Mark 7:31-37--Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

Mark 7:31-37
English Standard Version
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Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

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Jesus has now left Tyre and Sidon (a region of Phoenicia that we would today call Lebanon.  He is now headed, presumably by foot since there is no mention of a boat, to the east side of the Sea of Galilee to the area called the Decapolis (The Ten Cities).  This region was also part of the original Promised Land to the Jews, but it was clearly under the rule of Gentile pagans, yet Jesus did not stay away from this area as there were Jews and Gentiles in that region that He wanted to minister to.

While not really important to the story, I assume this man is Jewish because the text doesn't give any other nationality or ethnicity for him.  The man had a speech impediment probably caused by the fact that he could not hear correct (speech is closely connected to hearing as you repeat sounds the way that you hear them), and the people begged Jesus to lay His hand on the man to heal him.

Jesus didn't heal the man as the crowd expected though.  Jesus took the man aside from the crowd and put His fingers in the man's ears, and, after spilling, touched the man's tongue.  I'm not sure this was the kind of healing I'd be hoping for if I were the man--someone sticking their fingers in my ears and touching my tongue with their saliva on their fingers.  However, this is how Jesus chose to exercise His authority given to Him in this situation.  He looked up to heaven (probably to pray to the Father to ask Him to heal this man), and with a sigh that probably speaks of Jesus' compassion, He said in Aramaic, "Be opened," and the man's ears were opened, and his tongue loosened so that he could hear normally and could speak plainly.

I'm not really sure why Jesus charged the people not to tell anyone about this miracle (maybe because it was done in the Decapolis?), but the more Jesus told them not to tell people, the more they told people anyways, and the text says they zealously proclaimed it to others.  The people begin realizing that Jesus has done "all things well" (He is completing the mission He was sent on) and that He even has the power to cause the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.  This astonished the crowds as no doctor could heal like this--these had to be signs that told the people that Jesus was The Great Physician and He was able to heal not just the body, but also the soul that was broken and in need of repair.