Dignity for All by Father Ian Maher This story from Mark’s gospel of Jesus healing a deaf man who had a speech impediment, would certainly have caught the attention of his first century audience. It drove home the point that the signs anticipated by Isaiah were being fulfilled in the life of Jesus. In Isaiah 35.5-6 we read: ‘Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy...’ all that binds and oppresses humankind; all that prevents us from knowing the fullness of life to which God calls us. Imagine the difference that the encounter with Jesus meant to that man’s life. He would have been an outcast, pushed to the margins of society. Some would have regarded his deafness as punishment for his sin. We don’t know for sure, but the man’s circumstances may have forced him to be a beggar. Then, he encountered Jesus and his life changed for good. Mark records what happened vividly: ‘Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly’. Perhaps for the first time in his life, the man was treated by others as a person. In any event, his life would never be the same again.
This was part of a prophecy of renewal following the sadness of exile. Isaiah was declaring that God’s people would be rescued from oppression and that creation itself would celebrate. He continues:
We live in a society where the deaf and those with speech difficulties are not ostracised in the same way as they were in Jesus’ day. Employers and service providers have come a long way, and there is much to rejoice in with regard to progress over recent years through both education and legislation such as the Equality Act 2010.
‘And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35.10).’ The healing of the deaf man by Jesus was a sign of the in-breaking of the long-anticipated Kingdom of God; a sign of Christ’s victory over - 48 -
