“HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING WELL”
Mark 7:31-37

In St. Paul 's second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle writes, “Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened,” (2 Cor 5:2-4). Twice, Paul uses the word ‘groan' to describe the pain and longing that the Christian has inside of him, that longing to be able to leave the burden of this world and finally experience the bliss of heaven.

Well, this word, ‘groan,' is the exact same word which is translated in today's text as the word, ‘sigh.' But in this case, that groan—that sigh—doesn't issue from the inner feelings of sinful people who long to be delivered from the agonies; rather, this sigh, this groan, comes from the heart of Christ Himself.

It is evidence of the fact that Christ truly knows the pains and heartaches that we go through in this world. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, the Messiah is described as One, Who is, Himself , “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering,” (Is. 53:3). The New Testament letter to the Hebrews assures us that, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin,” (Heb 4:15).

To put it simply, Christ knows what we are going through. He knows the pain, the weariness, the sense of desperation that is in each one of us, whether your suffering stems from physical pain, mental anguish, or emotional distress, or any combination of the above. Just as Christ looked into the eyes of the deaf and dumb man, placed His fingers into his ears and touched his tongue, and then spit on the ground—as a non-verbal sign to this deaf man of His acknowledgment that his hearing and verbal infirmities were worthless. And then He heaved a heavy sigh, a groan, as if to say, “I know how difficult things have been for you.”

Yes, Christ knows better than anyone what kind of toll sin has taken on mankind. For He knew the price that would be required in order to deliver mankind from the effects of sin. That was why the eternal Son of God was there, standing before the deaf and dumb man, clothed in human flesh and blood. God had to become a frail human being in order to deliver all human flesh. He had to suffer, die, and be raised from the dead in order to forgive our sins and grant us that perfect life we were always meant to live.

But in order to accomplish that for us, Christ had to go the way of the cross. That, was first and foremost on His mind. So much so, that the miracles that He performed along the way only served as glimpses of what His death and resurrection would fully accomplish at the time of the resurrection of all flesh.

It was obvious, however, that there were those who had another agenda in mind. These were the people who were completely captivated by the miracles themselves. Over and over again, we hear throughout the Gospels how the multitudes sought Jesus out just so that they could enjoy the temporal blessings of healing, of multitudinous feedings of bread, or else of the glory that went along with being associated with this miracle worker. But, so very few, were also willing to walk the way of the cross—that solitary road that leads to eternal life. Just a few weeks ago, we heard in our Gospel reading how many of Jesus' followers turned aside as Christ continually spoke of self-sacrifice. And now, in today's text, Jesus gives the strict warning not to publish the news of this healing.

Why? Because, once again, it was necessary that nothing deter Jesus from taking that path to Calvary . He had to walk the path of suffering, not the path of glory and majesty. But, as was recorded in the Scriptures on the occasion of the feeding of the five thousand, at that time the crowd tried to take Him by force and make them their king, because they saw in the person of Jesus the power, satisfaction, and splendor that each one of them selfishly desired for himself. But, such was not Christ's way. Rather, even though He was true God, He laid His majesty aside, took on the role of a servant, and humbled Himself to the point of such a cursed death.

What, then, does this tell us about the pains and sufferings that we experience in this life? You know, even if no one else around you is aware, of what your own personal struggle is. You know those problems from which you pray to be delivered over and over again, perhaps to the point of tears. And you imagine what your life here on earth could be like if only you could be delivered from those burdens.

And yet, we know that there is a very good chance that we will not experience the kind of miraculous healing in this world which the man in our text knew in his lifetime. Is that a lack of faith on our parts? Hardly. For we know that in every circumstance God would have us pray, “Thy will be done.” And we are aware that even great heroes of faith like St. Paul , pleaded to God to be delivered of his thorn in the flesh, only to be told be God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9).

Nor is that to say that, even now, God couldn't work a miracle in our life if He chose to do so. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is, as St. James described Him in our Epistle, as the One from Whom comes every good and perfect gift— “the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Nevertheless, that changeless nature of God is not to be validated by what He does or does not do in the separate lives of individuals. Your neighbor may be healed of his cancer, while you may not be. Your friend might have his emotional burden lifted, while you struggle on with yours. Just how God treats one as opposed to another, is up to His wisdom, and certainly beyond our own comprehension.

But the one thing that does not change—the one constant in any and all circumstances of life—is God's promise to His children of the resurrection. For if God chooses to continue to place a cross upon our shoulders, it is only so that we do not become so self-sufficient as to forfeit our total reliance upon Him. Faith—that is God's desire for you; faith which is tempered in the midst of tribulation. For faith is the only way in which we can lay hold of God's grace—the grace which ensures us of the resurrection from the grave; of the glorified body which isn't hampered by physical affliction; of the peace which surpasses all understanding, which this present world can never give us; and of the joy which is incomparable to even the greatest happiness we could ever know here on earth.

But do not think, for one moment, that God is insensitive to what you will have to endure in the meantime. There are still those heavenly sighs, those divine groans, for those dear children whom God loves. And we can be sure that if there was any other way in which God could deal with our sorrows and pains, than in the manner which He has chosen, He would have surely done so.

Nevertheless, release from various worldly distresses is not where God would have us focus all of our prayers and concerns. Yes, a miracle in our life would be a wonderful, praiseworthy thing—there is no doubt about it. And we would, most certainly, broadcast the glory of the Lord far and wide.

But, dearly beloved, we can do the same even now. We still have reason to talk about God's glory, and about His miraculous intervention in our lives. After all, He saved us! He chose us to be His own! He raised us up from spiritual death and planted the gift of saving faith into our hearts, personally! He adopted us as His children in Holy Baptism. He feeds us with His body and blood. And by His Gospel, He has said to each and every one of us here— Ephphatha! “Be opened.” Let your blind eyes see and your deaf ears hear the wonderful things that God has done for you!

You're going to live forever, people! And God forbid that we would ever allow anything—no heartache, nor any tribulation—to ever deter us from the path that leads to heaven—that path which, first, we must walk, bearing the cross that God designed for each of us.

So that, when that final day arrives, you will be able to look back over all the things that have occurred to you in this life—over all the things which God, in His infinite wisdom allowed to take place, and we will be able to say in complete agreement, “Yes, He has done all things well.”

Top of Page