man, who also had difficulty in speaking, was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his
hand upon him.
Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue
with spittle. Then, looking up to heaven, he said with a deep sigh, “Ephphata!” that is,
“Be opened!”
And immediately, his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.
Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about it; but the more he insisted, the more they proclaimed
it. The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the
deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
Reflect
“Be opened!” It seems like such a simple command, but it’s far more complicated than we might
imagine. To what should we be open? In the reading from Genesis, the woman and the man with
her were open to the words of the serpent, tempting them to defy God’s commandments and
selfishly seek their own wisdom and pleasure. Clearly, that’s not the openness that Jesus
commands. Instead, we are called to open our ears to the cries of those in need. We are
called to open our mouths to speak out against sin and injustice wherever we find it, to speak
truth to power, and to tell everyone of the good things that God has done for us. We are called
to open our hands to give generously, to raise others up, and to offer assistance. We are called
to open our hearts to welcome others and to love them unconditionally, as God loves us.
Be opened!
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023