1 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:14,200 Hi everyone. Welcome back to our podcast. 2 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,500 Thank you to all the regular listens who tune in every day. 3 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:20,700 I hope you're getting a lot out of this podcast. 4 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:24,400 I certainly do as part of the research that I do to get ready 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,000 for this podcast. I think it's always really good 6 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,100 to go back to the literal sense of the scriptures, we should 7 00:00:30,100 --> 00:00:32,700 always start with that. What was the original author 8 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:36,200 trying to convey to his audience and often? 9 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,600 We discover a whole level of richness so we never even have 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,800 heard before and that's what this podcast is. 11 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:44,400 Is all about today. We're continuing in Mark, we're 12 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,400 in Mark. Chapter 7, verses 31 to 37. 13 00:00:50,300 --> 00:00:54,000 Returning from the District of Tyre, Jesus went by the way of 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,400 sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the 15 00:00:57,408 --> 00:01:00,700 decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man 16 00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:04,700 who had an impediment in his speech and they asked him to lay 17 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:08,800 his hand on him, he took him aside in private away. 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,700 From the crowd, put his fingers in the man's ears and touched 19 00:01:12,700 --> 00:01:16,000 his tongue with spittle, then looking up to heaven. 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:24,000 He sighed and said to him if fatha that is be opened and his 21 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,500 ears were opened and the ligament of his tongue was 22 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:31,000 loosened and he spoke clearly And Jesus ordered them to tell 23 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,500 no one about it, but the more he insisted the more widely they 24 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:39,400 published it. Their admiration was unbounded. 25 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,000 He has done all things. Well, they said he makes the 26 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:52,300 deaf hear and the dumb speak. So the first thing to notice is 27 00:01:52,300 --> 00:01:55,500 while the last verse is fresh in your memory, there he makes the 28 00:01:55,500 --> 00:01:59,200 deaf hear and the dumb speak. Those words should be familiar 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,600 to you. If you go to mass regularly 30 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:07,200 because that's part of the blessing that's given to as part 31 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,300 of the baptism for infants. So the child is baptized and 32 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:13,800 then the priest usually comes around and sort of does the sign 33 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,500 of the cross on the mouth and the ears of the person who's 34 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:21,500 been baptized. And the priest says, the Lord 35 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:23,800 makes the deaf hear and the dumb to speak. 36 00:02:23,900 --> 00:02:25,600 And that actually comes from this verse here. 37 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,100 So, this particular story we're looking at here is only found in 38 00:02:30,100 --> 00:02:33,700 Mark, which is quite interesting because we're quite used to 39 00:02:33,700 --> 00:02:37,500 having Martin stories in Mark show up in Matthew and Luke 40 00:02:37,500 --> 00:02:40,500 because Matthew and Luke copy, pretty much everything that's in 41 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:42,300 Mark and then they modify slightly. 42 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:47,300 But this is one story that need the Matthew, Luke or John took 43 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:50,000 from Mark, for whatever reason, they decided not to include it. 44 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,100 So this is the only place you'll hear this story in the entire 45 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:56,500 New Testament. And that could be because Cuz 46 00:02:56,500 --> 00:03:00,700 it's so graphically physical. Jesus does some quite physical 47 00:03:00,700 --> 00:03:03,800 things here. And perhaps the gospel writers 48 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,400 felt that their audiences might not be comfortable with it. 49 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,700 Who knows? We're, just guessing so verse 31 50 00:03:09,700 --> 00:03:11,800 at the start here. He's returns from the District 51 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,900 of Tyre so he's returning from the northern region who is just 52 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:18,800 in which is tire that's where he healed the sorrow. 53 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,300 Phoenician woman's daughter in our last podcast and then Mark 54 00:03:23,300 --> 00:03:27,300 says he returned from tire and went through side on To the Sea 55 00:03:27,300 --> 00:03:31,400 of Galilee, right through the decapolis region, some Scholars 56 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,700 have looked at this and said that Mark is a bit 57 00:03:33,700 --> 00:03:36,800 geographically confused here. Because if you look at a map 58 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,300 that route, doesn't really make sense Mark here says, he went 59 00:03:40,300 --> 00:03:43,500 through sidon to the Sea of Galilee, but if you're coming 60 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:46,500 out of tire to go to side on, you actually would have to go a 61 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:49,500 long way out of the way to the North and then go all the way 62 00:03:49,500 --> 00:03:53,100 back south again to go to the Sea of Galilee. 63 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,300 And then it's sort of another way out to the east. 64 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,000 Again to go to the decapolis region. 65 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,500 So it's most likely that what Mark is doing here is he's 66 00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:07,600 giving us an abbreviated way of saying that Jesus did a long 67 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,200 Wide Circle to up of the surrounding Gentile regions 68 00:04:11,500 --> 00:04:13,600 before he comes back to the Sea of Galilee. 69 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:17,500 So this is Mark's way of saying of summarizing. 70 00:04:17,500 --> 00:04:21,500 Jesus Gentile Ministry to various Gentile lands which Mark 71 00:04:21,500 --> 00:04:23,600 says he did before. He went back to the Sea of 72 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:28,000 Galilee the Jewish area And this trip probably spends some 73 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:29,600 months. So we get to hear one healing 74 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,700 story here, but we don't get to hear a lot of what Jesus did. 75 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:37,500 So this is an important principle that we need to keep 76 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:38,700 in mind. There's probably a whole lot of 77 00:04:38,700 --> 00:04:41,300 stuff Jesus did that we don't get to hear about. 78 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:46,100 And this trip of Jesus spend quite a few months So he's 79 00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:49,000 going, he ends up at the end of this trip here that we're about 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,900 to hear about. He ends up in a place called The 81 00:04:50,900 --> 00:04:55,000 decapolis which is to the south east of the Sea of Galilee. 82 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,000 And if you've been following this podcast, you remember that. 83 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,300 Jesus is actually been here once already in the gospel of Mark. 84 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:06,200 So the last time he was in the decapolis, he cast the demons 85 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,000 out of the pigs and the people asked him not to return. 86 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:12,600 So he cast the demons into the pigs. 87 00:05:13,500 --> 00:05:16,400 And He cast the demons out of the demon. 88 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,300 I I can remember in that story The Demon Ike went and told the 89 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:23,600 whole town about Jesus. So possibly since then their 90 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,600 hearts have been softened through the preaching of the 91 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,100 demon I attack he was essentially the first Gentile 92 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,400 convert or preacher of the kingdom of God and so perhaps 93 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,400 people have now heard about him through the demon diac and then 94 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,900 more welcoming of him. Verse 32, they brought to him. 95 00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:45,700 So some of the Gentile crowd, bring to him a deaf man who had 96 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:49,200 an impediment in his speech. So this guy has both conditions, 97 00:05:49,900 --> 00:05:53,200 probably means he might struggle to get employment, and therefore 98 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:55,700 he'd be poor, outcast in society. 99 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,300 They asked Jesus to lay his hands on him. 100 00:05:59,300 --> 00:06:01,700 So they've heard that Jesus can heal people when he lays his 101 00:06:01,700 --> 00:06:05,000 hands on them. Actually, Jesus doesn't do this 102 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,700 here. Jesus doesn't really lay his 103 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:08,900 hands on the man. He does something else. 104 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:12,800 So he takes the man, aside in private, so apparently he 105 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,500 doesn't want the crowd to see this particular healing or it 106 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:18,300 could be that. He understands the needs of this 107 00:06:18,300 --> 00:06:22,500 man, and he knows that this man would prefer not to be publicly 108 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:24,400 healed. He knows that the man needs a 109 00:06:24,407 --> 00:06:28,000 private encounter with Jesus which of course is an important 110 00:06:28,100 --> 00:06:32,900 principle for us as well. So, Jesus put his fingers into 111 00:06:32,900 --> 00:06:36,500 his ears, which might seem strange, but if we think about 112 00:06:36,500 --> 00:06:40,100 it, it's, I guess the most obvious way that Jesus can make 113 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:43,600 contact with the interior of the man's ears is to put his fingers 114 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,800 in there. And that would have cured the 115 00:06:48,100 --> 00:06:50,200 deafness, the healing for the deafness. 116 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,700 But then he hasn't healed the speech impediment yet. 117 00:06:52,700 --> 00:06:56,000 So then Jesus touched the tongue with spittle. 118 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,100 So firstly, Jesus spits to create spittle. 119 00:06:59,100 --> 00:07:03,800 He puts spittle on his own hand and then Jesus puts his hand 120 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:06,500 into the man's mouth and touches his tongue. 121 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,900 So perhaps the idea here is that the Holiness of Jesus? 122 00:07:10,900 --> 00:07:14,800 Own mouth and saliva has the power to cleanse other people's 123 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,200 mouths conditions. And we know that in the ancient 124 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:22,000 world saliva that was considered to be quite powerful and to have 125 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,500 therapeutic benefits. So he does the ears and then he 126 00:07:26,500 --> 00:07:30,200 puts the saliva on the Man's Tongue and then verse 34, Jesus 127 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,800 looks up to heaven. So that's probably like a mental 128 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,400 prayer to God. Jesus does a silent prayer and 129 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,000 then Jesus does something strange. 130 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,200 He size or another translation, is he groaned? 131 00:07:42,100 --> 00:07:44,800 This is the only place in the gospels where Jesus groans and 132 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,300 it's not entirely clear why Jesus does this. 133 00:07:48,300 --> 00:07:51,600 It's probably or what some Scholars have suggested is that. 134 00:07:51,700 --> 00:07:55,400 He's so grieved and saddened at the effects of the fall on, man. 135 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,200 So he's looking at this man who has all these conditions and he 136 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,800 feel sorry for the man. He's so grieved that the Fall In 137 00:08:02,808 --> 00:08:05,300 the Garden of. Eden has resulted in man being 138 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:08,400 cursed and his grave to see this in people. 139 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,600 This same word for groans, although it's not used in the 140 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:14,200 Gospels. It does appear later in the New 141 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,500 Testament. In Paul's writings, You'll know, 142 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:21,600 you'll probably remember that. Paul says, the spirit makes 143 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,900 inexpressible groanings as the intercedes for us. 144 00:08:24,900 --> 00:08:27,200 And that's in Romans 8, verse 26. 145 00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:29,400 Same word they're used for groaning. 146 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,700 So just as Jesus intercedes for the man here, the spirit 147 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:34,799 intercedes with groanings for us. 148 00:08:35,900 --> 00:08:39,500 And Jesus says this word, in Aramaic ephphatha, which 149 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:44,000 translates as be opened. So Mark, you he has included the 150 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,800 actual Aramaic and then the translation in the Greek. 151 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,600 Usually, he just skips the Aramaic and just gives it to us 152 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,100 all in Greek. So why does he include the 153 00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:55,300 Aramaic here? Probably because it made such a 154 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:58,700 deep impression on the original disciples, they remembered 155 00:08:58,700 --> 00:09:03,400 exactly what Jesus said and Mark includes it here for his Aramaic 156 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,800 speaking hearers so that they can hear the strength. 157 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:13,200 The very words that Jesus spoke Now notice here, the to heal the 158 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,200 man, Jesus has to do something physical, and then say certain 159 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,300 words, in order for the healing to happen, he needs both of 160 00:09:20,308 --> 00:09:22,500 them. Apparently, this is similar to 161 00:09:22,500 --> 00:09:24,700 what the church does in the sacraments today. 162 00:09:25,300 --> 00:09:28,300 It needs there needs to be some sort of physical form and then 163 00:09:28,300 --> 00:09:30,700 some sort of words, SIDS, there's an interesting 164 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:34,700 connection there. Verse 35, his ears were open. 165 00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:39,000 So, the man's ears opened and then the ligament of his tongue 166 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,900 was loosened and he spoke clearly. 167 00:09:41,500 --> 00:09:44,100 So that implies there's some part of his mouth that wasn't 168 00:09:44,100 --> 00:09:46,700 working properly that was causing his speech impediment 169 00:09:46,700 --> 00:09:51,400 and that's Neil healed. So, Jesus heals, both the man's 170 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,700 conditions here, the his deafness and his speaking 171 00:09:54,700 --> 00:09:57,300 problem. Perhaps, for some of marks 172 00:09:57,300 --> 00:10:00,700 readers, this healing of both conditions would help them. 173 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:04,600 See Jesus as fulfilling roles that only Jesus, only God can 174 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:08,000 fulfill. So, in Exodus 4 verse 11. 175 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,500 God says this, who gives one man speech and makes another deaf 176 00:10:12,500 --> 00:10:17,000 and dumb or who give sight to one and makes another blind is 177 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,900 not I the Lord And so, perhaps marks readers might have made a 178 00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:25,000 connection here. That might have hinted that 179 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,500 Jesus is God. So then Jesus ordered them to 180 00:10:29,500 --> 00:10:32,500 tell no one about it. So Jesus, again, like many 181 00:10:32,500 --> 00:10:35,900 places in Mark, he doesn't want word to spread about him too 182 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:38,600 quickly. Otherwise his ministry could get 183 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:43,700 too big and it will be cut short and it things won't go to plan. 184 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:46,400 So, Jesus has a plan of how he wants his ministry to look and 185 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,700 he's always careful to make sure that people don't spread the 186 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:54,400 word too quickly. But they don't listen, this is 187 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,200 really interesting. It says here that the more he 188 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,200 insisted so this implies that Jesus was earnestly and 189 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,800 repeatedly telling them, please don't spread the word but the 190 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,800 more he insists of the more widely they published it or 191 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,400 another translation is the more zealously, they proclaimed it. 192 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:14,100 So the word about Jesus spreads throughout the Gentile territory 193 00:11:14,100 --> 00:11:18,000 again. Verse 37, they admiration was 194 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,300 unbounded. Our translation says, or another 195 00:11:21,300 --> 00:11:23,900 translation is they were astonished beyond measure. 196 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,800 And this is what they say he's done all things. 197 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,000 Well he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak. 198 00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:35,000 So in other words, he can do even the hardest of things. 199 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,600 He makes even the deaf hear and the dumb speak. 200 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:40,900 So remember, this is a gentile crowd, so they probably don't 201 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:44,100 have any concept of the Messiah. So they wouldn't fully 202 00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:47,700 understand his identity. All they know is that he can 203 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:51,300 indeed do Miracles, they've seen it with his own eyes that he can 204 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:54,200 heal any ailment and that's quite incredible. 205 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:59,400 So the healing we've just seen here at might strike some 206 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,400 readers, as quite crudely physical Jesus, putting his 207 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,500 fingers in someones ears, and spitting on his finger and 208 00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:08,800 putting his own saliva in Another Man's Tongue. 209 00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:15,200 Well, in a sense this the Bible here is affirming, the gods 210 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,100 profound respect for the body as a vehicle of divine grace. 211 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:22,400 Some people like the gnostics would say that God only works on 212 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,500 the spiritual plane but here, Mark and Jesus clearly teach us 213 00:12:26,500 --> 00:12:31,100 that the body and physical gestures are important for 214 00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:32,900 bringing about changes in the soul. 215 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:36,900 So it brings it highlights the sacramental quality of the body, 216 00:12:37,300 --> 00:12:41,800 the body can be assigned an instrument of Divine grace and 217 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,600 Jesus work in the kingdom of God, involves the healing of the 218 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:49,300 whole body and the whole soul. And there's a deep link there 219 00:12:49,300 --> 00:12:51,600 between the body and the soul, and that's brought out more in 220 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:57,100 Catholic teaching. So how does the Catholic Church 221 00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:59,800 develop further teachings based on this passage? 222 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,200 Where would we see it in the catechism? 223 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,600 So in paragraph 1 504 which is about Christ. 224 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,400 As the Healer, it says often Jesus asked the sick to believe 225 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,600 he makes use of signs to heal spittle, on the laying on of 226 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:19,000 hands mud and washing the sick. Try to touch him for power came 227 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:20,400 forth from him and he'll the mall. 228 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:25,000 And so in the sacraments Christ continues to touch Us in order 229 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,000 to help. He'll us. 230 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,200 And then in paragraph 11 51, which is in the section of our 231 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,500 signs and symbols, as an interesting reference to Jesus, 232 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:41,800 use of his body here, paragraph. 1151 of the catechism, says, In 233 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,800 his preaching, the Lord often makes use of the signs of 234 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,800 creation to make known the mysteries of the kingdom of God, 235 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,600 he performs healings and illustrates his preaching with 236 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,000 physical signs or symbolic gestures. 237 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,200 He gives new meaning to the deeds and signs of the old, 238 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,300 Covenant Above All, To The Exodus and the Passover for he 239 00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:04,300 himself is the meaning of all of these signs. 240 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,600 So here the church teaches that Jesus has no problems using 241 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,500 physical signs, both as part of his healing process and also, as 242 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:18,600 symbols of himself and of his salvation that he brings to the 243 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,500 world. Thanks for listening again. 244 00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:24,100 Today, I hope you learn something new. 245 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,400 Please continue to talk to other people about this podcast, share 246 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:31,000 an episode with them, leave a rating on iTunes, so that more 247 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:32,600 and more people can be exposed to it. 248 00:14:33,300 --> 00:14:36,100 And I'd love to hear from you through the various channels. 249 00:14:36,900 --> 00:14:39,500 If you do want to get in touch with me at the podcast, you can 250 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:43,300 find out information in the show notes for this podcast. 251 00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:44,900 Thanks for listening.