Mark 7:31-37
Chapter 7
31
Heals a Deaf-Mute31 Again, Jesus set out from the region of Tyre. He traveled through Sidon and, along the Sea of Galilee, he arrived in the territory of Decapolis.
32
There, a deaf man who also struggled to speak was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand on him.
33
Jesus pulled him aside from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with spittle.
34
Then, looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said:
“Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!”
35
Immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.
36
Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about it, but the more he insisted, the more they proclaimed it.
37
The people were completely astonished and said:
“He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
Commentaries
Heals a Deaf-Mute.
The novelty of the Gospel continues in foreign territory, this time in the Decapolis. The deaf-mute symbolizes the closed attitude of the pagan world toward God’s plan: deaf to hear it and stammering to proclaim it. The healing of the deaf-mute confirms the changing attitude of the pagans, who are gradually opening their ears to the Word of God.