Effatha! - Open up!
“Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” Mark 7:34 (CEV)
As believers and churchgoers, we always enjoy worship service and listen to a new week’s sermon. But sometimes it is unavoidable to point out the time restraints that we have. Our lives are always a race against time. We have 30 minutes of worship. And as we meditated last Sunday, God wants us, as believers, to be like strongly rooted trees seeking spiritual streams and nourishment every single day. Nourishment from one day cannot last the next day. The lunch you had yesterday does not fill your stomachs today. And especially this one hour service will not solely nourish you for the entire week.
Therefore, today let us meditate on the lesson of Christian living, worship and service. It is not merely a one-hour exercise on Sunday morning. Alexander Maclaren spoke well on this very matter and said: "In our work, what we do depends largely on what we are, and what we are depends upon what we receive, and what we receive depends upon the depth and constancy of our communion with God."
Our scripture passage brings us the story of one of Jesus' early miracles. His fame was spreading and we read of crowds of both curious and needy folk pressing in upon him so much that he was not able to be alone for a moment with his disciples or himself. Mark comments, "but He could not be hidden." (v. 24) On this particular day, Jesus departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. 32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” (NKJV)
This is the story. But in many similar cases in Jesus' ministry, usually a controversy follows such an incident. Here, however, we have a simple account of a healing miracle that did not provoke a debate. The people "were astonished beyond measure." (v. 37)
Whatever may have been Mark's purpose in telling or preserving this story, one thing must be made and kept clear: this is not just an illustration of a deaf-mute being cured; it is an insight into the person of Jesus. Jesus conveys lessons to us by what he shows us of Himself. Jesus is one of the most effective pieces of instruction of how Christians should conduct works. Let's meditate and examine Jesus at work.
I. Connection with God:
"Looking up to heaven." (v. 34) This phrase tells us one thing in particular: Jesus was able to do what He did because He became a vessel through which God's power was brought down for a human situation. Living communion with God created the miraculous miracles people saw in Christ’s daily teachings. Before confronting every crisis, this constant personal relationship with God fortified Jesus, and was the core which always nourished the strongest teachings He gave to His disciples.
Peter T. Forsyth thoughtfully wrote, "Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is around us." Unless we have God inside of us, we cannot yield the blessings which are around us. Yet, even among church people, this understanding is sometimes neglected. Our modern era has changed a lot compared to the lifestyle that we once lived as children. And the next generation will be even more different. Commonly now, fellowship with God is not eagerly sought nor commonly spoken. Solitary hours of inward meditation are no longer admirable habits. We are so busy thinking, discussing, and inquiring about things of this world. We are busy chasing and racing against time to support ourselves in worldly pleasures. Jesus would tell us today that our souls are starved and He would invite us to "come aside and rest awhile."
We are weak and malnourished in the spirit because we have lost vital contact with Him who has given us salvation. Without realizing it, our Christian roots have lost control of our actions and our thoughts have become dulled. Like Paul, we cry, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (Romans 7:19) Jesus, "looking up to heaven."
II. Carry a Burden for Others:
"He gave a deep groan." Almost undeniably we remember Jesus' attitude to be filled with joy, happiness, and victory. However in certain situations, Jesus could also groan as well. The dictionary defines "groan" as a noise indicating great inner strain or burdan. Jesus' heart was a spring of sympathy, for example His tears at the grave of Lazarus; His weeping over Jerusalem as the Passover drew near. His humanness: "Jesus therefore, being wearied from his journey, sat thus by the well" (John 4:6); "He was in the stern (of the ship), asleep on a pillow." (Mark 4:38)
In this way, he was one with us. His groan meant He felt the heavy burden of human need. Just one deaf-mute before him, like Alexander Maclaren wrote: "The whole weltering sea of sorrow that moans around the world of which here (this man) is just one drop."
Yet Jesus felt a burden for this man. This was something the scribes and Pharisees, even with all their advanced legal and theological knowledge, could not see nor feel. But Jesus' lifestyle indicated that, in order to heal, one must lower themselves to those who need to be healed. As someone said, "We must lower in order to lift." We must humble ourselves in order to raise up another. There's an amazing story about a Roman Catholic Priest named Father Damien. Father Damien was described as a martyr of charity. After eleven years of caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of leprosy people in the island of Molokai, Hawaii, Father Damien contracted leprosy. Yet, he continued with his work despite the infection but finally succumbed to the disease in 1889. And yet, like scribes and Pharisees, some people refuse to dirty their hands for the sake of another. The Bible says, in Hebrews 5:7 “in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear”. Moreover we can see in Luke 22:44 “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
In order to live out the Christian life sincerely and to its fullest, you must groan from the depths of your heart for the struggling and needy humanity. It is easy to write a check or send a care box, but the way we act should be like Him who sent us. "Learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart ..." (Matthew 11:29)
III. Convey your Actions:
And Jesus said to him, 'Open up!' After Jesus connected with God and groaned for the burden of the needy, Jesus told the deaf-mute man to “open up.” Put into action what you believe in. Put into action what you have faith in. God wanted to use this man as a testimony of this glory, and Jesus had to carry it through in order to finish the job. His gazing into heaven and his inner groaning must have created an emotional wave among the people and, by their very human nature, they must have been asking within themselves, So what? "What now?" God works on the mind and heart and the will. He said to the deaf-mute, "Open up!"
We cannot be secular Christians. God also calls us to put His word into action. As a body of Christ, the church convey with actions the lessons we learn. God is a God of love and understanding and compassion. Christian can be known as an emotional religion that comes from the heart and love of God. But know this: Emotional religion without action will result in sentimentalism, insincerity, self-adulation, and hypocrisy. Equally dangerous is the desire to be liked by the world, or compromising the Gospel, to make religion comfortable, and to adjust to human wishes rather than God’s desires. Jeremiah 11:4 says, “Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God.’
Jesus held strong to the gospel. Even against the world which hated Him. Through a constant link with God, Jesus became a connection between God and the deaf-mute humankind. Those who do know hear or speak the gospel. This helpless world needs the gospel, to see how God turns defeat into victory. Jesus was God’s chosen son to proclaim the gospel to the lost, but know God has chosen us, you and me. Do not be idle, saying to yourself that someone else will come. “Open up.” Put into action what you believe in. Put into action what you have faith in. Be a testimony of God’s glory.
Conclusion:
Jesus is the prime example of Christian service on earth. God sent Jesus down to earth to not only save you from sin, but to also be a living example for your Christian life. And in this illustration with deaf-mute man, God reflects the need for you to reach out to those who do not hear or speak the gospel. And this can be done by three simple steps. “Look up to heaven,” and have a constant connection with God. Nourish yourself in the word of God daily and wholeheartedly. “Groan” for those in need and for those who do not know the Lord. Lastly, “open up,” and put your faith into action. Amen.
