And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
Mark 7:33-35
Look at the first words of this passage: "He took him aside from the multitude." There was a deaf man who must have felt a little bit awkward; he was surrounded by hundreds of staring people and had trouble speaking. But Jesus shows us once again how sensitive and compassionate He is towards people. Knowing how uncomfortable the man was in this crowded place, Jesus brought him aside to take care of his needs. If there were any walls or barriers in this man's life, Jesus wiped them all away by showing this kind of tenderness and compassion.
Maybe you are a new believer or someone who hasn't yet given your life to the Lord Jesus, and you feel awkward; you don't know what to do. Maybe the crowds of the church scare you or you feel inadequate to attend, so you don't bother showing up. Or maybe the world scares you and you're not living as a light for Him. Jesus wants to abolish those feelings that you have, and He wants to take you aside and minister to you. I learned a simple lesson years ago: crowds of people are just a bunch of individuals. Each individual has problems, concerns, and issues, and none of us are exempt from that. When Jesus looked at a crowd, He saw individuals…who needed His touch. And today, Jesus is looking at the world -- full of individuals like you and me -- and He wants to do the same thing for you. Be encouraged today; Jesus is reaching out to you, offering to take you aside and minister to your needs.
God wants to do something personal, new, and fresh in your life. And He may not do it in ways you would expect. We see here that Jesus took three very unorthodox steps in healing this man. He put His finger in the man's ear, touched his tongue, and spit on the ground. Now as weird and extraordinary as this was, notice two very interesting things.
First, I think Jesus was showing us that His healing touch is personal. Jesus didn't just touch him on the arm, or say, "Be healed." We certainly know He could have healed him in any way He chose. But Jesus chose to do it His way, by touching the man's ears and tongue. (In fact, I don't remember the last time I touched my tongue!) You see, Jesus was showing us He wants to be in our lives. He won't stop at anything until He gets your attention. He wants a relationship with you.
Second, I think Jesus was trying to show us that His ways are always the best ways. No
tice in the previous verses that the man's friends asked for Jesus to simply touch him, believing he would be healed. Well, Jesus had a better idea (and certainly it wasn't something we'd do). They wanted Jesus to touch him. Instead, Jesus poked his ear, touched his tongue, and spit on the ground. So often we try to tell God exactly what we think is best. At times, we take it upon ourselves to let God know how to go about His work when in reality we should be seeking the Lord and asking Him what He wants to do. So instead of being rigid in our ways, let's ask the Lord how we can yield to Him.
Jesus so desires for you to be in a place where you can receive what He's freely giving you. He so desires to touch your life today in a fresh and new way!
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
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