- And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Mark 7:34 – A man that couldn’t hear and couldn’t speak well was brought to Jesus for healing. Jesus, willing to heal him, pulled him aside and began the process of this man’s healing. We see that Jesus, right before giving the wonderful command that opened this man’s ears and mouth to finally work properly, Jesus looked up to heaven…and sighed. That’s a unique phrase to see in this moment of healing. Why did Jesus sigh? First because the ministry of healing was an exhaustion for Him mentally and physically. We see Him often seeking out times of isolation and rest after long stents of healing people. We also though see the heaviness on Jesus’ heart when He sees right in front of Him the effects of sinfulness. Deafness wouldn’t be in the world if sin never entered in. Speech impediments, leprosy, disease, wounds, and demon possessions would have never been a part of humanity’s story if sin wasn’t a part of the story. Sin though is a part because of our choices. Jesus is seeing all this around Him this day and seeing the effects of sin, and the weight of all that causes Him to sigh deeply before this healing. Does our reaction to sin and its effects on people cause us to sigh like this too? Are we grieved by the results of sin in our world? Or if we’re honest, are we finding pleasure still from avenues of certain sins? While I’m not encouraging you to find yourself in an unsafe place, I’d encourage you somehow to find yourself witnessing the impacts of sin in this world. Maybe its walking through a hospital, maybe its driving through your downtown area, maybe its watching a history documentary of the Holocaust. When you witness the brokenness, the loss, the death, and the evil, my hope is your reaction is like Jesus’…a heavy sigh…and then doing the work of the Father immediately afterward to bring His healing into this world. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3098
- You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. Mark 7:8 – While in my context as a pastor I see this as a challenge to be sure to follow God’s ways for leading a church rather than the traditional methods man says we must use, for you if you’re not in that role I still see this as a challenge for the way we live. The “commandments of men” when it comes to how we live our life with God are many. “Church isn’t needed,” “waiting till marriage for sex is outdated,” “I don’t need to share the Gospel because that’s what we pay the Pastor for.” See, if what turns you off about God are the commands, the world has just as many if not more. You have to decide which commands will benefit your life the most. Thankfully Jesus here enlightens us to which we shouldn’t follow. Be willing to check the values you hold fast to against the commands of scripture. Hopefully they match up, yet if they don’t you must make a choice. Will you change your values to be in line with scripture or will you refuse to change and live contradictory to scripture all because “that’s the way you’ve always done it?” I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 462
- There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. Mark 7:15 – I feel like for me I’ve used this idea far too many times to allow me to not show love to someone. I was worried me being there with them would mess something up about my walk with God. Here though Jesus crashes that way of thinking. No, breathing in the smoke of someone smoking while you are sharing Jesus with them isn’t going to make God mad. No, being in a bar because you want to share Jesus with people trying to find hope in a bottle isn’t going to mess up your walk with God. No, sitting with sinners and tax collectors isn’t going to mess up what you have with God. Actually having a heart that refuses to sit with sinners and tax collectors is what will mess things up. Jesus set the example for us on how we should relate with those far off…we should relate with them. Yes be wise about your own struggles and don’t place yourself in a tempting situation without support, but don’t allow yourself to never find yourself surrounded by those deeply in sin. We are here to preach the Gospel to the sick, not the well. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1616
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