A Gross Miracle
Scripture Reading — Mark 7:31-37
“He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
—Mark 7:37
If you are a germ freak, this healing story might gross you out. Jesus doesn’t use any soap or hand sanitizer. He uses his own spit like a sort of miracle gel. He sticks his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he touches the man’s tongue with his own saliva on his fingers!
Why would Jesus do that? Well, Jesus will use whatever method suits him.
If we look beyond our modern context, we notice that Jesus was not appealing to our sense of cleanliness but wanted to help this man enjoy the Son.
This man was cared for and loved enough by a group of people who wanted their friend to be healed. They did not care about the method of healing— only the result. They believed Jesus was different from any other rabbi.
Jesus was visiting a region where most Jews would not go. The people were not worshipers of God, but of course they still needed God. The man’s friends took a risk that Jesus could heal him.
By the fingers of Jesus, the man could hear the voices of his friends. A few drops of Jesus’ saliva on his tongue made him able to speak.
The miracle comes when we trust the Master’s methods even when we don’t understand them. He knows what he’s doing. So let’s trust him.
Jesus, I do not understand your ways, but I know they are best. Help me to trust in you. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Reginald Smith
Dr. Reginald Smith is senior pastor at Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has served for seventeen years. He has also served as a pastor in Paterson, New Jersey. He and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, Janelle, Katrina, and Mariah.
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