Do you remember the excitement of returning back to grade school? Your Laurentian pencil crayons were all sharpened like darts. You can still smell the scent of your Pink Pearl unused eraser. But, as one class day led to another, this excitement may have been replaced with grumbling. Assignments were assigned. Expectations were set to once again learn the 3 Rs: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.
In all that learning, did you ever struggle with their and there? Take a look at the above image. Homophones are words that sound exactly alike, but have different meanings. The top “their” is a possessive adjective that shows ownership. THEIR cat scratched the sofa. The bottom “there” is an adverb or pronoun which refers (or points) to a place. THERE is a vase of flowers on the table.
Now, let’s look THERE in the Gospel of St. Mark. Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech handicap. “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. (Mark 7:32).
Jesus then responds to THEIR faith – notice the possessive adjective. It is not the faith of the person that needs healing that is the focus of attention. It is the faith of those who bring the person of “concern” before Jesus.

What did the deaf and mute man know of what was going on? Not sure, really. He probably mustered together some guess work, but for the most part – he was alone in his own world, unable to bring voice to what he felt and thought.
Witnessing his unfortunate state of being, but not being able to totally relate to the life he was living, he gained people’s pity. But, is pity what he needed? No, and that’s not what he received.
It is compassion that gets personally involved. It’s compassion that motivates us to do something for someone. It’s the family (and/or friends) of a deaf man, who bring him before Jesus begging (BEGGING) that Jesus would lay His healing hand on him.
What we are witnessing is the communal nature of faith. If you have come to faith in Jesus as your Savior, thank God for how He speaks and attends to you in a personal way. And yet, your life of faith is NOT about dwelling within a believing bubble, or at least, you shouldn’t be. You are a part of a community of faith, a family of faith – a fellowship. We do not follow Jesus alone. So, if you are living within a believing bubble – it’s God’s plan to POP it.
Just like the deaf man, people need you to bring them to Jesus – to have the Word of life spoken into THEIR broken, despairing or diseased silence. God intends we go THERE into the life of another person to bolster THEIR saving faith, and then Jesus by the Holy Spirit goes to work, as He did for the deaf and mute man.
Jesus got up close and personal, and leaned on the only senses he had going for him. First, his sight. Jesus pulls him away from the rest of the crowd. There are no distractions. Jesus gains his full attention.
Next, touch. Jesus gently led him away from the crowd with a hand on his shoulder. Jesus then placed his fingers upon his ears, and after spitting – touched his tongue. And then, looking up to heaven, Jesus breathed out “Ephatha. (Be opened.)” Close as they were, the man could feel Jesus’ breath as His word opened His ears. Sound flowed into his soul. He spoke and praised God.
Jesus comes near to heal you. He speaks “Ephatha!” to your numbed silence. He speaks “Ephatha!” to your hurt. He speaks “Ephatha!” to your shame. He opens and embraces you with His love – His compassion, and you are healed. Comforted by His grace you are then enabled to speak “Ephatha! (Be opened.)” to someone else, in that they, too, would be healed by Jesus. •
— By Pastor Neil Stern
Grace Lutheran Church, Edmonton AB