Why the Sigh?

​Mark 7:31-34 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). 5 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 
 
OUR Lord had gone from Galilee to Tyre to rest. And he found only more people desperate for his touch. Now he returns to the region of the Sea of Galilee. Many more come to meet him. In a scene similar to friends carrying the crippled man to Jesus (Mark 2) a deaf man’s friends take him to Jesus.  
   Apparently he had been deaf from birth. He could hardly talk. When Jesus opened the man’s ears, the man began to speak plainly. God had come in the flesh to fulfill Isaiah 35:5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. How good the LORD is to honor his promises.
   Did you notice Jesus spoke with a deep sigh? Sometimes the smallest details will illustrate Jesus’ love for us. We can understand Jesus expressed a weariness in his soul for our sake. As a parent or an adult who has a relationship with a child, you may sigh over the hard things your child encounters.  
   Jesus’ constant work to heal would certainly have wearied his compassionate heart. Jesus knew the pain of his people’s brokenness. He sighed for sin that brought needless grief to his world. Body crippling handicaps and diseases are sin’s marks on his created goodness. Each time he touched someone he would have surely been reminded of the moment he breathed life into Adam: Genesis 2:7 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Perfection marked mankind’s relationship with God. Who could have known a painful, deadly future awaited God’s creation?
   Of course, God knew. That’s why he planned to personally redeem the pain. Jesus took the man away from the crowds, so he could touch him and heal him in a one-on-one encounter. Jesus didn’t need crowds to work.
   The spittle may seem unpleasant to us, but this is another sign of Jesus’ personal touch. It was a common belief spittle held healing properties. Jesus didn’t need to do this, but he may have done so to help the man trust Jesus’ healing words.
   Do you go to Jesus seeking healing? Or do you think, “Why would he heal me? Will he heal me?” We need faith to expect healing. The deaf man that day needed his Lord’s encouraging, healing touch.
   Be glad the Lord has sighed. He is weary of sin’s destruction. Rejoice his nail-pierced hands now touch your soul to heal you of sin’s condemnation.
 
You Can Know: Jesus’ deep sigh is a sign of his deep love.