Dear Christians, why do we worship at Bethel the way we do? Why is it that we open the book and follow the liturgy and say the same thing week to week? How come we don't come and everybody take turns saying what they feel like about God and such? Why is it that our worship from the moment we come in the door is done according to the holy liturgy? The answer is in our Gospel lesson today. We worship the way we do because in the Divine Service Jesus is doing for us what He does for the deaf and dumb man. He opens our ears to hear His Word. He unties our tongues to speak rightly, to speak His Word. One of the great things about our new hymnal is that if you look in the margins next to the orders of service, you will see the Scripture verses listed next to the words. It teaches us that when we speak and sing on Sunday morning and other times we worship, we are speaking, singing and hearing God's holy word. Not our own thoughts and two cents. Not stuff the pastor likes to say and talk about. No. We hear Christ's Holy Word. And that Word opens our ears and loosens our tongues so that we may hear and be saved and with our tongues speak God's glory and serve our neighbor.
Our problem is the problem of the world. We can't hear God. Yet we have all sorts of things to say about Him. But that's just mumbling and the speech of tongue-tied sinners. Listen to people talk about God some time. They are sure that He's a nice guy. That He's loving and just ignores bad things you do. People love to talk about how God rewards those who do good works and the people who don't—well, they'll get off the hook too. The world does not know God. You and I know nothing of God because we don't hear Him. When you talk about God, what do you have to say? Do you say what the Lord says or do you just make up things that sound good? If you're anything like me, at the first chance you get to talk about Christ you just kind of mumble something or other about Jesus something something. So Jesus must open our ears and loosens our tongues.
Jesus saves us, deaf and mute people, by taking us aside from the world and opening our ears and untying our tongues. How does He do this? What is it that can get through all of our sin-wax filled ear canals and undo our tongues that are fat and heavy with silly talk? Jesus' salvation for you is shown in this healing of the deaf and dumb man. And it's shown in a way that teaches us exactly what it is that saves us! Think about this: How come Jesus doesn't just say, “Get well! Ears, open! Tongue, talk!” Why does he stick his fingers in the man's ear and touch his tongue with spit? Why does He lift up His eyes to heaven and—sigh! Remember who Jesus is: He is the Word that became flesh. So when He sticks His fingers in the man's ears, He is putting the Word into them! When He spits and touches the man's tongue, He is showing that the only thing that should be in our mouth is what was in Jesus' mouth, namely, His Word! Notice also that by putting His fingers in the man's ears, Jesus is plugging them to anything else. By opening His ears and loosening this man's tongue, the Lord rescues him by giving to Him the Word of salvation. Ephphatha! Be opened! The man's ears are opened! The man's mouth is opened! Why? Because this is the Lamb of God who would have His side opened on the cross by a spear and spill forth blood and water for the salvation of the world. This is Christ who by His obedience and death for sinners opens the Father's ears to our prayers and His mouth to speak forgiveness and blessing.
Now pay close attention, brothers and sisters, because we learn our repentance here today. The way in which Jesus heals this man—with fingers in ears and spitting and touching his tongue—these actions all point to what we call the EXTERNAL WORD of God. That means that our salvation and forgiveness and righteousness are all OUTSIDE of ourselves. Listen very carefully. The world is full of preachers whose message to you is to look INSIDE yourself, in your heart and find Jesus there. They will point you to your heart to try to FEEL whether Jesus is there. They will point you to your lives to ask yourself whether you have really changed and are doing better. They will point you to your intentions and your efforts and your good works. Such preachers want you to find Jesus IN HERE (the heart). But pay close attention to how Jesus opens the ears and mouth of this man: from OUTSIDE of Himself. He puts His fingers—the Word—into the man's ears. He doesn't tell the man, “Come now, if you really want to hear and speak, then give me your heart and make me your Lord. Pray the sinner's prayer!” How can this man pray? He can't even hear what Jesus says and if he could, he certainly could not repeat it because he can't talk! What is this man capable of? Nothing! He cannot change himself. He cannot make himself hear. He can't make himself talk. Only Jesus the Word can do that. That Word that is OUTSIDE the man which Christ gives Him. Same for you and me. Don't go looking for Jesus in your heart! He comes to you. At the font with the water and word of Baptism, the very spit of Jesus! From the pastor who speaks and preaches the forgiveness of sins. At the altar where the body and blood of Jesus are put into our mouths, just as His fingers and spit were put into the deaf and mute man. Repent, dear Christians, of trying to find Jesus or hear Him or speak rightly from within yourself instead of from OUTSIDE in these holy means of grace. It is the Word which opens your ears and the Sacraments which fill you with Jesus. Always. All Jesus.
Now notice something else. Why did these men bring the deaf guy to Jesus? They had surely heard about Jesus miracles. But they obviously loved this man and wanted good for him. So they brought him to Jesus who could open His ears and make him speak rightly. Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the best good work you can do for you neighbor: bring them to where Jesus is opening ears and loosening tongues. Parents, this is your job! Your calling on this earth as a Mom or Dad is to hand your children to Jesus so that they can have their ears opened and their tongues loosed! Don't we spend the early years of our children's lives telling them: “Don't put that in your mouth! Don't stick that in your ear!” Don't stop caring about their ears and mouths when the time comes to bring them to hear God's Word! Bring them to Jesus for His fingers and spit, even better, even more solid, His water, word, body and blood. We have our new Wednesday night catechesis starting up in a week and a half. Bring your little ones to have their ears opened and tongues set free by Jesus! Everybody: Bring your friends or relatives or whoever, so that no one need live without sound or speech, but may be filled with the Word of God which forgives our sins and saves us from death and the devil and hell.
Jesus heals a deaf and mute man today because He fulfills the Scriptures. Isaiah prophesied that the deaf would hear God's Word. When Jesus shows up, the deaf DO hear! But this is much more than a miracle for a deaf guy! It teaches us that Christ opens our ears and mouths, to hear His Word and speak and sing His praises. That's exactly what the liturgy teaches us, filling our ears with God's Word and putting His praise upon our lips. With this external, outside-of-us Word, given at font, altar and pulpit, have no doubt that your sins are forgiven and that you are God's dear child in Christ. Ephphatha! Be opened! In Jesus' name. Amen.