May the mumbling commence!
I am fascinated with how the author of the gospel according to Mark gives great detail to the how Jesus healed various people. In most others ways, Mark is quite brief. He wrote the shortest of the gospels of Jesus Christ, after all.
But with his descriptions of Jesus’ healings, Mark gives us great detail. Sometimes, he even preserves the actual words that Jesus spoke – in the original language they were spoken in. Almost like the author of Mark was writing a “How-To” book on Jesus’ healing. Read some excerpts below:
He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). (5:41)
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. (7:33-35)
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (8:22-25)
Such rich detail! I wonder if the disciples took notes – particularly the author of Mark. Maybe Jesus sensed this preoccupation of his disciples with his exact words and actions when he healed. Maybe it helps to explain Jesus’ consternation with them as he came down from the mount of transfiguration. Read the healing miracle of Jesus below:
A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
"'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.
The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." (9:17-29)
In this passage, Jesus was teaching his disciples that the only important thing was belief. “If you can do anything…”
How often do we think this thought when we are in distress for ourselves or our loved ones? Do we have trouble accepting that Jesus still does miracles through his followers?
Help us, O Holy Spirit, overcome our unbelief. Help us to rightly acknowledge the power of God through miracle. May we never confuse miracle with magic. Miracle is based on truth and points us to God. Magic is based on lie and points us to the magician or illusionist.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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