He Has Done All Things Well!

See Mark 7:31-37
1. He has done all things well, He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak! We can only imagine the stir which Jesus caused in the region of the Decapolis with His healing power. Those who previously had been unable to hear or speak were now given the power to communicate clearly with others. Those who were blind could see, those who were lame could now walk. Certainly if Jesus came here and did these same things in our midst we would be astounded too. Although we are used to the marvels of modern medicine, there are some things which pills and surgery simply cannot heal. And even if they could, the monetary cost or even just the rehab time can cause us some fear. So if someone had the gift of making all that suffering go away, we would probably be right there.
2. We should note that even in those days, God gave the gift of healing to various people. So it was not completely unknown that someone might exercise healing power. In that small respect Jesus was not completely unique. And yet scripture says that the people were completely astounded by His actions. Something about the life and behavior of Jesus was astonishing and separated Him from all the others who might have been in the public view.
3. We know and believe that Jesus is the Living Word of God- God Himself made manifest to the world. But people in those days did not yet have the benefit of this faith. When they saw Jesus, He appeared in every way to be human, which indeed Jesus is, as well as being the all powerful God. The miracles (or signs as they should be more properly called) were meant not only to draw people’s attention to our Lord, but also to help them remember the words of the prophets which intended to prepare them for the Messiah. In Isaiah we heard: Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.
4. The healings which Jesus performed began to fulfill the words of the prophets. They also began to reveal who Jesus is. When our Lord rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples, then they were able to remember what had happened and their faith was strengthened. And as they went forth in the world to proclaim the good news of salvation, the words of the prophet “Fear not!” resonated with the words of Jesus to “be not afraid” as they encountered those who did not want to believe and who instead wanted to persecute those who follow Jesus.
5. In the present time, Jesus continues to pour out His healing power upon the Church. There are in fact, many who have been blessed with the grace of healing power. And it is perfectly okay for us to seek and beg God’s mercy to be bestowed upon us in the way of healing. At the same time, we ought to remember that these acts of our Lord were signs of something much more profound. The physical healings that our Lord performed were all temporary. Yet the Salvation from sin that He obtained for us is something that truly lasts. If we think about it, healing from sin is far more astonishing. Whenever I go to confession and admit my sins, I am truly humbled that God in His mercy always forgives and takes me back. In my ministry of Confession, I get to observe many people returning to the Lord. The healing and strengthening of God is clearly present. And sin is permanently destroyed in this sacrament.
6. An interesting aspect of Jesus’ ministry is that when He healed people, He often times instructed them to tell no one. Of course they did not listen to Him, but it makes you think? Why did Jesus do that? Wouldn’t He want to attract this kind of attention? Maybe its because here people are declaring he has done all things well!!! Jesus knew that it would not be long before the crowds would shout Crucify Him! and even His friends would leave Him. But in those moments of loneliness and suffering, our Lord’s love is at its deepest and His power over sin actually reaches its greatest magnitude. Until we know the Jesus who emptied Himself on the cross for our sake, we will never know Him as the Healer who does all things well.