Ephphatha, Be Opened!

Ephphatha, Be Opened!

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity – 9/7/2025

Mark 7:31–37

Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for our consideration is our lesson from the holy Gospel according to St. Mark in the seventh chapter with special emphasis on verse thirty-four which reads as follows:

“And looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When was the last time you were really frustrated by not being able to communicate? Maybe your phone broke and you couldn’t call when you needed to. Maybe you were in a noisy crowd and no one could hear you. Or maybe you’ve visited someone in the hospital who had lost their ability to speak; it’s painful for them, and it’s painful for those who love them.

In today’s Gospel, we meet a man who has lived his whole life in that kind of frustration. He cannot hear. He can hardly speak. He is trapped in silence. And Jesus, with one word, opens what was closed. “Ephphatha—Be opened!” Immediately, he can hear. Immediately, he can speak.

But the miracle is more than about one man’s ears. It’s about the condition of all humanity under sin. Sin closes our ears to God’s Word and ties our tongues so we cannot confess His name rightly. And Christ comes to open our ears and loosen our tongues, so that faith may live in us and praise and right confession may live on our lips.

The Deafness of Sin

Isaiah, in our Old Testament reading today, speaks to a people whose ears had grown dull. They went through the motions of worship, but their hearts were far from God. The prophet says their reverence was “a commandment taught by men.” Outwardly religious, inwardly deaf.

And isn’t that still the case today? People can hear all sorts of things with their ears such as sports, news, or gossip, but when the Word of God is spoken, suddenly there’s distraction, yawning, and wandering thoughts. By nature, our sinful ears don’t want to hear God’s truth, particularly when it calls us to repentance.

Likewise, the tongue becomes bound. Instead of confessing Christ, we stay silent out of fear of what people will think. Instead of giving thanks, we complain. Instead of speaking truth, we twist words to protect ourselves or to placate contemporary sensibilities.

This is what sin does; it makes us deaf to God’s voice and mute in His service. Without Christ, we are all like the man in Decapolis and trapped in silence.

Christ’s Tender Word and Touch

But then comes Jesus. Notice how tender He is with the man. He doesn’t make him into a spectacle. He takes him aside, away from the crowd. He touches him, ears and tongue, so this man who cannot hear words can feel in his body what Jesus is doing. He looks up to heaven, showing where the power comes from. And He sighs, groaning at the damage in creation due to sin. Then He speaks: “Ephphatha. Be opened.”

One word from the Lord of heaven and earth, and everything changes. The man can hear. His tongue is set free. He speaks plainly.

That is what Christ does for you. When you were baptized, He spoke His Word over you, and your ears were opened to faith. His Spirit still speaks today in the Scriptures, in the preaching of the Gospel, in the words of absolution, and in the Supper. Every time, it continues to bear His same command: “Be opened.”

And your tongue? It is loosed as well, not only to sing hymns and confess the Creed here in church, but to speak of Christ in daily life, to tell your children, to encourage your spouse, to comfort your neighbor, to confess the hope that is in you.

The Greater Glory

This is why Paul speaks so boldly in Second Corinthians. He contrasts two ministries, one being the ministry of the Law and the other the ministry of the Spirit. The Law is holy, but its chief work is to expose sin and bring death. It is like a diagnosis with no cure, it shows what is wrong but cannot fix it. That’s why Paul calls it the “ministry of condemnation.”

But the Gospel, the ministry of the Spirit, has greater glory. Because in Christ, the Word is not only “you are a sinner,” but also and even greater “you are forgiven.” The veil is lifted. The ears are opened. The tongue is loosed. The sinner is justified before God.

Think of how much more glorious it is to hear not only what we deserve, but what God has done for us in Christ! That glory doesn’t fade, but shines brighter, as the Spirit works us through Word and Sacrament.

Living with Open Ears and Loosed Tongues

So what does this mean for us, the Church today? It means, first, that we listen. Christ has opened your ears to hear His voice in the Scriptures. Treasure that. Read the Bible at home. Hear the sacred Word of God in worship. Shut out the noise of the world for a while and listen to the living Word, Jesus Christ.

It also means that we speak. A tongue loosed by Christ cannot remain silent. Speak words of truth when others peddle falsehoods. Speak words of comfort to those in despair. Speak prayers to the Father, hymns of praise to the Son, confessions of faith to the world.

And yes, this is daunting. But Paul reminds us: “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves…but our sufficiency is from God.”[2] You don’t do this in your own strength. Christ Himself sighs for you, prays for you, strengthens you. The Spirit gives words when you feel empty of what to say.

Conclusion

Dear Christians, the word of Jesus to that man in Decapolis is also His word to you today: Ephphatha. Be opened. Your ears are opened to hear the Gospel of forgiveness. Your tongue is loosed to speak of Christ. Your heart, mind, and soul are opened to be filled with the glory of the Spirit’s ministry of the Gospel. And so the promise of Isaiah is fulfilled in Christ and in this ministry of His in our midst, “The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.”[3] 

Thanks be to God, who in Christ opens what sin has closed and looses what the devil has bound.

In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Mark 7:34 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Bible are from the ESV.

[2] 2 Corinthians 3:5

[3] Isaiah 29:19