By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7a; Response: Psalm 146:6-10; Second Reading: James 2:1-5; Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
This passage from Isaiah exhorts us to trust in the LORD God. The prophet reports God’s command: “Be strong, fear not!” Further, God commands to reassure those who are frightened. Why should we “fear not?” Because God “comes with vindication.” God “comes with divine recompense.” God is acting to save his people — our salvation is arriving.
The remaining verses develop this theme with an abundance of imagery. First is a group of four — the blind, the deaf, the lame and the mute. This should engage our imagination: “the eyes of the blind ... opened!” and “the ears of the deaf ... cleared (unstopped)!” The next two images are even more evocative: “the lame leap like a stag (deer)!” and “the tongue of the mute will sing!” Each of these four images describe God’s promised healing for those who suffer. The last two images depict rejoicing by those who are healed — leaping and singing! Those of us who have never been deprived of any of these four faculties might marvel at the joy of those whose suffering has been relieved.
Water is the dominant image of the final two sentences: streams, rivers, pools and springs of water. Each of these four sources provides abundant water to a dry place — the desert, the steppe, burning sands and the thirsty ground. In each case, the abundance of water transforms the dry place. The land of Israel has many dry, barren places. In such a land, the abundance of water brings life and vegetation. These four images of plentiful water represent God’s life-giving power transforming his people and their barren land.
Next, the letter of James warns against showing partiality/favoritism toward rich persons within the Christian community. This temptation likely comes from the hope that the rich person could return special treatment with some favor. The letter of James gives contrasting images. Two persons arrive at the Christian assembly — a rich person with gold rings and fine clothes — and a poor person with shabby clothes. The rich person is given a seat of honor. The poor one is disrespected. James shows how this behavior causes division within the Christian community and is a counter-witness to Christ’s Gospel.
Verse four declares that this behavior has made these Christians “judges with evil designs.” This compares them to corrupt judges whose rulings are influenced by bribes or who otherwise show preference for the rich or influential. They have “made distinctions” among themselves by choosing the rich. Verse five contrasts their favoritism to the rich with God’s choice of the poor: “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world?” The poor are further described as “rich in faith” and “heirs of the kingdom.” Based on what Jesus teaches in the Gospels, this is very high praise for the “poor in the world.”
James softens this warning by addressing them as “my beloved brothers and sisters!” This is very affectionate language — combined with a strong command: “Listen!” This creates emphasis for the following rhetorical question that insists that God chooses the poor, and God most favors “those who love him.”
This contrast between human judgment (“evil designs”) and God’s judgment reminds us that Jesus Christ “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead” — as we profess in the Nicene Creed. This is a recurring theme in James’ letter. For example, James 4:12 says: “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?” Similarly, James 5:8-9 says: “the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.”
In today’s Gospel (7:31-37), “people brought to (Jesus) a deaf man who had a speech impediment.” Jesus’ method of healing the man is quite dramatic, but Jesus heals him in private — away from the crowd. Since the man is deaf, Jesus puts his finger in the man’s ears. Since the man has a speech impediment, Jesus spits and touches the man’s tongue.
But Jesus' other actions are equally important: 1. He looks to heaven, 2. He groans deeply, and 3. He commands “Ephphatha!” — That is, “Be opened!” Looking heavenward is a prayer and appeal for divine action. The deep groan could be a non-verbal kind of prayer — desiring the man’s healing. This guttural groan likely shows Jesus’ compassion for the man.
Jesus shows his healing authority by commanding: “Ephphatha!” This word is Aramaic — the language spoken by Jews like Jesus in Galilee. But Jesus was then traveling in Gentile territory — Tyre, Sidon and the Decapolis. Many of these Gentiles would have spoken Greek. This passage immediately follows Jesus’ encounter with a Syrophoenician woman (7:24-30) — a Gentile whose daughter Jesus freed of an unclean spirit. Jesus’ confrontation with the Jewish Pharisees in 7:1-23 may have prompted him to leave his own Jewish territory. But Jesus continues healing people wherever he goes — Jew and Gentile alike.
The effect of Jesus’ healing actions and command is immediate: “The man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” More literally, it says: “his tongue’s chain was released, and he spoke straight.” This describes a man whose tongue had been tied up for years but is now suddenly released. The man is determined to use his newly freed tongue to proclaim what Jesus has done for him. The man ignores Jesus’ command “not to tell anyone.”
Now freed of his tongue’s bondage, the man widely proclaims his healing. News of this healing causes many people to be “exceedingly astonished.” Their reaction to Jesus’ actions is summarized by the saying: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” This is likely an allusion to Isaiah 35:5-6 — verses included in today’s first reading. This allusion to the prophet Isaiah depicts Jesus’ healing power as a sign that the new Messianic age has arrived. God is healing his people.