The Messianic Secret (III)

Sermon on Mark 7:31-37

This is my third sermon on Mark’s theme of the Messianic Secret. As I have mentioned repeatedly in my previous sermons, Jesus tried very hard to keep his Messianic identity a secret. The reason was because his full identity, what it meant to be the Messiah, could only be known and understood when his work on the Cross was done. So before entering Jerusalem, he did not want others to have further misconceptions about who he was. But as we have read in today’s passage, things were not going very well in that regard. Verse 36: “36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.” The Church doesn’t often talk about the failures of God, but who am I to deny you the truth. In terms of keeping things secretive, Jesus had failed miserably. Jesus did try hard. He even commanded them to keep things secret. As you know, those words of command could calm the storm, heal the sick and exorcise spirits. But they were powerless against the gossip of man. Freedom of speech is an irresistible force. So is the freedom of ignorance.

Jesus failed. And it was not for lack of trying. You might say, “How hard is it for Jesus to keep a low profile? Can’t he just go into hiding?” As it turns out, it IS pretty hard. This is perfectly illustrated in the story just before our passage today.
Mark 7: 24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet.
Note the words “he could not keep his presence secret”. Jesus escaped into the Gentile dominated region of Tyre. He then hid in a house. Yet, a woman with a demon-possessed child sniffed him out and hunted him down. Trapped within the house, Jesus was defenceless against the onslaught of her begging. [1] We were told she did this “as soon as she heard about him”. As soon as everybody heard about Jesus, with their preconceived notions of him, everybody wanted a piece of him.

Jesus was powerless against such paparazzi-like determination. The girl was healed. And you can imagine the PR disaster that followed. The word of mouth about Jesus bulldozed on like a juggernaut. “Have you heard? He doesn’t just heal the Jews, he heals everyone now!” “You sure?” “Oh yes, now go get the guy!”

Jesus tried sidestepping the publicity. He went up to Sidon before cutting through to the Bekka Valley. He then moved down to the Sea of Galilee, into yet another Gentile region called the Decapolis. Still his fame preceded him. By the time he reached the area, there was already a group of people begging for help for a deaf-mute man. But this time, Jesus had a plan. “He took the man aside, away from the crowd.” (v.33) Pretty sneaky, Jesus. If they didn’t see the man healed, maybe they can’t continue spreading the word about Jesus.

Now, I don’t claim to have any divine foreknowledge. But I must confess that I think, in this case, I have slightly better foresight than Jesus. Seriously. If you want to keep a low profile, healing a deaf mute is probably the worst thing you can do. Heal a blind man, he can continue to pretend to be blind, while enjoying his sight. Heal a possessed man, and he can pretend to be mad, while enjoying his sanity. But to heal a deaf mute and ask him to stay silent, that is worse than torture. Sure, he can continue to communicate with his improvised sign language and grunting sound. Let me remind you that those were the days before proper sign language and easily available paper and pen. But what would happen when he hears a joke? He’ll get a cramp trying to keep a straight face. How should he react when people “talk behind his back” right in front of him? That is plain unbearable to act clueless. Can he tolerate struggling and gesturing for minutes like before, when he can now communicate the same message plainly in seconds? Think about it. His speech is restored, but yet Jesus tells him he can only speak normally to himself when he is alone. He might go crazy.

Here is something you might not know: in Jewish legislation, deaf and dumb persons are frequently classed with minors and idiots. This is because all testimony was given by word of mouth, and the witnesses had to be able to hear the exhortation of the court. So, deaf and dumb persons were unable to enter into transactions requiring responsibility and independence of will. They had no legal power of acquiring property. The marriage of a deaf-mute was not valid. They could not even participate in rituals, such as slaughtering animals and blowing the shofar. [2] In short, Jesus’ healing had given the deaf-mute man the chance of a new and full life. He was sure to be quick in proclaiming his new ability in order to reclaim his missing social identity. To expect him to keep it under wraps was frankly nigh impossible. So as you would expect, even though Jesus commanded them to keep quiet, the man didn’t. The ensuing result was that people were amazed by the miracle and the word continued spreading. But this was not a desired outcome. Note the conclusion of the people: “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (v.37) They were just charmed by Jesus’ healing powers. That was their main focus. These were the same people who would reject and crucify Jesus when they realized that being the Messiah entailed suffering and sacrifice.

I have spent some time detailing the difficult situation faced by Jesus. To heal or not to heal? To heal is the compassionate thing to do. But healing also leads to more misunderstanding. I have described the situation in a light-hearted manner, but managing public expectations is no joking matter. Obama was elected President based on a wellspring of hope and change. Note the massive disappointments and disillusions when the American people had to come to terms with his actual executive limitations. He would not enjoy the same popularity in the coming election. Jesus knew the cost and dangers of false expectations. But yet he relented nonetheless. This is because his particular healing of the deaf-mute man sends two important messages. One is literal and the other, allegorical.

The literal message is that healing is part of the signs of the ultimate redemption of God. Isaiah 35 proclaims the wondrous will of God to restore his broken people. Specifically, verses 5&6 say: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.” Mark used the same word “mute” that was found in Isaiah to describe the man who “could hardly talk”. This word only appeared in the Bible twice, so the connection was very likely intentional. Mark was telling us, we the readers who should be well-versed in Isaiah, that Jesus’ healing of the deaf-mute man, is one of the signs of God’s eventual total redemption of his people. Jesus had to heal, to clue his followers and to prepare them for the ultimate redemption on the Cross. This is the literal interpretation of the healing.

Yet there is another message, when this healing is understood as an allegory. Deafness and blindness are often used metaphorically by the Scriptures to refer to spiritual deafness and blindness. We see this in Isaiah 6: 9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” This is little wonder that Mark quoted Isaiah’s use of this metaphor in his gospel. Mark 4: 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Yet, there is a twist in Mark’s usage of the metaphor. Today’s story is one of the only two Mark-exclusive miracle stories not found in any of the other gospels. I have a whimsical theory as to why both these stories were excluded by the other Gospel writers. These are the only two stories where Jesus applied his saliva disgustingly on the sick person. Matthew’s Jewish audience would frown upon such infringements of ritual cleanliness. Luke the doctor would not be keen to pervade medical bad practices. Fingers in the man’s ears, spitting which I assume is on the hands – spitting directly into the mouth is too disgusting to even if it is from Jesus – and then wax, spit and all touching the guy’s tongue. Do not try this at home. You should also know that this process is totally unnecessary. Jesus can heal remote control without touching. [3] Yet, Mark mercilessly bombarded us with the details of the healing process. Why? This is the twist from Mark. I believe the entire process is a metaphor, linking spiritual deafness to spiritual muteness, linking spiritual listening with spiritual speech. And the clues to this connection can already be found in an earlier passage.

Mark 7: 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.”

Jesus was drawing attention to what is going in, and what is coming out. And when Jesus prayed in Verse 34 “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Spiritual deafness leads to spiritual muteness. Those who do not listen to Jesus speak nonsense about him. Spiritual listening leads to spiritual speech. It is only when you listen to Jesus, that you can express what is truth about Jesus. Listening Jesus in (fingers in the ears), Proclaiming Jesus out (saliva on the tongue). Amidst all the rumours and false expectations about Jesus, it is only through the self-revelation of Jesus, that we can preach the truth about Jesus. Listening Jesus in, Proclaiming Jesus out. This is the allegorical message from the healing of the deaf-mute man.

This is my third sermon on the Messianic Secret. In the first, Jesus selected a group of twelve apostles to be with him. [4] In the second, Jesus proclaimed that only those that do the will of God can be his true family. [5] In short, only those who know Jesus fully have the authority from him to witness about him. Brothers and sisters, slowly but surely you will come to realise that Mark was indirectly referring to us. We who have read and studied Mark’s Gospel are the ones who know Jesus fully. He is the one who brings full redemption. He is the one who is the Truth, the Life and the Way. Listening Jesus in, Proclaiming Jesus out. So, “Ephphatha!” “Be opened!” (v.34) Speak the truth about Jesus the Messiah. Today, there are still many out there, marketing Jesus through healing and other signs and wonders. But as we walk through the entire gospel of Mark, we will come to know Jesus fully. Listening Jesus in, Proclaiming Jesus out.

[1] Well, not totally defenceless. Thankfully, she was a Greek, a gentile, and Jesus had the perfect excuse. Mark 7: 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” The children referred to the Jews, and the dogs referred to the Gentiles. Jesus is saying that, as a Jew, he must serve his own people first. If his primary ministry is not yet finished, how can he attend to the gentiles? In using the Jewish derogative term for the gentiles, he must be hoping to piss off his stalker. The woman must have thought sarcastically, “Right, like you are so concerned about your mission to the Jews, this must be why you are now hiding in a Gentile place.” But this is not the time for snide remarks. To save her daughter, she humbled herself and it worked. 28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
[2] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5016-deaf-and-dumb-in-jewish-law
[3] Some say that Jesus is providing visual aids, or adopting Hellenistic healers’ practices to the man, to let him know the areas of healing. But I disagree. When he can hear, he will know that his hearing is restored. And when he can hear, he will speak just fine. He had no speech problems except he doesn’t know what to pronounce. Once he can hear properly, he will know what to speak properly. Touching is unnecessary.
[4] http://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/id/335/
[5] http://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/id/340/