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The sermon for August 26 was based on Mark 7:31-37.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
What is your favorite sound? Is it the sound of your children's joyful
laughter, or of the ocean surf. Is it the sound of a symphony playing Mozart, or
of your spouse's loving words? Indeed, the sounds that surround you are a wonder
to the ears. But, you might take such sounds for granted, until you need a
hearing aid or until you cannot hear at all. Such was the condition of the man
in today's Gospel. He was deaf, and he had no hope of ever hearing. And probably
because of his deafness, he also had a speech impediment. He could not speak
clearly. He could not be easily understood. Then some people brought him to
Jesus. And he was healed. What a joyful day that was!
Perhaps your days are less joyful. Perhaps the sounds you hear have begun to
grate on your ears. Instead of laughter, all you hear are your children's
whining complaints and fighting one another. Instead of loving words, all you
hear is your spouse's nagging words and arguments against you. Instead of an
impediment in your speech, you speak all too clearly your own complaints and
fighting and nagging and arguing. All too often your mouth spews forth anger
toward others and toward God. With all the sins you hear and all the sins you
speak, maybe it would be better if you were deaf and mute.
But as you hear this Gospel, you hear of Jesus restoring speech and hearing.
This is, indeed, a great miracle. Yet, it is greater than first appears. For the
man's deafness and speech problems were the result of living in this sinful
world. Because sin has ruined creation, he was afflicted with this malady. Worse
than that, he was unable to hear Jesus. But someone brought him to Jesus and
begged Jesus to put His hand on him. They had seen or heard of Jesus healing
many others and they believed that Jesus' touch could heal their friend.
Jesus took this man aside. Then He used a sort of sign language. He "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." The man was healed. He could hear and he could speak
clearly.
What makes this miracle even more important was that it fulfilled what Isaiah
had written centuries before. Listen to these words from Isaiah 35:
"Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He
will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the
tongue of the dumb sing." Or hear again the words of today's Old Testament
lesson, also penned by Isaiah, "In that day the deaf shall hear the words
of the book." Present before this man was the Word incarnate, Immanuel, God
with us. God Himself was there in the flesh to reverse the effects of the fall
into sin. Indeed, He had come to save His people. He had come to give them
abundant life, joyful life, eternal life, even if they didn't yet realize it.
The result of this miracle was that the people couldn't keep quiet. "They
were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes
both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'" Indeed, He has done all
things well. That God does all things well was spoken at creation when He looked
at what He had made and said that it all was good. But it didn't last. Sin
entered the world and corrupted it. But Jesus comes to reverse those effects,
and in a way far greater than just healing deafness. For by taking the sin of
the world upon Himself and dying on the cross, He has destroyed sin's grip on
you. Then, in His resurrection, He destroyed the ultimate consequence of sin,
death itself. He overcame sin and death for all people and He offers you that
forgiveness and eternal life.
He does for you what He did for the deaf-mute. By nature your ears are deaf to
God and His Word. From the time Eve listened to the serpent, men have listened
to Satan and to the world. Too often you have listened to them or even to your
own heart which is totally corrupt by nature. Left to yourself, you would die,
forever separated from God.
But God has entered the world to save you. Jesus has come and touched you and
spoken His Word to you, "Ephphatha, be opened." He has opened your
ears by touching them with His Word, "I baptize you in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I forgive you all your sins. I
have called you by name, you are Mine." By the words of the Gospel your
ears have been opened. And as these words make their way into your heart, your
life is changed. Your tongue is loosed, and you proclaim God's wonderful deeds
to all the world. Where once your mouth spewed forth anger toward others and
toward God, now your mouth speaks of His boundless love for all people.
My hope and fervent prayer for you is that you are effected by Jesus' miraculous
work in your life in the same way as that multitude who witnessed this joyful
day. Even as they couldn't keep quiet about Jesus, I hope you also declare the
wonderful things He has done for you. Remember, that man's friends brought him
to Jesus. Because they cared for him, they were eager for him to be in the
presence of Christ. Do you have friends who need to hear Jesus? Do you know
people who have been deaf to God's Word and who cannot speak about God clearly?
Jesus is here for them, too. His healing and forgiveness is for them, as well.
Here, in this place, Jesus will do for them (according to His will) what He has
done for you: opening their ears to His powerful Word and loosing their tongues
to sing His praise.
Your ears have been opened as Jesus enters them by the preaching of His Word.
And your tongue will be loosed as Jesus is placed upon it in the holy Supper. By
these means Jesus comes into your world, to you personally, in order to repair
the damage sin has done to you. Present before you is the Word incarnate,
Immanuel, God with you. God Himself is here in the flesh to reverse the effects
of your fall into sin. Indeed, He comes to save His people. He comes to save you
and to give you abundant life, joyful life, eternal life.
Savor the sounds you are hearing now, for Jesus declares His forgiving Word to
you. And you "receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to
save your souls." [James 1:21] Indeed, as the preached Word falls on your
ears, you receive it with joy and gladness. This Word, which is powerful enough
to open ears and loose tongues, will make its way into your heart. For it is a
Word of forgiveness, life, and salvation, abundant, joyful, and eternal. Amen.
The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon by Rev. D. H. Petersen, slightly
edited.
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