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Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

᛭ INI ᛭

If you had to describe the God of the Bible, where would you start? What makes Him different from all other gods? Certainly free grace and mercy is a start. But there are many places to start and ways of describing the true God. But if you began at the beginning, you get to the one we’re focusing on today. He speaks!

But it’s not only that He speaks. We also focus on the result of His speaking. What happens when He speaks? Well, things happen! Just consider our Gospel reading: Christ says to the deaf man, “Ephphatha” (“Be opened”), and IMMEDIATELY his ears were opened. That’s what happened when to Lord spoke hearing into the man’s unhearing ears. In fact, this is what happens whenever the Lord speaks, even with you and me, as we’ll see, hear about, today.

THE LORD SPEAKS, AND OUR EARS ARE OPENED.

(I. THE LORD SPEAKS.)

THE LORD SPEAKS. That’s what He does. That’s how He created “in the beginning.” Not only can the Lord just do things by Almighty Power, like when He changed water into wine, but He also created by speaking. “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” This is what separates the Lord. He doesn’t have to battle chaos or fight other gods or do whatever other gods have purportedly done to create the universe. THE LORD SPEAKS the created order into existence.

He doesn’t just speak into nothing. He doesn’t just boss creation around. THE LORD SPEAKS directly to each of us. You’ve noticed that if you’ve been working through the congregation at prayer in your homes for the past few weeks. The 10 Commandments are the Lord speaking to each and to all. He speaks not to people far off, or that guy or gal you know. “You shall” He says. Each and every commandment is the Lord’s direct assault on your sin: “You shall have no other gods,” “you shall not misuse,” “[you] remember the Sabbath Day,” “[you] honor your father and your mother.” This is how it works with His Gospel as well. The Lord’s Gospel is not just “Christ died” or “Christ was delivered up” but that “Christ died FOR YOU,” that “He was delivered up for our trespasses.” THE LORD SPEAKS His Word not just in general but specifically to you.

(Transition.)

And the Lord’s Word has power. THE LORD SPEAKS and things happen. He says, “‘Let there be light,’” and then there was something there that had never existed before, “there was light.” Each day something new created by the LORD just speaking, “The Lord said, ‘Let dry land appear,’ and it was so.” The LORD’s had power over Lazarus: “Lazarus, come forth.” And the Lord’s Word echoed into Lazarus’ not only deaf but dead ears, and Lazarus hops to. He gets up alive and comes out. So also the deaf man in our text. Ears that don’t work have the Lord’s “Ephphatha” bounce of their eardrums, then suddenly, “immediately the man’s ears were opened.” Unhearing ears made hearing by the Lord speaking hearing into them. Not only were his ears opened. Behold, the power of Christ’s Word! “The impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.” The Lord does the same thing for you that He did for that man. THE LORD SPEAKS, AND OUR EARS ARE OPENED.

(II. OUR EARS ARE OPENED.)

Now, by nature we may not be “deaf” (SIGN) physically, but we are deaf spiritually. We are born deaf and mute toward God as well as His Word. We are tuned in from a young age to the speaking of the devil and the world. Just think how much listening you do on a weekly basis to the preachers (“new anchors”), prophets (“politicians”), worship leaders (“pop artists”), and sages (“analysts”) of this world! That’s what news anchors, politicians, pop artists, actors, and analysts are. They’re the preachers, prophets, worship leaders, and sages of a sinful fallen world, that’s marching to tune and talking points of the Liar and Deceiver in Chief, Satan! Which is why they all end up spouting of the same message, there is a master behind them all! (No matter the political aisle!)

To spiritually deaf ears, the Lord speaks an “Ephphatha.” He speaks it even to the littlest ears! “Ephphatha”—“I baptize you.” (In fact, “ephphatha” used to be part of the Rite of Baptism!) And into the littles ears go Christ’s Words and in their place comes ears attuned to Him and His Word. The Holy Spirit is carried by those little ear canals via the Word and He takes up residence within the heart, soul, making them His temple. There He creates faith from nothing.

The entire Life of a Christian is the Lord continuing to speak His Ephphathas. “Ephphatha”—“I forgive you all your sins.” “Ephphatha”—“The Old Testament reading is…,” “the Epistle is…,” “The Holy Gospel according to…” This is a whole 15 minutes or so of “Ephphatha.” Where faith is created and sustained! (More on that next week…) And the chiefest, highest, holiest “Ephphatha” is the Words of Institution. This is why it’s best practice for them to be sung (according to each pastor’s ability, of course), and also why the illicit a genuflection because well, they’re just like the Ephphatha (“Be opened”), and immediately his ears were opened. “This is My Body, given FOR YOU.” “This cup is My blood shed FOR YOU for the forgiveness of sins.” And that’s what’s there! The true body born of the blessed Virgin Mary. The real blood shed for you.

Now, we need Christ to constantly cry out to us: “Ephphatha” We need to hear His Word, hear sermons, not only sing liturgy and hymns but have them sung into our ears and hearts too, to hear His Words of Institution, because our flesh resists the Word of God in our lives. Our flesh doesn’t want to behave like God says to. Our flesh would rather listen to pretty much anything else rather than God’s Word. Our flesh would have us say, “Yeah, I know God’s Word says X, Y, or Z, but because I’m forgiven I can keep living like A, B, and C!” Our flesh makes it so we forget the word of God, or it’s difficult to memorize the words of God. We must hear the Word, recite the Catechism, ponder the Sermon, sing Psalms, hymns, and the Scriptures themselves so that Christ’s Word dwells in us richly. And when Christ’s dwells in a us richly, and we do remember the Word of God—“Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord!” The Spirit did that in spite of your flesh. And ears opened by the Word result in open mouths, too!

So it was with the deaf man! “Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.” A mouth opened by the LORD and His Word can’t keep quiet! They went around praising His name: “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” He has done all things well! He was crucified and raised! He baptizes us, forgives us, preaches to us, communes us with His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. And hears opened hear all the more. Mouths open speak, sing, and praise all the more! THE LORD SPEAKS AND OUR EARS ARE OPENED.

(Conclusion.)

The Lord speaks; we listen. We listen because OUR HEARS ARE OPENED, opened by the LORD speaking. The Lord gives; we receive. This is the way of faith in Him. As Romans 10 says, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

That’s how it was in the beginning: “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” That’s how it was in the region of the Decapolis: “‘Ephphatha’ (‘Be opened’), and immediately his ears were opened.” That’s how it is here! THE LORD SPEAKS, AND OUR EARS ARE OPENED. His Word does what He says. Faith trusts this. “I baptize you,” and you’re baptized. “I forgive you,” and you’re forgiven. “Eat this. It’s My body given fdor you. Drink this. It’s My blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” That’s what it is. That’s what you are. After all, THE LORD SPEAKS, AND OUR EARS ARE OPENED.

᛭ INI ᛭