10-Feb-17

Gospel MK 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."
Reflection:
"Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis."
The Decapolis district included ten cities outside of the Jewish province of Galilee whose culture was mostly of Greek origin.
The people of the Decapolis brought a deaf man with a speech impediment to Jesus to be cured.
After curing the man, people spread the news of Jesus throughout the ten cities, saying He was the one who could perform miracles, making the deaf hear and curing those who could not speak clearly.
By performing miracles in the Decapolis, Jesus was becoming known as someone who had extraordinary powers to those who were not of the Jewish faith.
To these people, the miracles that Jesus performed were in effect His credentials, the proof that He had powers beyond ordinary men.
In recognizing and accepting His ability to perform these miraculous acts, the people of the Decapolis were more inclined to believe Jesus.
Nowadays we have a saying: "He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?"
Jesus' travels outside of the Jewish territories set the stage for His commission to the Apostles before He ascended back to Heaven: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15)
Jesus not only "talked the talk," He most definitely "walked the walk."
"People often first believe in the leader before they believe in the vision." - - Unknown