Ephphatha
Updated: Feb 12
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened, Mark 7:34.
As stated in the last post on Talitha Cumi, Mark's need to interpret the Aramaic words of Christ proves that the Gospels were not written in Aramaic. There already a couple of other lessons that can be drawn from Jesus Christ's use of Aramaic.
One of the great transgressions recorded in the Book of Nehemiah is the children's lack of ability to speak Hebrew. And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people, Nehemiah 13:24. It appears that once again, a significant number of people could not communicate in the Jews language.
Israel had fallen into trouble. In the law of Moses the promise of good health was made; And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee, Deuteronomy 7:15. Everywhere that Jesus went he saw the diseases of Egypt afflicting the people. The people were afflicted with disease and were speaking foreign tongues.
What is also fascinating here is why Jesus would speak in the man's language if the man was deaf? By thinking about that we gain an insight into the workings of God. We are told that; the man was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech, Mark 7:32. It certainly sounds like the man once had the ability to hear. He did learn to speak. Because he can no longer hear himself speak, his speech is impeded and difficult to understand.
If the man cannot hear, why did Jesus Speak in his tongue? Herein lies a great truth. If you or I commanded a man with palsy to get up and carry his bed, it would be a cruelty. If any of us were to command a man with a a palsied hand to stretch forth his hand, it would be a vexation. When Jesus Christ commanded those same men, the power to comply came with the command. Likewise, when Jesus Christ commanded a deaf man's ears to be opened, the command brought the power to open his ears. Therefore he spoke in the language which those ears understood.
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God, Romans 3:11. No natural man will ever seek God on his own. It is up to the preacher of the word of God to proclaim the command of God for men to seek him. With that command comes the power to seek.
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