Sermon for The Twelth Sunday after Trinity, 2024

Why does Jesus put His fingers in this man’s ear and touch his tongue with spit? Why didn’t He just say, “Ears, open; tongue, talk. Be healed!” Well, recall that Jesus is the Word made flesh, so when He puts His fingers in the man’s ears, He is putting the Word into them. And when He spits and touches the man’s tongue, He is showing that the only thing that should be in the mouth is His Word. Moreover, by putting His fingers in the man’s ears, Jesus is plugging them from everything else. And what about the spittle? What does water from the mouth of the Word have to do with salvation? Beloved, that is precisely what Baptism is: water from Jesus’ own mouth, His very Word and promise. So this Gospel is much more than just an account of Jesus healing a poor deaf and speech-impaired fellow; Jesus is demonstrating how He also overcomes your deafness and impairment of speech, opening your ears and loosening your tongue so that you may hear His Word, speak and sing His praises, and confess His holy Name.

Readings:

• Old Testament: Isaiah 29:17-24

• Epistle: Romans 10:9-17

• Holy Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Sermon:

nota bene: As this Sunday was Our Saviour's regularly scheduled annual outdoor worship, there is no video and the audio is rough at times.

• Audio link