He Even Makes the Deaf Hear and the Mute Speak

This meditation is based on a passage for January 31, 2011 in the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Mark 7:24-37

Reflection and Question: Jesus’ healing of the deaf mute in this passage is generally accepted as a symbol of the way He opens the ears of the people to God’s Will and Word. I am struck by the coupling of this healing with the story of the Gentile woman who challenges Jesus when He hesitates to heal her daughter. The Syrophoenician woman compares herself and Gentiles to the dogs to whom fall the crumbs from the table. By this comparison, she opens Jesus’ ears. He responds to her request to heal her daughter as well as opening His teaching to other Gentiles He meets, something He had not done before. To whom must we open our ears to hear their pleading as Jesus did?

Prayer: Most loving Jesus, we marvel at the courage of the Syrophoenician woman and her fierce love for her daughter. Open our ears so that we may comprehend the full meaning of Your teachings and shine with faith as she did. May it be so. Amen.