HE COMES TO SAVE YOU (Isiah 35:4)
Being dumb and deaf, in his time and culture, it was a curse. In that state, he was considered unclean and to be shunned though he might have been born that way. It was not his fault. People who had any physical contact with him would be considered unclean too.
Jesus’ approach in his healing of the man is out of the way that social and cultural practise of his day would allow. He broke the social boundary set by his culture. He took the man away from the crowd where he could be alone with him, he touched his ears where he could not hear, he touched his tongue with his spittle, an expression of personal intimacy. His touch was a healing touch and his approach was completely personal. In Jesus, God’s love and mercy know of no boundary.
That is how God relates himself to each and every one of us, intimately and personally. When we see suffering, pain and injustices around the world, at time we may think God doesn’t care less about what is going on, we think God is so far away and aloof. Prophet Isiah in the first reading affirms that these are not the last words, God will come with his vindication and that He comes to save us. God will have the last word.
Jesus’ healing of the speech and hearing impediment is not a fairy tale long time story ago. The healing touch of Jesus remains much needed and relevant in our world today. What are our modern day’s hearing and speech impediments? That is, when we cannot hear the cry of the poor around us, when we cannot speak out against injustices in front of our eyes, when we turn a blind eye away from what should have raised our voices. We need to be healed, and to become healers in return.
At baptism, the sign of the cross was traced upon our ears so that we can hear the Word of God, upon our mouths so that we can speak the Word of God. The man in the story today, once he had experienced the healing power from Jesus, he and the crowd who witnessed it went out and proclaimed God’s power.
You have no hand but our hands, you have no mouth but our mouths, no ears but our ears.
O Lord open my lips that I may praise your name.