Jesus’ Word, Spittle, and Hand, to Heal and Restore Us in Affliction – Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח)!, Jesus uttered this Aramaic word, to open the ears of a man who was not able to hear and speak, upon putting his finger into this man’s ears and spitting and touching his tongue to enable him to hear and speak (Mark 7:33-34). This is a highlight of the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (Mark 7:31-37).

This healing took place in the district of the Decapolis, which is now in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Even back in the time of Jesus, this region, east of Jordan River, was not part of Israel. The area was heavily populated by Gentiles.

In fact, before he came to the Decapolis, he was in the region of Tyre and healed Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24-30). It was her faith that made it possible to be treated by Jesus just as he would treat Israelites, though she was a Gentile.

After rebuking the Pharisees and some scribes for their clinging to their elders’ tradition while not honoring the spirit of the Torah (Mark 7:1-23), from which the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Second Sunday (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) was drawn, Jesus reached out to Gentiles. It was to being fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that God’s healing goes beyond Israel (i.e. Isaiah 45:22; 49:6; 52:10) so that all nations come to Him (Isaiah 56:7; 60:3; 66:18-24).

Jesus’ healing of a man with hearing and speech impairment in the district of Decapolis, described in the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Third Sunday (Mark 7:31-37), fulfill a prophecy of God’s restorative acts on the distressed creation and healing acts on those in affliction, to bring holiness to Judah, in Isaiah 35, from which the First Reading (Isaiah 35:4-7a) is drawn.

The background of the hopeful prophecy for Judah in Isaiah 35 is that God assures of His care for Judah during the time of its affliction imposed by Assyria, as Sennacherib seized Jerusalem when Hezekiah reigned Judah (2 Kings 18:13-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Isaiah 36:1-37:38), for Sennacherib was certainly punished by God as prophesized (Isaiah 33:1-24). Now, in connection with Jesus’ healing of a Decapolis man with hearing and speech impediment (Mark 7:31-37), which is the Gospel Reading, the restorative prophecy in Isaiah 35:4-7a, which is the First Reading, points to the Messianic act of Jesus. And it took place beyond the land of Judah.

Jesus came to another Gentile region, Decapolis, after being in the Syrophoenician region, demonstrating the restorative divine power to more Gentiles, so that they, too, open their hearts to God, believe, and receive the Word of God, and speak their faith.

At first, people brought a man with hearing and speech impediment to Jesus to let him lay his hand on this man (Mark 7:32). However, Jesus pulled this man away from the crowd and put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue, to make his tongue move for his speech (Mark 7:33). Then, he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”, to open this man’s ears for making him able to hear (Mark 7:34). The effect was immediate (Mark 7:35).

Jesus certainly used his hand for healing (e.g. Matthew 8:15//Mark 1:31; Luke 4:40; Mark 6:5). But in healing this Decapolis man’s muteness and deafness, Jesus used his finger somewhat intrusively by putting it in the man’s ears and spitted and touched the man’s tongue, and he looked up to heaven and uttered an Aramaic word, he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (Mark 7:33-34).

In this unique healing act, there are two things coming out of Jesus’ mouth: his spittle and word. Though spittle is unclean (i.e. Leviticus 15:8), it served as a healing agent if it comes out of Jesus month (Mark 7:33; 8:23; John 9:6). In fact, spittle of Jesus is like the life-giving breath (nefesh chayah (‎נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה), which God breathed to the dust from the ground, apar min adamah ( עָפָר֙ מִן־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה), to form a man, adam (הָֽאָדָ֖ם) (Genesis 2:7), as he used his spittle put in mud from the ground to heal a man born blind (John 9:6). And the life-giving breath of God is the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 20:22). So, the Holy Spirit comes out of the mouth of Jesus, as the Word does, to give life (i.e. John 6:63). Therefore, whether it is his spittle or the Word, what comes out of Jesus’ mouth gives life and restores life.

Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח)! – Be opened!

Jesus is speaking to us, today, as he said to the man who was unable to hear and speak, because we all have some disabilities to hear God’s Word and speak what we learn from it.

What are the areas in our lives that need to be opened by Jesus so that we can listen to the Word of God clearly understand it and become able to speak it to others? In what areas in our lives needs to have a clear and articulated speech in expressing our faith? 

In juxtaposing the Word to a sown seed, as in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13:1-23// Mark 4:1-20//Luke 8:4-15), we are not only to be open to receive the Word, as the good soil received a seed, but also to let the Word grow in us for abundant fruition, as the good soil let the seed grow into great harvest. It means that our harts’ ears to receive the Word is open, our hearts are fertile for the Word to grow into wisdom, so that our speeches and actions of the wisdom from the Word are abundantly fruitful. After all, we are called to speak of what we hear from Jesus to all nations (i.e. Matthew 28:19-20), as the apostolic Church, showing the greatness of our God to all nations, letting them know and turn their hearts to the Lord our God (i.e. Psalm 22:28). Ultimately, this is for our King at his throne and for his Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, reflecting these words:

Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth (Revelation 5:9-10).

Our healing and growth in faith are made possible even after Jesus’ ascension to his heavenly throne. By letting our King, Jesus Christ, open us to receive his Word, letting it grow in us and articulating the growth of the Word through our speeches and actions of faith, we are, indeed, serving the King and his Kingdom.

As we let Jesus open our hearts’ ear and make our speech of our understanding of his teaching, we become better apostles. It also means that we overcome our tendency to be judgemental, as we become more open to the Word from Jesus, as reflected in James’ teaching in the Second Reading (James 2:1-5).

Remember, God is not partial (Romans 2:11) in reaching out with his mighty arm of justice and salvation, as both the Israelites and the Gentiles are eligible to receive His grace. This is why Jesus also reached out to Gentiles, going beyond the traditional Jewish boundaries. Likewise, we are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters in all nations, regardless of their nationalities, ethnicities, and all other socioeconomic statuses, through our articulate speech of our understanding of the Word, as our hearts are open to receive it and fertile to let it grow in us. This all begins with Jesus’ word, Ephphatha (אֶתְפָּתַח), along with his spittle, and finger, to open what needs to be opened and to mobilize what needs to move.