TITLE: “God’s Healing Power”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the healing of the deaf/mute, with focus on these words: He has done all things well.

This is a tremendous temptation in our culture to turn everything into a disease. Now certainly there may be genetic dispositions toward certain “diseases” like alcoholism or drug addiction. But the difficult thing about something like disease is that when we look at this today, it can mean that no matter what happens, it’s no longer my fault. I’m not responsible for my actions, because it is a bug or a virus or bacteria or a genetic disposition or whatever else it may be that’s at fault.

Now I’ve been reflecting a lot about disease of late. As many of you know, my mother is suffering from cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy and everything else which goes along with cancer of this level. I’ve sure that most of you here have either suffered through a debilitating disease, or known someone else who has, perhaps someone quite close to you. It is crippling, and can be devastating in so many ways. Time, money, emotions, even every day tasks like doing the laundry or drinking your coffee with the paper in the morning are a lot harder. But perhaps the hardest part about disease is the questions: what could I have done differently? Whgat if I had eaten differently or exercised more, been more careful with germs, washed my hands more often, or not gone out in the sun as much. Or the questions may be even harder than that. What did I do to deserve this? Have I sinned in some way? Is this my fault somehow?

For some of the questions, there are easy answers. But for others, the answers are not so simple and straightforward. The, bottom line, though, is this. No matter what the sickness or disease, the cause ultimately is sin. Now don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that you will get cancer because you were mean to your wife or something like that. Certainly not, and the Scriptures do not teach this, either. But what the Scriptures do teach, and what each one of you knows instinctively when you see this happen, is that sickness, disease, and death are not right. This is not how God made the world. It was not a part of His plan. There is no “circle of life” or pattern that says we all die, it’s a part of life, we should simply accept it. No. God created you to live, and to live forever. Death was never a part of His plan.

But disease, sickness, and death are with us, just as they were this poor deaf/mute in our text. You can run from it, try to act as if it isn’t as bad as it could be, or put whatever “spin” you want on it. It matters not. We are all dying, either slowly or quickly.

Yet in the midst of this crushing reality, there is hope. These friends bring the deaf/mute to Jesus and beg him to put His hands on him and heal him. They, and presumably the deaf/mute, recognized that this is not right, and that only God can make it right. So they went to the only One who could finally heal both body and soul. They went to Jesus.

Now God uses many people to heal our bodies. Doctors, nurses, moms and dads, all kinds of people go into the work of keeping us alive and healthy and safe day after day. But for all of their strength and power, all of their wisdom, years of schooling and knowledge, they cannot heal. Not forever, at least. Their words do not create life. They may only sustain it for a while, stave off death for a moment or a day or a year.

That is the difference between the word of man and the Word of God. Jesus sees this deaf mute and speaks to him. He puts His fingers in the man’s ears, spits and touches the man’s tongue. Jesus, in other words, walks into this man’s life in a way which no one else could. While doctors and nurses may diagnose, they may prod and poke, and perhaps come up with some solutions for a time, Jesus enters this man’s life by His divine Word and touch. He says to this man a word in Aramaic, Ephphatha, that is “be opened.” And the Word of God which created the heavens and the earth opened His ears to hear God’s Word, and loosed the man’s tongue to speak His praises.

This, dear friends, is the healing which you and I need. I don’t mean the healing of your body. That may happen, but it may not this side of the grave. No, the healing you need is the healing which can only come by the power of His Word. You need the healing Word of forgiveness. You need the Word which creates faith, and causes you to cling to Him and nothing else. You need the Word made flesh to be flesh for you.

This Word of God is your life and your hope, dear Christian. In the midst of things we do not understand, when you are in trial and heartache, when you are hurt and despairing, it is the Word of God alone which will sustain you. For this Word of God which goes into your ear created the heavens and the earth. This Word of God which is now yours came into your flesh as a little baby, born of the Virgin Mary, and lived the life which you could not live. This Word of God, Jesus, takes all of your hurts and sorrows, all of your diseases and aches and pains, and takes them into His holy wounds, borne for you on the cross.

There are no easy answers for those suffering. There are no quick fixes or simple answers. Or, as one pastor put it, “Sometimes you have to kill something in order to make it alive.” Our Lord Himself said it this way, “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in His presence” (Hosea 6:1-2).

So come now to the Lord’s Table. As the hymnwriter puts it so well, this food can death destroy. His Word touches your lips and forgives your sin. Come and be healed for the sake of your life. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.