Deep Compassion: Mark 7:31-33
Jesus’ compassion displays incredible understanding. Tying this into yesterday’s thoughts, Jesus understands how all the events of our lives tie into each other as well as impacting our feelings and our thoughts. He knows how it all comes together in our being. When Jesus comes to us, He understands how our physical ailments meet our emotional scars and our spiritual shortcomings. He understands how to heal it all and how to heal it right.
Jesus heads to the region of the Decapolis. We know generically that the Decapolis was a place with a high concentration of Gentiles. By continuing to travel in Gentile land, He makes further demonstration that He is not afraid of being defiled by being among them.
The crowd brings forth a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. The Decapolis was the region where the man was healed from a legion of demons, so it is very likely that the story of Jesus has spread. People want to see something truly amazing happen, so they find someone who has a significant physical deficit to see what Jesus can do. The crowd wants a spectacle.
At this point, Jesus’ mercy shines through. Jesus knows this man is being brought forth for the spectacle. Jesus also knows the man’s need is real. He doesn’t balk at the idea of healing this man even if the opportunity originated for the wrong reasons. Jesus has compassion.
Furthermore, notice that Jesus takes the man aside. He removes Him from the spectacle. Jesus can’t do anything about the crowd’s action prior to the man coming before Jesus. Honestly, Jesus can’t do a thing about how the crowd is going to react once they see the man after being healed. What Jesus can do is let the act of healing be done in such a manner as to preserve the man’s dignity. Jesus pulls the man aside and takes him into a private area. The crowd will see the effect of the miracle, but the miracle itself will allow the blind man some peace.
This compassion is deeper than it appears at first, though. Remember that this man is deaf. He’s never heard noise. He might have felt noise, such as if something heavy fell beside him and he felt the concussive effect through the air or through the ground. Jesus anticipates the crowd’s reaction to seeing the healing. The crowd will whoop and holler and carry on with all sorts of indignity. Imagine being deaf and the first thing you hear is a crowd of people yelling and hollering and generally going crazy. That might be enough to make you wish you hadn’t been healed!
Instead, Jesus takes him aside. Jesus ensures that the first sound this man will ever hear is the voice of the Savior. Jesus makes sure that the first thing the man hears forms a sane memory of relative peace. Jesus’ compassion displays incredible understanding.
