To Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, the angel had this to say about the Virgin Mary’s Son: “And you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). There you have it. That’s a clear and concise summary of Jesus’ work as Savior. He rescues and frees us from the slavery of sin. And where you have God’s forgiveness of sins, there you also have life and salvation.
Yet, this saving work of Jesus is not just some theological idea that floats in the academic ether. It’s practical and real. For salvation from sin points forward to our salvation from evil. And that’s what we see in today’s Gospel reading as Jesus heals a deaf-mute.
These miracles of Jesus remind us not to have more trust in ourselves than we have in God. After all, we are helpless in sin. Even more, these miracles of Jesus remind us not to let this earthly life captivate and control us, since sin has infected this world and brought it to ruin. But most of all, this healing by Jesus reminds us not to listen to the devil’s lies, no matter how tempting they may sound. Why? For whenever he can, the devil causes hurt and pain to our bodies and sorrow and misery to our souls. Indeed, wherever evil strikes, you can be sure the devil is in the thick of it.
So, today’s Gospel comforts us. It reminds us that Jesus became a man–not to be some smiling, inoffensive Savior–but to destroy the devil’s work! Of course, this may cause us to ask, “What is the devil’s work?” And you find the answer in the man whom Jesus healed.
The devil strives to keep us deaf and, in turn, mute. For the Scriptures tell us “faith comes from hearing” (Romans 10:17). The Scriptures do not say this of seeing–even though we consider our sight to be the greatest of all our senses. Neither does Scripture say that faith comes from tasting, smelling, or even feeling. No, Scripture says that faith comes from hearing.
And so, if we cannot spiritually hear, we cannot spiritually believe. And if we do not believe, our eternity is not one of joy and bliss but one of eternal heartache and loss. That is why the devil works 24/7, never taking a day off, to make us deaf and, in turn, mute.
Since all people, even you and I, are by nature spiritually deaf and mute, the man whom Jesus healed serves as a picture of the whole human race. It is as the Apostle Paul writes: You are born spiritually “dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). To be spiritually dead is to be spiritually deaf, for the dead cannot hear. And so the deaf and mute man’s condition is our condition. And what Jesus does for him, He also does for us.
The condition of this deaf-mute is our condition because what was true for him physically is true for us spiritually. A physically deaf person cannot hear words. A spiritually deaf person suffers from an even worse condition. Although he can hear words, he cannot hear the Word (that is, Jesus) in the words of Scripture or the words of a sermon.
Think back to creation. It’s not enough just to know that God created the world. It’s not enough that you can even list what God created on each day of creation. The devil can do that. What our God yearns for in each of us is that we hear the Word (that is, Jesus) in the words of the first chapter of the Bible. Where is Christ in creation? For John tells us “through him [that is, Jesus] all things were made” (John 1:3).
But Jesus doesn’t stop at being Creator. Scripture also calls Him “the Word that became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). He is also the Light, of which the light that God created during creation is but a pale shadow. For Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
And if we were to move deeper into Genesis, where Adam and Eve’s creation are covered more fully, Jesus is what God the Father, by the Holy Spirit, breathed into Adam to bring him to life. For to quote Jesus’ own words once again: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). That’s where Jesus was during creation. And when you put it all together, the Gospel, which the Holy Spirit is proclaiming in this, is clear–God gives us life through His Son, Jesus Christ!
But those who are spiritually deaf cannot hear this, even though they hear the same words that declare this to be. And this is true–not only of Genesis–but of all the Scriptures. For of this truth, Jesus says about the Scriptures: “It is they that testify about me” (John 5:39). Martin Luther expressed it this way: “All Scripture is pure Christ” (AE 15, 339). For all Scripture was given for but one purpose: “To make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).
But if you don’t hear the Word, that is, Jesus, in the words, you cannot be made wise for salvation. For those who cannot hear the Word, whom Satan has kept deaf to the Word in unbelief, such people refuse and cannot find the true Jesus in the preached Word or the Scriptures.
And because they are spiritually deaf, they are also spiritually mute, for the one follows the other. Because they cannot hear the Word, they cannot confess the Word either. And in such a predicament, Christ in His mercy and grace must do for them what He did for the deaf-mute. Now, the man who could not hear, hears. Now, the man who could not speak, speaks. All this is simply because Jesus, the Word Himself, says a word and uses some of His spittle to make it so.
Jesus does such miracles every day. Every day, through His Word, our Lord opens ears and loosens tongues. Every day, through the Finger of God, who is the Holy Spirit, our Lord causes people to hear His Word and confess Him with their mouths.
Every day, by the waters of holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gives us His Body and Blood, He touches us and even puts Himself into us. This is so we do not lose heart but, instead, take to heart His gracious and life-giving Word that He is and gives.
What is the greatest miracle of all? It is when our Lord, through Word and Sacrament, gives someone ears, so he may gladly hear God’s Word. It is when our Lord, through Word and Sacrament, gives someone a tongue to honor Him instead of curse Him. For what does the Apostle say? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). For all who believe the Word, confess the Word.
And now, perhaps, you also understand why Jesus pulled this deaf-mute apart from the crowd to heal him. It wasn’t just to pull the man’s attention away from the crowd to focus on Him. We, too, are to learn by this. Our Lord Jesus also wishes to show and remind us of how He sets us apart from the world by bringing us into His Divine Service each Sunday.
For the Divine Service, which the world misunderstands and despises, is where the Word is preached, and the Sacraments are given to us. The Divine Service is where our Lord fulfills His promises for us and in us. The Divine Service is where Jesus opens our ears to hear His holy Name. He loosens our tongues to confess Him in our prayers and our hymns of praise.
And so you can see, the healing of this deaf-mute is more than just a story about Jesus way back when. It’s much more; it’s the story of your life in Christ! It’s also the story of how the Son of God appeared, and still does, in Word and Sacrament. For even back then, Jesus didn’t only speak. He also used part of His creation to bring about healing. For the deaf-mute, Jesus used His own spit (I suppose the deaf-mute wasn’t a germaphobe). And today, Jesus also uses His creation to bring us spiritual healing. He uses water in baptism. He uses bread and wine in His Supper.
Through His Word and Sacraments, for you, Jesus is still destroying the devil’s work by giving you, who were once deaf, the power to hear. Jesus gives you, who were once mute, the power to confess His name both in this life, and even in the one to come. Indeed, Jesus “has done all things well.” Amen.
