Look, Sigh, Touch, Speak
Look. Sigh. Touch. Speak. These are four ways that Jesus reached out to a lost world, best seen in the story of a deaf man He healed.
Jesus’ Four Ways of Reaching Out
In the Gospel of Mark we read:
“They brought to (Jesus) a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. Taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ His ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.”
Mark 7:32-36
The disciples witness this miracle. Let’s put ourselves in their sandals and think about what they, and we, can learn. Jesus gives us four ways of reaching out to a lost world:
Look. Sigh. Touch. Speak.
Look
Look: Jesus “[looked] up to heaven”. He prayed, immediately presenting everything to his Father. Even if your chance to share Christ comes up unexpectedly – in the grocery line or in the mall – you can offer up a silent 4-word prayer: “God, please help me.” You and I can “look up to heaven”.
Sigh
Sigh: “He sighed and said to him.” He gave out that sigh at the tomb of Lazarus.
“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled”.
Jn 11: 33
The word for “deeply moved in his spirit” describes the heavy way a horse snorts. Not very glamorous but very graphic. The heavy sigh at Lazarus’ tomb describes how dramatically Jesus’ body and breath reacted to the sorrow of the mourners. After that sigh, Jesus went on to weep for them. That is compassion.
Touch
Touch: He “touched his tongue.” When Jesus is touched in his heart it carries through to the touch of his hand. There is a saying at The Boys JIM Club: We need an eye to see, a heart to feel and a hand to perform. Seeing the need, feeling sympathy, moving into action.
Jesus does not keep his distance. He does not make a polite wave in the man’s general direction. He gets close. He actually puts his fingers into the man’s ears. He touches the man’s tongue with his spit. This word for spit is only used 3 times in the New Testament, and each time it is Jesus who uses it and each time it is to heal someone: Here in Mark. 7:33, to give a man speech. In Mark 8:23, to heal a blind man’s eyes. In John 9:6, to make clay to give sight to a man blind from birth.
Speak
Speak: Jesus “said to him … ‘Be opened!’” God wants people who speak his Word. The Bible is alive for us today in over 750,000 words of scripture. Can I tell you what I think is the bare minimum number of words you need to memorize in order to speak to someone about the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ? May I recite it for you? (Pause) . . . . “J E S U S”
When it says the man, “spoke plainly”, it means that he started talking and couldn’t stop talking. In fact, Jesus could not get people to be quiet about him: “Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” (Mark 7:36) But as we all know, Jesus did not command us to be quiet. In fact, he commands us to broadcast the news: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” [Mark 16:15]
Look. Sigh. Touch. Speak. Even today, Jesus could do everything without us, but instead, he has chosen to use people who look to heaven and pray, who sigh with compassion, who reach out to touch the world and speak his Word of salvation.
Have you ever experienced a time when you were unsure if you were going to sink or soar? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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