31. And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon,
He came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
32. And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, [p. 142] and had
an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put His hand upon
him.
33. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers
into his ears, and He spit, and touched His tongue;
34. And looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, "Ephphatha,"
that is, "Be opened."
35. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his
tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
36. And He charged them that they should tell no man: but the more
He charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
37. And were beyond measure astonished, saying, "He hath done all
things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."
Theophylact: The Lord did not wish to stay in the parts of the Gentiles,
lest He should give the Jews occasion to say, that they esteemed Him a
transgressor of the law, because He held communion with the Gentiles, and
therefore He immediately returns.
Wherefore it is said, "And again departing from the coasts of Tyre,
He came through Sidon, to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the
borders of Decapolis."
Bede, in Marc., 2, 31: Decapolis is a region of ten cities, across the
Jordan, to the east, over against Galilee [ed. note: It appears, however,
from Reland, Pales. v.1, p198, that a portion of Decapolis, including its
metropolis, Scythopolis, was on this side Jordan, and therefore this text
of St. Mark may be taken literally.] When therefore it is said that the
Lord came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis,
it does not mean that He entered the confines of Decapolis themselves;
for He is not said to have crossed the sea, but rather to have come to
the borders of the sea, and to have reached quite up to the place, which
was opposite to the midst of the coasts of Decapolis, which were situated
at a distance across the sea.
It goes on, "And they bring Him one that was deaf and dumb, and they
besought Him to lay hands upon him."
Theophylact: Which is rightly placed after the deliverance of one possessed
with a [p. 143] devil, for such an instance of suffering came from the
devil.
There follows, "And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His
fingers into his ears."
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He takes the deaf and dumb
man who was brought to Him apart from the crowd, that He might not do His
divine miracles openly; teaching us to cast away vain glory and swelling
of heart, for no one can work miracles as he can, who loves humility and
is lowly in his conduct. But He puts His fingers into his ears, when He
might have cured him with a word, to shew that His body, being united to
Deity, was consecrated by Divine virtue, with all that He did. For since
on account of the transgression of Adam, human nature had incurred much
suffering and hurt in its members and senses, Christ coming into the world
shewed the perfection of human nature in Himself, and on this account opened
ears, with His fingers, and gave the power of speech by His spittle.
Wherefore it goes on, "And spit, and touched his tongue."
Theophylact: That He might shew that all the members of His sacred body
are divine and holy, even the spittle which loosed the string of the tongue.
For the spittle is only the superflous moisture of the body, but in the
Lord, all things are divine.
It goes on, "And looking up to heaven, He groaned, and saith unto him,
Ephphatha, that is, Be opened."
Bede: He looked up to heaven, that He might teach us that thence is
to be procured speech for the dumb, hearing for the deaf, health for all
who are sick. And He sighed, not that it was necessary for Him to be any
thing from His Father with groaning, for He, together with the Father,
gives all things to them who ask, but that He might give us an example
of sighing, when for our own errors and those of our neighbours, we invoke
the guardianship of the Divine mercy.
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He at the same time also
groaned, as taking our cause upon Himself and pitying human nature, seeing
the misery into which it had fallen.
Bede: But that which He says, "Ephphatha, that is, Be opened," belong
properly to the ears, for the ears are to be opened for hearing, but the
tongue to be loosed from the bonds of its impediment, that is may be able
to speak.
Wherefore it goes on, "And straightway his ears were opened, and the
string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain."
Where each nature of one and the same Christ [p. 144] is manifestly
distinct, looking up indeed into Heaven as man, praying unto God, He groaned,
but presently with one word, as being strong in the Divine Majesty, He
healed.
It goes on, "And He charged them that they should tell no man."
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: By which He has taught us
not to boast in our powers, but in the cross and humiliation. He also bade
them conceal the miracle, lest He should excite the Jews by envy to kill
Him before the time.
Pseudo-Jerome: A city, however, placed on a hill cannot be hid, and
lowliness always comes before glory.
Wherefore it goes on, "but the more He charged them, so much the more
a great deal they published it."
Theophylact: By this we are taught, when we confer benefits on any,
by no means to seek for applause and praise; but when we have received
benefits, to proclaim and praise our benefactors, even though they be unwilling.
Augustine: If however He, as one Who knew the present and the future
wills of men, knew that they would proclaim Him the more in proportion
as He forbade them, why did He give them this command? If it were not that
He wished to prove to men who are idle, how much more joyfully, with how
much greater obedience, they whom He commands to proclaim Him should preach,
when they who were forbidden could not hold their peace.
Gloss.: From the preaching however of those who were healed by Christ,
the wonder of the multitude, and their praise of the benefits of Christ,
increased.
Wherefore it goes on, "And they were beyond measure astonished, saying,
He hath done all things well; he maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb
to speak."
Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, Tyre is interpreted, narrowness, and signifies
Judaea, to which the Lord said, "For the bed is grown too narrow," [Isa
28:20] and from which He turns Himself to the Gentiles. Sidon means, hunting,
for our race is like an untamed beast, and "sea", which means a wavering
inconstancy. Again, the Saviour comes to save the Gentiles in the midst
of the coasts of Decapolis, which may be interpreted, as the commands of
the Decalogue.
Further, the human race throughout its many members is reckoned as one
man, eaten up by varying pestilence, in the first created man; it is blinded,
that is, its eye is evil; it becomes deaf, when it listens to, and dumb
when it speaks, evil. And they prayed Him to lay His hand upon him, because
many just men, and [p. 145] patriarchs, wished and longed for the time
when the Lord should come in the flesh.
Bede: Or he is deaf and dumb, who neither has ears to hear the words
of God, nor opens his mouth to speak them, and such must be presented to
the Lord for healing, by men who have already learned to hear and speak
the divine oracles.
Pseudo-Jerome: Further, he who obtains healing is always drawn aside
from turbulent thoughts, disorderly actions, and incoherent speeches. And
the fingers which are put into the ears are the words and the gifts of
the Holy Ghost, of whom it is said, "This is the finger of God." [Ex 8:19;
Luke 11:20]
The spittle is heavenly wisdom, which loosens the sealed lips of the
human race, so that it can say, I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
and the rest of the Creed. "And looking up to heaven, he groaned," that
is, He taught us to groan, and to raise up the treasures of our hearts
to the heavens; because by the groaning of hearty compunction, the silly
joy of the flesh is purged away. But the ears are opened to hymns, and
songs, and psalms; and He looses the tongue, that it may pour forth the
good word, which neither threats nor stripes can restrain.
