“Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 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. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:31-37

{“Two American tourists are driving through Wales. They decide to stop for a bite to eat in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Baffled by the name, one of them turns to a local and asks, “Would you please say where we are—very slowly?” The Welshman leans over and says, very slowly, “Burrr-gerrr Kinngg.”}

“Be opened”, Jesus says – and the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue released. Often we hear of something like a new historical find, or a poem we have never read before, and we feel as if our minds have been opened just a little more than they were before the experience. Just the other night I was watching a story about Stonehenge. I must say I was under the perception that Stonehenge was built to determine the movement of the calendar – of a way to interpret the current and the upcoming seasons. New discoveries have determined that Stonehenge, while it was purposely aligned with the solstice, the mysterious circle of large standing stones may also have been used as a temple for sun worship, a temple of the ancient druids, a healing center, a burial site and a huge calendar. Or, according to the author of one of the books I am currently reading, we can thank coffee for expanding and opening the minds of so many people since the coffee bean was “discovered” in Yemen by some hungry goats. The author writes: “The discovery of coffee was, in its way, as important as the invention of the telescope or the microscope, without which we should know little of the incredibly vast and nothing of the incredibly small. For coffee has unexpectedly intensified and modified the capacities and activities of the human brain.” (Coffee: The Epic of a Commodity, H. E. Jacob)

How can we open ourselves up to hear the Gospel in new ways? How can the bible be opened to our hearing so that we might hear them with fresh ears? The best way to hear the Gospel is to hear it in multiple formats – to hear it preached – to engage it in bible study – to hear different interpretations – and to listen for the Holy Spirit as you seek guidance in understanding the scriptures.

Jesus says “Be Opened” – let your ears hear….

Pastor Dave