『The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity | St. Mark 7:31-37 | Do Not Become Spiritually Deaf to God's Word』のカバーアート

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity | St. Mark 7:31-37 | Do Not Become Spiritually Deaf to God's Word

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity | St. Mark 7:31-37 | Do Not Become Spiritually Deaf to God's Word

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The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity August 23, 2026 Mark 7:31-37 Have you ever found yourself speaking to someone and they don’t hear you? You know their hearing works well, but strangely, they don’t seem to listen to you. They miss instructions, conversations, and what’s being taught. While some say a person has selective hearing, this is actually about the brain focusing on one person in a noisy environment, not about choosing to ignore another. However, might a person subconsciously become deaf in certain situations? Causing them not to hear you? Might this be why a child doesn’t clean their room when they’ve been instructed to do so? Well, Google says no; men cannot physically or medically become deaf purely through a subconscious choice or psychological will. So why don’t individuals hear you when you speak to them, in a setting where people can converse normally? Because they choose not to. That’s all; they just don’t want to hear you. They’ve become preoccupied with their own thoughts and dreams; their desires, choices, and wills have become more important than you or anyone else. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a man who is truly deaf and has a speech impediment. It’s probable that this man has had these ailments since his birth. The man’s friends brought him to Jesus and begged Him to heal their friend. Can you imagine? Living all the days of your life in silence…not being able to hear, not being able to speak, not being able to communicate. None of this is a choice for the man. But his friends bring him to the One they believe can help and heal him. They bring him to Jesus. It’s interesting: what follows is a liturgy of sorts, an order of service. First, the man in need of healing is brought to Jesus; then there are prayers for him, followed by an absolution, and finally a dismissal. Jesus instructs the man and his friends, “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done,” but they do anyway. But walk with me through this sequence. The man’s friends bring him to Jesus for healing. We do the same. The first step is to bring our broken bodies to the Divine Service to confess our sins before Jesus. Then we pray to God for help and healing. This is followed by the absolution, the forgiveness of sin, and finally the dismissal, the sending out of God’s people in peace. Now, in this liturgy involving the deaf man, his friends bring him and beg Jesus to lay His hands upon him to heal him. The laying on of hands, as seen in the Old Testament, was part of the liturgy of healing. Often, anointing oils would be used, in addition to touching the person, to say, “This person, this man, this woman, is the one who is to be healed, cleansed, and forgiven.” There’s a specificity in the laying on of hands. But Jesus does something that we might find repulsive today. He puts His fingers into the man’s ears, spits, and touches his tongue. What in the world is this? Well, some scholars believe this would have been understood by the deaf man, but remember, it’s not uncommon for the Word of God to be accompanied by a visible sign. Where do we see this? Does not the water of Holy Baptism, joined with the Word of God, grant forgiveness and healing, declaring this one, this child, this man, to be God’s? Another aspect here is how Jesus looks up to His Father in heaven as He says, “‘Ephphatha,’ that is ‘be opened.’” Again, another connection to the Baptismal liturgy we use at Good Shepherd as we pray and ask for the ears of the one to be baptized to be open to God’s Word, His teaching, and His will. As we learned last week, growing in this way, the baptized life, by being open and submissive to God’s Word, His teaching, and His will, requires humility. Jesus pulls the man aside, places His fingers and spit upon and within the man, and then looks to His Father, demonstrating that all He does is in accordance with His Father’s will. Jesus is submissive to His Father. Honestly, this is where we often go wrong; we do not truly live in submission to Jesus or His Father. It’s not physical deafness we show but rather spiritual deafness. Spiritual deafness occurs when we do not listen to, hear, and take to heart the word of God. And here are a few ways we demonstrate this deafness in our own lives. The issue of closed communion has been a concern for the church lately, a time characterized by spiritual deafness. A faithful family that raises their children in the Church understands God’s teachings about the Lord’s Supper—that before participating, one must examine themselves to avoid judgment and condemnation. Receiving at this altar signifies confessing unity, fellowship, and adherence to this church’s teachings. However, when families see their children go off to college, move away, and join a church of another confession that does not align with Good ...
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