03/19/2026 – Ephphatha: Be Opened!
Scripture: Mark 7: 32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Reflection: They specifically asked Jesus to put His hand on Him. But He had a different plan. His ways are higher than your ways. He took the man away from the multitude. His greatest works are done in secret, in the intimate relationship between you and God. What gets out to the crowd is the result of what takes place behind closed doors between you and God!
Instead of laying hands, the lord put his fingers in his ears. That is different and a little invasive. The Lord will put His finger at the root of the problem. He will not treat just the symptoms. The root of all our problems is that we are hard to hear. We do not listen with spiritual ears. Listening leads to faith, faith leads to action, action in obedience pleases God.
Then the Lord proclaimed the first word this man heard: Ephata- be opened! Mark provides the exact word the Lord pronounced in Aramean. This word reveals the authority of our Lord to open the ears, the heart of the sinner.
Acts 16: 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
Only the word of God has the power to open your heart. The way to open your heart is to listen to His word!