The place where the miraculous healing of the deaf and mute person is set in the Decapolis, the region where Jesus had driven out a legion of demons from a person. The demons then entered the pigs and they rushed down into the sea (Mark 5:1). We are, therefore, in a pagan land, placed deliberately by the Evangelist, to show that it has a definite theological significance.
The sick to be healed is “a deaf man who speaks with difficulty,” that is, he expresses himself in a disjointed and incomprehensible way. For Isaiah, the “stuttering deaf” were the people of Israel. The deaf person cannot hear what is being said to him; he lives in isolation, locked in his world. This is the situation of the people of Israel.
The healing work of Jesus marks the beginning of new relationships between peoples, religions, and cultures. Anyone who does not confront, who cannot dialogue with others, who remain close in his world, convinced of already possessing the whole truth and have nothing more to learn, is deaf and dumb.
The Word of Christ opens the ears and loosens the tongue even in our families. In the Christian communities, in social settings where often more than communicating, we attack each other because we are unable to listen to the reasons and needs of the other.
The miracle takes place “away from the crowd.” Jesus takes the deaf-mute person away from the crowd – perhaps for two reasons. First: Jesus does not want them to spread the news that he is the Messiah. Second: when in the midst of the crowd, there are too many noises – ideologies of the world — which prevent him from listening to the voice of God.
The act of “putting the fingers in the ears”(v. 33) is the same as is done in the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. The minister touches the ear of the person to be baptised with the thumb and pray: “Lord Jesus who made the deaf hear and the mute speak grant the privilege of listening soon to your Word and to profess faith in you.” The Christian is not only one who can hear the gospel, but it is also qualified to preach the message he has heard.
To understand the gesture of “touching his tongue with spittle” (v. 33), it should be noted that, among the Jewish traditions, saliva was considered a concentrated breath, and breath belongs to God. Touching the tongue of the deaf-mute with his saliva, Jesus gives him his breath, his Spirit. In baptism, the Christian receives the Spirit of Christ, which makes him become the messenger of his gospel.
The crowd sings its joy because the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: God has made “the deaf hear” and “the mute speak” (Isaiah 35:5-6). This grateful cry is the profession of faith of the community who saw another man attain salvation.
For your reflection
What are the noises and ideologies that prevent us from being messengers of the gospel today? How do you participate in the liberating mission of the Church by sharing and living the message of the Gospel?
Father Fernando Torres CMF
www.ciudadredonda.org
Translated by Father Alberto Rossa CMF
