Contextualization – Being Different w/ the Same Things
Then Jesus went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. After Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “ Ephphatha ” (that is, “Be opened”). And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Mark 7:31–37 NET Read More
Jesus heals people in all different ways. This one with the spot and touching the man’s tongue is one of the weirdest.
Why would Jesus do things differently every time? Why does He heal people in public sometimes, but other times He only has a few people around? Some of these answers lie in contextualization. Bret Nicholson wrote up a good thought-provoking piece for the CityShelf 20 days prayer guide. It’s day eleven, so head over there, read what Bret has to say about working out Truth at different times in different ways, and join in the prayer.
City Shelf – 20 Days Prayer Guide – Day Eleven
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