Commentary on the Gospel of
Hardworking God
Unlike yesterday, when we saw Jesus hardly doing anything to effect healing, today, he is into hard labor—he takes the man aside, puts his fingers into his ears, touches his tongue with spittle, sighs deep, orders “Ephphata!” Why such hard work? Whereas the woman came to Jesus with a solid faith and unfailing openness, today’s deaf man was brought merely for a blessing, probably with no expectation of cure. The man had become uncommunicative, passive, and shut off. Jesus had to engage him at a deeper level, touch his person, and order “be opened!”: an order not merely directed to his senses, but to his very being. Isn’t it good news to know that Jesus does not give up on us, despite our periodic shutting down? Just as his Father goes on working, so does Jesus (Jn 5:17), to open us up to God’s grace and healing.
