Mark 7:31-37

1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19

Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15

Mark 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,

into the district of the Decapolis.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment

and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

He put his finger into the man’s ears

and, spitting, touched his tongue;

then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,

“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)

And immediately the man's ears were opened,

his speech impediment was removed,

and he spoke plainly.

He ordered them not to tell anyone.

But the more he ordered them not to,

the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,

“He has done all things well.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, from the beginning you wanted your people to be a kingdom of priests. You raised up Moses, the humblest man on earth, to lead your people out of slavery and through the desert to the Promised Land. You chose David, a man after your own heart, to be the king of your people and summon all nations to worship you. You also have chosen me for a mission. Help me to discern your will today and follow it.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Ahijah’s Prophecy: The tragic division of the kingdom of David and Solomon was foretold by the prophet Ahijah in the First Reading. When Ahijah encountered Jeroboam on the road, he tore his garment into twelve pieces and gave ten of them to Jeroboam, who was the officer in charge of forced labor in Solomon’s kingdom (1 Kings 11:28). This prophetic action foretold the day when Jeroboam would lead the ten northern tribes into rebellion and establish them as the Kingdom of Israel. God’s rending of the kingdom was a punishment for Solomon’s idolatry and sin. When Solomon heard Ahijah’s prophecy, he sought to kill Jeroboam and this forced Jeroboam to flee to Egypt in exile until the death of Solomon in 930 B.C.

2. The Kingdom of Israel Split from the Kingdom of Judah: After the death of Solomon, the twelve tribes of Israel gathered in Shechem to ask King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, to decrease their taxes and forced labor. When Rehoboam refused, the ten northern tribes revolted and chose Jeroboam, recently returned from exile in Egypt, as their new king. This rebellion split the kingdom of David into two kingdoms – the Kingdom of Israel in the north led by Jeroboam and the Kingdom of Judah in the south led by Rehoboam. Now, Jeroboam could have been a good king. Instead, he chose the path of evil and led the northern kingdom into the sin of idolatry. To keep Israel from going to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem and being tempted to rejoin the Kingdom of Judah, Jeroboam set up false idols in the sanctuaries of Bethel and Dan, established a rival priesthood, and proclaimed a new feast day for the people of Israel.

3. The Kingdom of God is extended to the Gentiles: In contrast to the wicked Jeroboam, who led the northern tribes of Israel into idolatry, Jesus sought to bring the lost tribes of Israel, who were scattered among the Gentile nations, back to the worship of the one true Lord God. In the Gospel, Jesus has been traveling throughout Gentile territories and is now in the district of the Decapolis, a Gentile region east of the Sea of Galilee and ancient Israel. Unlike Jesus’ first visit to the Decapolis, in which the crowds begged Jesus to leave (Mark 5:17), the Gentile crowds now welcome Jesus and bring him a deaf and mute man to be healed by Jesus. By healing the man, Jesus is extending the blessings of the Kingdom of God to the Gentiles. This new ministry to the Gentiles will be continued in the next story in Mark’s Gospel – the feeding of the four thousand in Gentile territory.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you were sent into this world to redeem and save all people. I need to be healed by you. Open my ears to hear your Word. Loosen my tongue to proclaim your Word. Strengthen my spirit to follow your Word.

Resolution: When Jesus cures the blind, it is not just a physical healing, but also symbolically refers to seeing with the spiritual eyes of faith. When Jesus cures the deaf it is not just a physical healing, but also symbolically refers to hearing with the spiritual ears of faith. Jesus can open our ears to hear God’s word with understanding and, like the man in the Gospel, we can break out in song and sing the praises of the Lord who has been so gracious toward us! How will I sing God’s praises today?