On this 23rd Sunday, Year B, the gospel (Mark 7:31-37) shows us how the humanity of Christ plays out amid human need. In the story, people brought a man who was deaf and dumb to Jesus and begged Him to heal him. Strikingly, Jesus took this man away from the crowd for a one-on-one encounter with Him. This man was not going to be a sideshow. No! Jesus was going to make this man feel like he was the only person on the planet—so personal. It is amazing how this contrasts with the way we deal with people with disabilities. It is amazing how much respect the Lord accords to every one of us who come to Him for rescue. He sees the need, yes, but he also sees the human being. He does not see a disability— a problem—he sees the person.
In healing this man, Jesus puts His fingers into the man’s ears and spat and touched his tongue, thereby dealing with his specific needs. This man didn’t need his eyes to be opened, or his legs to be made strong, or some kind of healing from leprosy. This man was deaf and dumb; what he needed was a touch on his ears and tongue, and that was what he got; a personal touch tailored to his needs. The touch of Jesus is not one size fits all; it is tailored to individual needs. This is how the Lord deals with us! He knows every need of our heart and His touch is laser-focused on those needs.
Before Christ spoke healing into this man, He sighed. His sigh was a way of identifying with the pain, the sorrow, and the struggle this man had gone through. This is Emotional Intelligence at its best—empathic identification with tender attention. When we make Jesus Christ our personal Lord and Savior, we are never alone again. He will always stand before us, with knowledge of everything about us, including our pains and sorrows, joys and tribulations. He will never be indifferent or unfeeling but rather, sighs and feels our pain before bringing healing, joy, and peace. So, no matter what is going on in your life right now, whatever you may be facing at this moment, no matter what the struggle is, bring it to Jesus. Scripture says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been through it all but did not fall. Let us, therefore, come with confidence before the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for needed help” (Hebrews 4:15-16). We must always guard against the spirit of unbelief that says, “God doesn’t know or that He doesn’t care, or that He doesn’t see me.” My dear friends, Christ knows, He sees, and He cares. May the good Lord touch each and every one of us in all the places, in our lives, that need healing, Amen!
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