Word to the Wise
Friday, February 10, 2012 - Friday in the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19 and Mark 7:31-37]And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finer into the man's ears and spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
Each story in each of the four gospels has more than one purpose (intended or not!). The story has its own integrity and we can reflect on the particular meaning and inspiration we gain from it. However, each story is also part of a larger picture to which it contributes. Speaking geographically, we could say there is a local, regional and universal significance. Scripture scholars can be particularly helpful to us in this process because of their knowledge of biblical languages and how these languages are used, or their knowledge of literature composed in the same time frame as the particular gospel. Today's gospel passage provides us with a good example.
On one level, we witness Jesus healing a man with a speech impediment. Jesus is shown to have power over demons (already demonstrated in Mark). The story could also be fascinating to a speech pathologist if only because of the method used by Jesus - not one that is currently popular in that field! However, we learn from literature contemporary to the Gospel of Mark that this story is very much like those of other "healers" in the time that Mark was composing the gospel. The touching and groaning are part of the process. We learn further from language study that the word that Jesus uses is found elsewhere in the bible only in Isaiah where it is used in a context of God's deliverance and restoration of Israel (Isaiah 35:6). So, Jesus is presented in a much larger theological picture as the agent of God's final deliverance.
A good "study bible" can help us considerably in discerning the meaning of God's Word to us every day. I, for one, am grateful to those whose lives are dedicated to scripture scholarship. Their ministry has lasting significance. AMEN