They bring him to you and beg.
Heal him, they pant and plea!
To a quiet place you lead him aside and then...
You sigh--- deep groan--- a heavy sigh.
Why did you sigh, my Lord?
Are you as frustrated and sad as I am with this broken world?
You stand with this man---so near.
You touch him and draw close.
Your very spit lingers on his bent and broken tongue.
You look up to heaven, with a knowing look, you and your Father agree.
This is not as you made us to be.
Are you as frustrated and sad as I am with this bent world?
With you, the Father sighs and repents as in the days of Noah.
Together you made ears to hear the bird song.
With joy you 'all made eyes to see deep colour and the wisp of clouds.
In that quiet place you sigh---a grief and a groan.
Man of Sorrows, you are well acquainted with grief.
Yes, you are as frustrated and sad as I am with this bent world!
With a sigh, and a touch, and a word.
You whisper to the man--not only to his mouth--- but, to the man!
Be open, you command and his heart receives.
Ears are now open to hear the singing of the birds.
His mouth now able to sing along with them in praise to you!
You are ever at work in this sad, frustrating and broken world, Lord.
I bring myself to you and beg you, Jesus.
Heal me, I plea! …with you, I sigh.
In these quiet places, please touch and draw near.
Shift in me these bent and broken places.
Open my ear to hear truth and my mouth to speak light.
"...the tongue of the speechless will sing for joy!" (Isaiah 35:6)
(poem based on Mark 7:31-37)
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through
Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and
they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.
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.
Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he
did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with
amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf
hear and the mute speak.