Have you ever had some ER doctor ask you where it hurts, and then put pressure on it several times! 

Almost as though they kind of enjoyed seeing you wince!

  We all of course do worry about having a good doctor when we need one that will really help us. 

  One that really cares about our condition.

  The man in today's story from Saint Mark's gospel comes to get help from the “Great Physician” - Jesus.

  And of course he is helped more than anyone there thought was possible.

 

Mark 7:35 “And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”

   

  This lesson tells us of the healing of a deaf mute that is brought to Jesus as he was teaching a large group of people in an area that had a mixture of Jews and pagans in it near the Sea of Galilee along the coast of Decapolis.

   

  This particular individual's cure was doubly wonderful for him.

 

  At the same time that he was freed from his isolation of silence and his inability to communicate with others effectively, he was then also able to hear Christ's message of God's love.

  He was also then able to pass along that message of God’s love to others with his new ability to speak clearly.

   

  Physical deafness is of course a great handicap.

 

  An even worse handicap however is an immortal soul that is deaf to God.

 

  Being unable to speak is a tremendous handicap.

 

  Being tongue tied as regards one's Christian faith, is tragic.

   

  As we draw near to God in worship we need to ask that he truly open our ears….. and hearts to His direction for us. 

 

We need to ask that the Holy Spirit loose our tongue to always 

“show forth his most worthy praise”.

   

  We should ask as well that we may, through his assistance, hear those of our fellow men around us that need of not just physical help, but that spiritual help that only faith in Christ can provide. 

  Also, we should ask that through Christ's healing touch, we be made able to speak plainly the gospel to those we come in contact with that are in need of hearing it.

 

  We need to remember that in our gospel story today we read : “And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.”

  So as they brought this man to Jesus we need to be bringing those who today need the healing touch of Christ to him in prayer.

   And if we ask these things in his name we can be sure of his help, because as the people of the coast of Decapolis said, 

“He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.”