Astonished Beyond Measure
Mark 7:31-37
Today I would like to preach on the thought “astonished beyond measure”. This title is taken directly from the text; verse 37 tells us that the people were “astonished beyond measure”. The word “astonished” means to be “struck with amazement”. In our modern vernacular we would say that we are “blown away”. Why is it that these people were “astonished beyond measure”? Mark tells us that it was because they witnessed Jesus heal a deaf mute. After seeing the mighty works of Jesus, the people were astonished and they proclaimed that He had “done all things well”.
Jesus never did anything halfway. Each and every one of His miracles was complete and perfect. The blind received 20/20 vision. The lame walked perfectly (even though some of them had never taken a step their entire life). The lepers were completely cleansed; there was not a single blemish on their flesh after meeting Jesus. Our selected text describes a man who was a deaf and suffered from a speech impediment. After receiving a touch from the Master’s hand, this man could hear a pin drop and he spoke clearly.
The physical miracles that Jesus did are all amazing. But they simply cannot compare to the work that Jesus has done in our lives. We who are saved have received a miraculous, complete and eternal healing at the hands of our Savior. Because of His great power we are saved, sanctified and secure! Like the people in the multitude on that day, we can and should boldly proclaim “He has done all things well!”
This (formerly) deaf man, found himself in a unique situation. There was a time when he could not hear or speak. Then Jesus came along and miraculously healed him. As a result he could both hear clearly and speak plainly. But then, Jesus commanded this man and those who were with him not to speak of this miracle to others.
We can be certain that his greatest desire was to go tell everyone he knew, (and probably people that he didn’t know) all about what Jesus had done for him. There is a natural desire to share good news with the ones that we love.
It is very ironic that Jesus gave this man the ability to speak and then told him to remain silent concerning the greatest thing that ever happened to him. The command to remain silent was not just for this man, it was for those in the crowd as well. However, there was a problem; the people were so amazed that they simply could not remain silent.
- I would like to join this crowd for a little while and see just exactly what they saw on that day. As we do, it will become apparent as to why they were “Astonished Beyond Measure”. Let’s begin in - v31 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.
For over a year, Jesus had been involved in public ministry throughout Galilee. Now, He has departed from that region and His ministry focus has shifted. Instead of reaching out to the multitudes, Jesus will spend the next several months teaching, training and personally instructing His Disciples. His goal was to prepare them for their ministry after His death, burial and Resurrection.
Recently, Jesus and the Disciples had traveled to the region of Tyre. They entered into a house hoping to rest for a while, but “Jesus could not be hid”. He was approached by a Gentile woman who pleaded with Him to deliver her daughter that was possessed by an “unclean spirit”. This was a preview of the work that the Disciples would eventually do among the Gentiles. There was coming a day when they would see many Gentiles come to faith in Christ.
Upon leaving Tyre, they journeyed through Sidon and then on to the Decapolis. Decapolis literally means “ten cities”. The region of Decapolis was gentile territory and it was outside of Herod’s jurisdiction.
This area is familiar to us because it was in this region that Jesus encountered and delivered a man who was possessed by a “legion of demons”. Jesus was already well known in this region and part of the reason was because of this man’s testimony. After Jesus delivered him from the demons, this man wanted to remain with Jesus.
However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." (Mark 5:19)
It seems that this man’s testimony had a tremendous impact on the people of Decapolis. Also contributing to Jesus’ fame was the fact that many others from Decapolis had traveled to Galilee to see Jesus. (Matthew 4:25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.)
Decapolis was filled with pagans who worshipped idols. But now they have heard about a Man who could do many things that their idols could not. To say that they were intrigued by Jesus would be an understatement. They brought their sick to Him and as usual, Jesus healed them all.
In Matthew’s Gospel account, he shares even more details about the things that these people saw. (Matthew 15:30 then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.)
We are told that these Gentiles “glorified the God of Israel”. This is very ironic considering the fact that the leaders of Israel accused Jesus of operating under the power of Satan. (Mark 3:22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.")
Though the leaders of Israel rejected Jesus, the Gentiles glorified God because of Him. In our selected text, Mark shares a specific encounter between Jesus and a deaf man. The work that Jesus would perform in his life contributed to these people being “astonished beyond measure”. Notice - v32 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.
I would like to know more about the “they” that are mentioned in this verse. We don’t know if it was his family or some really good friends, but we do know that some people cared enough about this man to take him to Jesus. We should have the same kind of love and compassion for our loved ones. There are people all around us who are in desperate need of a miracle. We should do all that is within our power to get them to Jesus.
The fact that this man was deaf caused him to have a severe speech impediment. We live in an area that probably has one of the largest communities of deaf people in the country. It is not uncommon for us to encounter people who are deaf and mute. But there was no “Institute for the Deaf and Blind” in ancient Israel.
In Jesus’ day, deaf people were outcasts in society. Furthermore, the Jews believed that blindness and deafness were God’s judgment for sin. In John Chapter 9, Jesus encountered a man who was born blind. His Disciples said "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (John 9:2-3)
We are about to see that the same was true for this man who was deaf. Though many saw this man as an outcast, there were some who cared enough to take him to Jesus and to “implore Him to heal him”. Even greater than the compassion of his friends was the compassion that Jesus possessed for this man. As a result, “He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.” (v33)
On this occasion, there were many people thronging Jesus, hoping to receive a miracle. But Jesus took this man away from the multitude. (This is a great picture of the personal care and compassion that is found in Jesus.) This man had lived his life as an outcast, he was rejected by society. He must have been amazed that Jesus cared enough to devote such personal attention to him.
In the Gospels, Jesus used several different methods when He worked miracles. In some instances He touched people. Other times all He did was speak a word and they were healed. On this occasion, Jesus employed physical means to heal this man. He “put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.”
Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ear to address his deafness, and He touched his tongue to address his speech impediment. Jesus also sighed and looked to Heaven, signifying where this miracle came from. v34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
Touching His ears and tongue Jesus simply said “be opened”; and this man was healed immediately and completely. (v35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.)
At the touch of Jesus this man was able to hear, to understand and to speak. He heard clearly and he spoke plainly. I would love to have seen the look on this man’s face when he heard Jesus say “Ephphatha”. The joy that filled his heart must have been overwhelming. He had probably resigned himself to the fact that he would be deaf for the rest of his life. But upon meeting the Master, everything changed. While still rejoicing that he had received the ability to hear, the next words that came from Jesus must have been confusing for this man. (v36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one)
This was the greatest day of his life. He now had the ability to hear and to tell people about what Jesus had done for Him. But Jesus essentially said “now that you can speak, don’t tell anyone how it happened”. This is not the first time we have seen this command. After Jesus cleansed the Leper He said unto Him "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." (Mark 1:45) There were several other occasions where Jesus commanded those who were healed to remain silent concerning the miracle.
One reason Jesus told the people to remain silent was to prevent fanaticism that would hinder His ministry. His mighty works were already well known and the people were more focused on His physical acts than the spiritual truths that He taught. Jesus’ miracles were always a means to an end; they were not His man purpose.
His purpose was to point the people to something far greater than a physical healing, He wanted them to know of the spiritual healing that was available in Him. His intention was not to give them a better life; He wanted them to know that they could have eternal life. Through Jesus, forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God is available to all who will repent believe the Gospel
Because of this, Jesus commanded the people to keep quiet. But they were so “astonished” that could not keep this news to themselves.(v36b but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.")
These people were so awestruck by Jesus that they were unable to contain themselves. What Jesus has done for us is far greater than what He did for this deaf man. Oddly enough, Jesus has given us a command that is the exact opposite of what He told the people in the crowd on that day. Rather than keep quiet, we should go forth and tell everyone what Jesus has done for us.
Unfortunately, instead of sharing the good news, too often we remain silent. Like the people in this crowd, we should be “astonished beyond measure”. If we are, then we will not be able to remain silent about what Jesus has done for us.
- I would like to look at several reasons that we should be astonished beyond measure. First of all:
I. WE SHOULD BE ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE BECAUSE OF HIS PRESENCE
These people were amazed that Jesus was in their midst. They had heard of His marvelous works in Galilee, and now He was in their region. Furthermore, many of these people were Gentiles. That fact alone makes Jesus presence among them far more intriguing. Not only was He in their midst, He had enough love and compassion to heal their sick.
The fact that we can be in the presence of God is something hard to fully articulate. There is no greater privilege than the fact that we have the opportunity to encounter God. This is true concerning the fact that He comes to us and calls us unto salvation. And it is even greater that we have the opportunity to abide with Him after our conversion. Jesus abides in us and we abide in Him. For this reason we should be “astonished beyond measure”.
- Furthermore:
II. WE SHOULD BE ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE BECAUSE OF HIS PLAN
God has a plan for us. In fact, He had a plan for us before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4 …He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will)
God chose us and He set a perfect plan in motion to redeem us. This plan involved sending His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. We are able to read about the fulfillment of this plan on the pages of God’s Word. God’s divine plan of salvation was not an afterthought. He did not have to devise pan to redeem us after Adam sinned. God’s plan for us did not come after Adam sinned in the Garden; God had a plan long before Adam was ever created. This fact alone shows us just how special we are to God. And for this reason we should be “astonished beyond measure”.
- We should be astonished because of God’s presence, because of His plan and:
III. WE SHOULD BE ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE BECAUSE OF HIS POWER
The deaf man and those who were with Him were certainly amazed by Jesus’ miracle working power. We should be astonished for the very same reason. What Jesus has done for us is far greater than giving a deaf man the ability to hear. Through His mighty power, Jesus has brought us from “death unto life”.
You see, we were not sick and in need of a cure, we were dead and in need of a resurrection! And there was nothing and no one else that could do this work in us. But Jesus came and by His power He conquered death, hell and the grave. By trusting in Him, we have access to this power. And this is just one more reason that we should be “astonished beyond measure”.
- Moving on we will see that:
IV. WE SHOULD BE ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE BECAUSE OF HIS PURCHASE
God’s perfect plan involved a perfect sacrifice. God the Father sacrificed His only Son, and the Son sacrificed His life in order to redeem us. Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect and acceptable to God. (1 Peter 1:18 …you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.)
Jesus purchased our redemption! He willingly left the glories of Heaven, took on a robe of human flesh, lived a perfect life, taught with power and authority, worked many miracles, and changed countless lives. While walking this earth He endured persecution and opposition from the religious and political leaders. In the end He was betrayed by a close follower, seized and arrested by His enemies, denied by one of His best friends, and abandoned by His Disciples. After this He was falsely tried, convicted and sentenced to die. He was beaten, mocked and scourged and ultimately He was crucified between two criminals. There at Calvary He died a sacrificial death, Then He was buried in a borrowed tomb, But three days later He rose from the grave in great power and victory. After 40 days He ascended to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. He did all of this and so much more and what He did He did for us! Because of these things we should be “astonished beyond measure”.
- We should be astonished because of His presence, His plan, His power, His Purchase and finally:
V. WE SHOULD BE ASTONISHED BEYOND MEASURE BECAUSE OF HIS PROMISES
The deaf man received his hearing and the ability to speak, and that was an amazing miracle. We have received salvation through Jesus Christ, and with our salvation come many promises from our Savior. He has promised us forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and a home in Heaven. But we don’t have to wait until we die to reap the benefits of His purchase. He also promised that we can have abundant life here and now. (John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.)
He also has promised that one day He will return for us. (John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.)
Jesus has promised that one day He will come to gather His own. If we are born again, we can rest assured that we will be in that number. That should cause us to be astonished beyond measure!
There is not enough time to cover all the reasons that we should be astonished by Jesus. But we have seen enough today that we should rejoice from now until He returns. And we should be so amazed by Him that we cannot remain silent concerning what He has done for us. We should be like the people in this crowd and realize that “He has done all things well!” And in response, we should go and tell of His greatness.
Have you had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus? Have you experienced the miracle of salvation? If not, you have that opportunity today. I encourage you to repent and believe in Him. If you have done this, then let us follow His command and go and share Him with others. We will do this when we are truly “astonished beyond measure”.
