The Miracle of Ephphatha [Thanksgiving]

Today's passage is the scene in which people bring to Jesus a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and beg him to heal him. Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers into his ears, spat and touched his tongue, and then, looking up to heaven, sighed and commanded, 'Ephphatha', that is, be opened. At that moment the man's ears were opened and his tongue was released so that he spoke plainly, and a miracle took place.

This miracle goes beyond simply healing a physical illness, showing that only when our spiritual eyes and ears are opened can we recognize the Messiah and proclaim the word of truth. People wanted only to see miracles and did not hear the word, so they failed to recognize Jesus, and Jesus sighed as he saw their foolishness. Only when we become believers who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, deny ourselves, and take up the cross can we understand God's will and carry out the mission of saving souls. And because we know the power of the tongue, we must live lives that build up the church and bring life to our neighbors through good words and wise judgment.

If God has called us out of darkness into light and given us ears to hear and eyes to see, what should we now choose? We are led to look back on whether we are living with our spiritual ears closed, swept along by the noise and judgments of the world, and whether, as those who have experienced the miracle of Ephphatha, we are living lives that proclaim the word of truth.