We may also find ourselves “labeling” people based on their physical ability—like seeing or walking or comprehending. We use the terms disabled and whole to divide people. We lump all those who cannot participate in certain activities due to varying degrees of capability into one group. “We,” on the other hand, who may be unable to do many other things but can hear or speak or read do not consider ourselves disabled but “whole” people. This way of separating people is as irrelevant in assessing a person’s worth as considering financial status or documenting someone’s birthplace.
Today’s story concerns Jesus healing a man who cannot hear or speak. A group brings him to Jesus and begs for his touch. Jesus takes the man away on his own and commands him, “Ephphatha—be opened!” The man can hear and speak. Yet the story is not over. Jesus goes on to command both the man and his friends to be silent and tell no one. But they disobey Jesus. They tell everyone about it, and the more Jesus implores them to be silent, the more they proclaim it.
The irony of this story is hard to miss. Those who were already “whole” by our standards are lacking; they fail to obey Jesus’ commands. While their epithet that Jesus “does everything well” may be correct, they do not understand it—they refer only to his ability to bring hearing and speech. Being able to speak well or to hear is not fundamentally good or bad. Our goodness and wholeness stems from our ability to obey Jesus’ commands. Being a good neighbor is not about bringing others to Jesus for healing; what truly differentiates us as followers of Jesus is our obedience.