need to take a breath, collect your thoughts, and relax. Imagine, instead of someone telling you to calm down, they just said, “Be calmed,” and you were. That’s what’s going on here.

Jesus speaks to deaf ears in a language they wouldn’t understand to be passively opened. And they are. What had been broken because of sin is put back into place by Jesus. Some rough touches, saliva, a groan, and one word is all it takes from Jesus to restore this man’s hearing and speech.

Jesus still does this. He’s doing it now. Just like in the creation, God acts by speaking. God’s words are His actions. Now, Jesus isn’t here among us in His body fixing all our physical problems. No, but we’ve got something better. Jesus is among us loosening our tongues to sing His praises. He is here opening our sin-stuffed, deaf ears to hear His absolution. easte-jesus-brings-us-out-of-deathAnd He no longer groans in pain when He does it. The price has been paid. Your forgiveness has been purchased and won on the cross.

“Be forgiven,” says Jesus to you here. And in His speaking, it is done. So, dear saints, go out in confidence not trusting in your own sufficiency, but in the sufficiency of God’s declaration, God’s proclamation, and Christ’s absolution. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds inChrist Jesus. Amen.

Sigh – Sermon for the 12th Sunday of Trinity on Mark 7:31-37

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Mark 7:31-37

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 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. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he 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. 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.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Most of Jesus’ miracles recorded in the Gospels are fairly sterile (if you will allow me to use that term). Christ tells a bunch of servants to fill jars with water, take some to the master of the feast, and the master wonders why the best wine was served so late. Jesus tells a paralyzed man, “Rise, pick up your bed, and go home,”and the man does. And Jesus takes bread and fish, gives thanks, hands it to His disciples, and thousands are fed. Clean, neat, tidy miracles.

Little Girl Meme GrossThis miracle, on the other hand, is odd. It’s dirty. Maybe, you even find it disgusting. Jesus takes a deaf man who has a speech impediment off to the side. He sticks His fingers into wax-filled ears. God in the flesh spits (apparently, Jesus wasn’t taught how to give a proper wet-Willy). Christ literally seizes, not just ‘touches,’ the man’s tongue. And then, Jesus looks up to heaven. Sighs. And says, “Ephphatha,” which means,“Be opened.”

Scripture says that Jesus did more miracles than are recorded for us in the Gospels (Jn. 20:30; 21:25). It could be – maybe it isn’t, but it could be – that most of Jesus’ miracles were crazy and odd like this one rather than the ‘normal’ ones God has recorded for us in the Scriptures. That might explain why in Mt. 8[:5-13]the centurion who had a paralyzed servant tells Jesus to not bother about coming into his home, but to just speak the word.

Now, imagine how it was for this man. He had lived his life in a world of silence. He wasn’t able to communicate with others. Imagine his friends and family who have brought him to Jesus. They have wanted so desperately for him to hear and rejoice in God’s Word. They wanted him to be able to hear them say that they loved him. They have wanted to sing God’s praise with his voice added to their chorus. And now, here is Jesus. A man who can do the miraculous. So, they bring him to Jesus and beg and plead Jesus to heal him. And Jesus does this?

As unconventional as it is, the man is healed. His ears are opened. He is able to speak clearly. Though the man has a new-found voice, Jesus commands this man and his family and friends to tell no one what has happened. But they don’t listen. They disobey.

The Jesus who opens deaf ears has one simple command for to their ears to hear. The command comes from the Jesus who loosened the man’s tongue, “Don’t use your tongues to tell others about this.”But they shut their ears to His command, and they open their tongues in disobedience.

They were telling people that Jesus was a miracle worker who makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. They weren’t spreading lies about Jesus, but what they were proclaiming was misleading. It seemed like a victimless crime. But here is the problem – the people who heard their message got the wrong impression of who Jesus is and what He had come to do.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the wolrdJesus had come to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, not to be the audiologist who takes away the deafness of the world. Jesus had come to give eternal life through His death and resurrection, not to give a voice to the voiceless.

Jesus had a reason for telling them to keep silent about the miracle even if we don’t know exactly what that reason was. And their disobedience had consequences.

When Jesus was on trial before His crucifixion, Pilate sent Him to Herod, and Herod wanted Jesus to do some sign for him (Lk 23:6-11). When Jesus didn’t answer any of Herod’s questions or do a miracle, Herod had his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him. It might be that the report of these people fueled Herod’s curiosity to see Jesus the miracle worker and not Jesus the Savior.

You too, refuse to listen to God’s words and commands. Whenever you sin, you are refusing to hear God’s Word. You are choosing your own wisdom over God’s. Even when God’s command seems contrary to what is good, we must repent of our lunacy thinking that we know better than God.

But see Jesus’ grace despite their sin. Jesus knew that they would disobey Him. He knew that they would sinfully use His gifts as tools for their transgressions. Jesus looks to heaven and sighs.

Why does Jesus sigh? Well, Jesus sighs in sorrow over our sins against Him. He sighs when we act in self-righteousness. Jesus sighs grieving over our self-inflicted pain. He sighs in anger over what has been done to us by the devil, our neighbors, and even those who should love us. Jesus sighs, and yet, He acts in love and mercy.

Jesus is the friend of sinners, and He has compassion on all who suffer – no matter what that suffering is. He knows you are a transgressor and worker of iniquity, but He also knows that you are a victim.

Jesus takes and becomes sinYes, Jesus sighs and acts. He gets involved with us even though it hurts Him. He cannot help Himself. In His love and mercy, He gets bound up in the mess we make and that others have made for us. He gets entangled in our sin. In fact, He becomes sin so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

What Jesus did for this man, He has done for you as well. Jesus has miraculously opened your ears to hear His word of Law and Gospel. Listen to them intently. Believe what Jesus tells you in His Word because Jesus has borne your griefs. He has carried your sorrows. And even by the stripes you inflict upon Him, He heals you (Is. 53:3-5). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.