The Twelfth Sunday after
Trinity. 2011
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingdom 4:21
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon
Hymn #123 O God Our Help 4:3
The Savior in the Word
The Communion
Hymn # 304 An Awful Mystery 4:6
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 376 Rock of Ages 4:47
KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And
such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of
God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done
away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For
if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth
is glorious.
KJV Mark 7:31 And again,
departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee,
through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one
that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put
his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his
fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up
to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And
straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and
he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the
more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he
maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Twelfth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast created all things:
We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound bodies, and hast graciously
preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We
beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues;
help us to hear Thy word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to
praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one shall be offended by our words, but
that all may be edified thereby, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world
without end. Amen.
The Savior in the Word
KJV Mark 7:31 And again,
departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee,
through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one
that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put
his hand upon him.
Lenski:
“Again” means
that Jesus started once more; this time “out from the borders of Tyre.” In v.
24 we see that the boundaries are referred to. Up to this time Jesus had not
been on foreign soil, but now Mark states positively that “he went through
Sidon,” which lies five miles north of Tyre. But Jesus is only on a journey, we
hear of no teaching or miracles. It seems that he remained unknown, and that he
himself sought to remain so, and that he devoted his time to the instruction of
his disciples, which was the main occupation of Jesus during the last part of
his ministry.
Mark alone tells about Jesus’
passing through Sidon. What other points Jesus touched we do not know. Matthew
as well as Mark report as the destination the Sea of Galilee, its eastern side.
Matthew writes “alongside”, Jesus
passed alongside of the sea and went beyond it; Mark states that this was “in
the midst of the borders of Decapolis.” We thus see that Jesus moves on the
outskirts, keeps away from his enemies, secures time for his disciples, and,
where he does come into contact with people, helps such as he had not reached
before. The Decapolis is the territory of the ten cities, a region to the
southeast of the lake. The healed demoniac had filled this country with the
great news of what Jesus had done for him. As the Syrophœnician woman knew
about Jesus, so the people in this region must have known him even more.
[1]Lenski,
R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN :
Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 308
This is another sermon where faith and works are taught at
the same time, and we can learn about both from this simple miracle story.
The faith of a group of friends moved them to bring their
deaf-mute companion to Jesus. This faith is not difficult to understand. Jesus
healed people, performed great miracles, and taught with authority – not like
the scribes and Pharisees.
The difference between Jesus and the Pharisees was easily
seen. Jesus taught boldly as the Son of God. This is explained more fully in
John’s Gospel. Everything He said and did came from the Father, honoring the
Father. This angered the religious leaders, who felt completely overshadowed by
the words of Jesus and His appeal to so many people. They gathered to hear the
Gospel from Him, learning that righteousness did not come from obeying a set of
rules but from faith in the Messiah.
The teaching and miracle working went together. The miracles
confirmed the teaching, building a base of believers who would be gathered and
led by the apostles after the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
Mark, quite concise, says that “they” brought this man. From
the context we can tell that they had faith that Christ would help their
friend, who was locked in a world where he could not communicate with others,
and others could not communicate with him.
At first glance the actions of Jesus seem quite odd,
especially when we compare it to other miraculous healings. He did not even go
to the home of the centurion to heal the man’s son. He simply gave the command,
as asked, and the boy was healed. So, in comparison, this seems crude and a bit
embarrassing. The skeptics have fun with the details – but skeptics always do.
God blinds them in their hardness of heart, so they mock what should be
converting them. The more they mock, they blinder they become.
32 And they bring unto him
one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to
put his hand upon him.
The details are very
important in such a brief story. Here we see the man could not hear and could
not speak. The friends begged Jesus to lay healing hands on their companion.
If we put ourselves in the
deaf-mute’s position, we can imagine the confusion. He is brought to a place
where a huge crowd surrounds the man Jesus. This is frightening when nothing
can be explained. When people cannot talk, but see and hear, it is easy to
speak to them and look for facial responses. That becomes a habit, looking at
their eyes and their facial muscles for a response. That response can be
checked out. I remember Larry, with ALS, who used a computer to speak. He had a
big YES! He put on the computer screen by blinking his eyes. I said, “Larry,
don’t shout.” He smiled at that, and his nurse laughed.
Being deaf meant all kinds
of confusion, and not being able to speak kept the man from asking questions.
That explains the details of the healing.
33 And he took him aside
from the multitude,
To end the confusion and
fear caused by the great crowd, Jesus took the man away, showing His
understanding and compassion.
and put his fingers into his
ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
This sacramental details are
for the deaf-mute, not us. Jesus showed the man what he was doing to heal him.
His movements meant, “I am healing your deafness and giving you speech.”
34 And looking up to heaven,
he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
When Jesus looked up into
heaven, He was showing the man that this healing was coming from God. Next He
did more than show visually what He was doing. The Son of God, the Creating
Word of God, who fashioned the universe in six days, healed the deafness with
one Word – Ephphatha.
Lenski:
More sign language follows. Again
a participle expresses the subordinate action: Jesus looks up to heaven. The
man watches Jesus do this. He grasps the idea that the help that Jesus brings
him is from heaven, is divine, almighty help that is far different from
anything merely human. With this upward look Jesus sighs. The man is to see the
sigh, it is part of the sign language which Jesus is using. The heavenly help
is one that should be sought with the sigh of earnest longing, a sigh that is
in itself already a prayer. It is a misconception to regard this sigh of Jesus
as a prayer of his to God to enable him to work the miracle. Such a conception
reduces Jesus to the level of the prophets and the apostles who wrought their
miracles, not by their own power, but by that of God (Christ). The additional
remark that the sigh expressed also the sympathy of Jesus for the afflicted man
introduces a diverse element—once the sigh is a prayer, again it is something
else.
The man understood the sign
language of Jesus. It is impossible to assume the contrary, i. e., that Jesus
had failed in his effort to have the deaf-mute understand these signs. We may
say that this language of Jesus was intended to arouse faith in the man. But it
would be unwarranted to make the miracle that now followed dependent on the
man’s faith. It depended wholly on the will of Jesus. Jesus sometimes tries to
instil faith before the miracle, he sometimes lets faith follow after
the miracle. It all depends on the case. The deaf-mute may well have received a
spark of faith before the almighty word was spoken; but it was not his faith that
enabled Jesus to heal him, it was solely the power and the will of Jesus.
After the man has been fully
prepared, Jesus speaks the one word “Ephphatha,” the Aramaic imperative
ethpael. Mark preserves the very word that Jesus uttered just as he does in 5:41.
He wants his Gentile Christian readers to have the very syllable and the sounds
that came from Jesus’ lips in working this miracle.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel.
Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 310.
In experiencing this healing, which took place immediately,
in hearing the Word spoken, the deaf-mute knew and understood who Jesus was,
and believed in Him, just as his friends did.
The rationalists like to have all healings come from faith,
so they are really psychological blocks. We have Freud to blame for that. The
widow’s son had no faith – he was dead. Lazarus was dead. The young girl was
dead – the crowd laughed at Jesus.
Faith in Jesus and the miracles went together. Sometimes the
faith in Him was first. The centurion believed in the efficacy of the Word
because he, as a Roman military officer, knew what it meant to be a human
commander. God as the commander of all things had to be far more powerful. The
officer trusted that to be true and told Jesus that truth, one lost on this
generation of Lutheran ministers, who trust in their own clerverness and
methods.
35 And straightway his ears
were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
The healed man had a new
world opened up to him, one where he heard every word spoken and where he could
reply and make himself understood. Although the healing of the blind is
impressive, a blind person who can hear and speak has many advantages over a
deaf-mute who is locked in a world of no communication. This was especially
joyful for the group, who saw their faith transformed into God’s action, as
they hoped.
36 And he charged them that
they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great
deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying,
He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to
speak.
The ending of this miracle shows that Jesus could not
silence the crowds, no matter what He said. One problem was the desire to make
Him king and change God’s own schedule, which could not be done. More
importantly, this shows that knowledge and experience of Christ necessarily
turned into proclaiming the news about Him. As Jesus said, “Even the stones
would cry out.”
Strangely, Lutheran leaders take away the Gospel and
belittle faith, yet they beg their confused followers to “witness to their faith”
and “invited people to church.” The leaders turn this into law because they
have no faith in the Word. They are like the city slicker farmer who wants more
milk. He tugs at his milk cow twice as hard instead of feeding her more hay.
Luther wrote:
21. Now if the Word go on its way in this threefold manner, it
cannot fail to bring forth fruit, as God says, Is. 55:11: "My Word, that
goeth forth out of my mouth, shall not return to me void." This is
indicated by the action of the pious persons who carry the mute into Christ's
presence; this signifies the ministers, who bring forward the sinner; then God
appears, giving growth and increase, as Paul says, 1. Cor. 3:7, He opens the
sinner's eyes, ears, and mouth. This happens in a wink of the eye, for God's Word
is like lightning, which in a moment passes from sunrise to the ends of the
earth. Thus when such persons are brought to God, he gives them grace to
believe.
Application:
This miracle teaches us that we can bring people to Jesus,
or Jesus to people. This happens in many ways, but always through the Word. We
cannot give our faith to anyone, but bringing people together with the Word is
the chief of all the good works that come naturally from faith in Him.
Many times people are discouraged by the results of their work
in sharing the Gospel. But we never know exactly how and when God will work
through the Word, only that results are inevitable.
The three main responses are:
- Indifference.
- Anger.
- Appreciation and conversion.
Indifference and anger bother believers, who expect
something better. Many times the apparent indifference is really the sign that people
are deeply disturbed, so disturbed they do not even respond.
Anger means the Old Adam finds the Word of God bitter and
unacceptable, as if that person just got a drink of battery acid or liquid
yogurt. Once that argument begins within someone’s soul, the Word of God is at
work.
Appreciation and conversion is pleasing, and we can see that
all around us. People have babies and baptized them. They have converted
unbelievers. No other group of believers is more attuned to the teaching of
others than our own children are. Yet many neglect or take for granted this
little school of Christianity. It is shocking how many clergy spend all their
time and energy with everything else, neglecting their own households. One District
President bragged at a clergy meeting. “I didn’t raise my children. I was too
busy. My wife did all that.” The funny thing is – he thought he was praising
himself, talking about how much work he did for the church organization. I
thought, “What a drip. You missed the best part of life and glory in a petty
title in a little sect.” Better to have a believing family with both parents
than a bunch of children who say, “Do you know who my father is?”
Many people take part in scattering the Gospel Word in all
directions. One example is the new children’s book – The Story of Jesus in Pictures.
This book is already on the Internet and available free all over the world. The
local dentist’s office has a copy. Several copies were sent to Denver. Samples
will be at my 45th high school reunion. Later, additional copies
will go out in bunches to be shared. One version is full-color. Another is a coloring book and (soon) a Sunday School
or VBS book.
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