Jesus Opens Our Ears and Hearts
Mark 7:31-37 tells us how Jesus healed a man who was deaf and spoke with difficulty. This passage reveals the compassion, authority, and love of Jesus Christ. It also teaches us that when the Lord opens our ears and hearts, we can hear the Word of God, confess the truth, and live a life of joy and praise before Him.
During His public ministry, Jesus taught the Word of God, preached the gospel of the kingdom, and healed many kinds of diseases and infirmities. Matthew 4:23-24 says, “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.”
Jesus did not heal people merely to show power. His works revealed the love of God, confirmed the truth of the gospel, and led people to faith. Through His words and works, people came to know that the kingdom of God had come near, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior sent by God.
1. Jesus healed a man who was deaf and spoke with difficulty
After Jesus healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, He returned to the region of Galilee. There, some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and spoke with difficulty. They begged Jesus to lay His hand on him.
This man could not hear clearly, and because he could not hear, he also had difficulty speaking. He was limited in communication with others and may have lived with loneliness, frustration, and shame. Yet the people around him brought him to Jesus. This shows their concern for him and their faith that Jesus could help him.
Jesus took the man aside from the crowd by himself. This action shows the personal and compassionate care of the Lord. Jesus did not treat him as a spectacle before the crowd. He met him personally and considered his situation with tenderness.
Then Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears. After spitting, He touched the man’s tongue. Looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” Immediately, the man’s ears were opened, the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.
This healing reveals the authority of Jesus Christ. The ears that had been closed were opened by His command. The tongue that had been bound was released by His word. Jesus is the Lord who created all things, and His word has life-giving power.
But why did Jesus touch the man’s ears and tongue before saying, “Ephphatha”? Jesus understood the man’s condition. Since the man could not hear, it would have been difficult for him to understand spoken words. Jesus used touch to help him recognize that the Lord was personally dealing with the parts of his body that needed healing.
Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” But this man could not hear the Word in the ordinary way. Jesus considered his weakness and helped him come to faith through a way he could understand. This shows the gentle and personal love of the Lord.
Jesus also looked up to heaven and sighed deeply. This was not a sigh of helplessness. It revealed His compassion for human suffering and His dependence on the Father’s will. Jesus did not act for human applause. He acted in perfect unity with the Father and revealed the mercy of God.
Through this passage, we learn that Jesus is not indifferent to human weakness. He knows each person’s pain, limitation, and need. He meets people personally, touches their lives with compassion, and opens what has been closed.
2. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The Jesus who opened the ears of the deaf, loosened the tongue of the mute, comforted the brokenhearted, forgave sinners, and healed the sick is still our living Lord today.
However, when we speak about healing and restoration, we must remember that all power, grace, and authority belong to God alone. No pastor, teacher, church, or ministry is the source of God’s power. People may pray, teach, encourage, and serve, but the One who saves, heals, restores, and gives life is God.
The miracles recorded in the Bible point us to Jesus Christ. They reveal His compassion, His authority, and His identity as the Son of God. Therefore, believers should not seek signs for curiosity, human glory, or the exaltation of any person. We should seek the Lord Himself, trust His Word, repent of sin, and come before Him with humble faith.
Jesus’ healing of the deaf man also teaches us about spiritual hearing. A person may have physical ears and still be unable to hear the Word of God with the heart. Spiritual deafness is when a person hears the truth but refuses to receive it, or when sin, pride, fear, or worldly desires close the heart.
Therefore, we should pray, “Lord, open my ears to hear Your Word. Open my heart to receive the truth. Open my mouth to confess faith, speak truth, and praise You.” The Lord who opened the ears of the deaf can also open our spiritual ears and hearts.
Even today, believers may pray for the sick and ask God for mercy. We can trust that God hears the prayers of His children and works according to His will. Sometimes He grants visible healing. Sometimes He gives strength, peace, endurance, wisdom, or comfort in the midst of suffering. In every case, our faith must rest not on visible signs alone, but on Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word.
The greatest healing is the salvation of the soul through Jesus Christ. Physical healing is precious, but forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, and eternal hope are greater blessings. When the soul is saved, a person receives the true joy that leads to praise.
Therefore, whenever we experience God’s grace, we must give all thanks and glory to Him alone. If we are healed, we glorify God. If we receive strength during suffering, we glorify God. If we are comforted in sorrow, we glorify God. If our hearts are changed by the Word, we glorify God.
The purpose of God’s grace is not to make a human name great. It is to lead people to Jesus Christ, reveal the love of God, and bring souls to salvation. A healthy faith always points back to Christ.
3. How to come before God with faith
First, we have to come before God with faith.
The man in Mark 7 was brought to Jesus by others. He could not hear Jesus’ words in the ordinary way, but Jesus still met him with compassion. This shows that God understands each person’s condition and leads people according to His wisdom and love.
Some people come to faith by hearing the Word of God. Others begin to open their hearts through the love, prayer, and help of those around them. Some need time to understand. Some need someone to explain the gospel patiently. Some need to see the love of Christ through the lives of believers.
Today, there are many ways for people who have difficulty hearing or understanding to receive the gospel. They may learn through sign language, written materials, videos, visual resources, translation, and patient teaching. The important thing is that the Word of God should be made known with love, clarity, and faithfulness.
Faith is not a vague feeling. Faith is trusting God and His Word. Faith comes when we hear the truth of Christ, receive it in our hearts, and respond to the Lord. Therefore, those who desire God’s grace should come before Him humbly, believing that He is good, merciful, and able to help.
Yet faith must not be confused with forcing God to do what we want. True faith trusts God’s will. True faith prays sincerely, but also submits to the wisdom of God. True faith believes that God is good, even when His answer is different from what we expected.
Therefore, when we pray for healing, restoration, or answers, we should pray with faith and humility. We should say, “Lord, I trust You. Please have mercy on me. Let Your will be done. Help me to glorify You in every situation.”
4. We need to receive forgiveness of sins
Jesus put His fingers into the ears of the man who was deaf and spoke with difficulty. Then He touched his tongue. This action shows Jesus’ personal care for the man’s condition. It also reminds us that the Lord desires not only outward healing but also inward restoration.
The Bible teaches that sin separates people from God. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”
This does not mean that every sickness or difficulty is caused by a specific personal sin. The Bible shows that suffering can have many causes. Some suffer because of sin, some because of the brokenness of the world, some because of persecution, and some for reasons we do not fully understand. Therefore, we must not judge others when they are sick or suffering.
However, every person must still come before God with repentance, because all have sinned and need the grace of Christ. The most important problem is the problem of sin, and the greatest blessing is forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confessing our sins does not mean merely speaking words with our lips. True confession includes repentance, turning away from sin, and returning to God.
If we repent with our mouths but continue to live in the same sins without turning back, our repentance is not sincere. True repentance means that our hearts are broken before God, that we hate sin, and that we desire to live in the light.
God does not call us to repentance in order to condemn us, but to restore us. He wants to cleanse our hearts, remove the wall of sin, and lead us into fellowship with Him. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness, peace, and new life.
Therefore, those who desire to experience God’s grace should examine their hearts before Him. Is there pride? Hatred? Unforgiveness? Greed? Falsehood? Lust? Disobedience? If the Holy Spirit reveals sin in us, we should not hide it. We should confess it, repent, and receive the cleansing grace of God.
5. We must walk in the light
After receiving grace from God, believers should walk in the light. To walk in the light means to live according to the Word of God, with a clean heart and truthful actions.
Ephesians 4:13 speaks of growing “to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” This teaches us that the Christian life is a life of growth. We are not called to remain immature in faith. We are called to grow in the knowledge of the Son of God, become more like Christ, and live in truth and love.
Walking in the light means that our ears are opened to hear God’s Word. It means that our tongues are opened to speak truth, praise God, encourage others, and confess Jesus Christ. It means that our lives become instruments of righteousness before God.
Before the man in Mark 7 met Jesus, he could not hear properly and could not speak plainly. But after Jesus touched him and commanded, “Be opened,” he was restored. In the same way, when the Lord works in our hearts, our spiritual ears can be opened and our spiritual speech can be changed.
A person who once spoke words of complaint can begin to speak words of thanksgiving. A person who once used the tongue to hurt others can begin to comfort and encourage. A person who once lived in darkness can begin to testify to the grace of God.
This is why the title “Dancing with Joy and Singing” is meaningful. True joy does not come merely from outward circumstances. True joy comes when the Lord opens our hearts, forgives our sins, heals our inner wounds, and leads us into the light.
When we live in the light, joy and praise naturally arise. We can sing not because every problem has disappeared, but because Jesus Christ is with us. We can rejoice not because life is always easy, but because our names are written in heaven and our hope is in the Lord.
6. Giving all glory to God
After Jesus healed the man, the people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Their response was praise and wonder before the work of Christ.
This should also be our response. Whenever we receive grace, help, healing, restoration, wisdom, comfort, or strength, we should not exalt people. We should not make any servant, church, or ministry the center of our faith. We should say, “The Lord has done all things well.”
God may use people to teach, pray, guide, and encourage us. We can be thankful for faithful servants and fellow believers. But our faith must not rest on them. Our faith must rest on Jesus Christ alone.
The church exists to proclaim Christ, teach the Word, care for souls, pray for the weak, and glorify God. The purpose of ministry is not to promote a human name, but to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. The purpose of healing testimony is not to make people admire a person, but to lead them to trust God.
Therefore, let us come before the Lord with faith. Let us repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness. Let us ask Him to open our spiritual ears to hear His Word and loosen our tongues to speak truth and praise. Let us walk in the light, grow into the fullness of Christ, and live with joy.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is compassionate, faithful, and powerful. He opens what is closed, restores what is broken, forgives sinners, and gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.
May the Lord open our ears and hearts through His Word. May He fill our mouths with praise and thanksgiving. May we dance with joy and sing before God, giving all glory to Him alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
