Erl Purnell Sermon

b18Pentecost 14 ~ September 10, 2006 ~ A sermon preached by The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell at Old St. Andrew’s Church, Bloomfield, CT

Isaiah 35.4-7a; Psalm 146; James 1.17-27; Mark 7.31-37

Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth becomes known far and wide in northern Galilee as a spirit person, teacher, radical movement leader, and, most especially, a healer. He is followed by crowds and crowds of people, many hoping to be healed by his touch. Jesus fulfills Hebrew Scripture’s promise as encapsulated in Isaiah 35:

He will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

One day in a small village along the way, Jesus was resting during the late fall afternoon. A deaf man was brought to him. This was not unusual. In addition to the man’s lack of hearing, the poor fellow had an awful speech impediment. All he wanted was for people to understand him clearly.

The three who had brought him to Jesus were all talking at once, begging Jesus to make their kinsman well. They explained that the deaf man had a lot to say. He was always shouting and bothering the neighbors, not to mention them. But the man couldn’t even hear them telling him to shut up. In the end, the man’s brother said, “Just touch him, Jesus.”

Jesus, like he had done so many times before, took the man aside, away from the crowd. They went outside, around the corner, and behind the house.

This is how Jesus’ encounter with the deaf man from the Sidon is described in my just published book, Through Mark’s Eyes. Perhaps you notice the added details. Instead of “they,” the book’s rendition says “the three who brought him”. Notice, too, the deaf man’s friends are all talking at once, something characteristic of people excitedly trying to make a case for help. Through Mark’s Eyes explicates the Gospel writer Mark’s simple, direct text while both remaining absolutely faithful to the Gospel story and preserving Mark’s style. Through Mark’s Eyes continues:

First Jesus held the man’s face in his hands so the two could look at each other. When the deaf man, embarrassed and confused, shouted and tried to break away, Jesus kept holding his face firmly. The man’s eyes came back to Jesus’ eyes. The poor fellow was really scared. But something in Jesus’ face calmed him, and he started to relax, releasing the grip he had had on Jesus’ wrists.

Again, the objective is to build a scene around the bare-bones episode Mark provides. What is sparsely told in the Gospel, Through Mark’s Eyes tells with humanizing and vivid detail. For example, first, Jesus needs to convince the poor, deaf man that he’s trying to help. What might you do to communicate with this fellow? How would you get his attention? In Through Mark’s Eyes, Jesus shows a no-nonsense side of his character. He’s being firm and insistent, not particularly gentle. He’s trying to accomplish something with somebody who has no idea what’s going on. And, if you were the deaf man, wouldn’t you be frightened?

Jesus pulled at the man’s filthy ears. Then, he slipped his little finger into one ear at a time while pulling down on the lobe with the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. The man was uncomfortable. He didn’t like this poking and pulling at all. He became frightened again.

My imagination sees this exchange as part diagnosis and part treatment. Jesus is trying to figure out what’s wrong and what to do about it. Though we don’t know quite yet, whatever has impeded the man’s hearing leaves. Next Jesus addresses the issue of the man’s inability to speak.

Finally, Jesus let go of his ears. Then, Jesus spat into the palm of his right hand. He rubbed the first two fingers of his left hand in the spit and touched the man’s tongue. The deaf man didn’t know what to make of this. But Jesus kept going. He looked up to the sky, sighed a great sigh, and then said, “‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’”^†

Immediately, as the man stood there with Jesus, his deafness disappeared. He could hear people talking in the house and in the street. He heard a rooster crow. He spoke to Jesus. “I can hear!” he said, and he could hear himself speak. Then he said, “I can speak clearly.” The man was astonished. He “whooped” and “hollered” and ran back into the house. Jesus followed. The excited man danced in circles and hugged his family.

Another healing. Jesus has restored hearing to this unfortunate peasant who can now also speak clearly. And in Through Mark’s Eyes, we experience the man’s very human reaction. Who wouldn’t whoop and holler and dance in circles at such a healing?

The Jesus’ story is compelling. It’s as compelling now as it was in the seventh decade of the Common Era when Mark wrote. Mark, the original gospeller, is a master story-teller. His narrative is quick and engaging. The organizational structure of the Gospel is balanced and knit together with extraordinary care and technique. Adding to the drama, Mark includes Jesus’ Messiah role as a rather ill-kept secret. While theological at times, more than anything, Mark’s Jesus shows the listener or reader who Jesus is. Moreover, Mark’s Jesus lays out in no uncertain terms that Jesus’ program is to shine the brightest possible light on the presence of Kingdom of God over against the domination systems of those times.

Through Mark’s Eyes is the Gospel of Mark, told with word-pictures surrounding the action. As Bill Countryman, a professor at Church Divinity School of the Pacific and well-known author, says, “[Through Mark’s Eyes] manages to convey the roughness and immediacy of Mark in a more contemporary narrative mode. I like the vividness in the scene-setting and the sense of character that’s developed…[The] work will offer people some new points of entry into the story and will stimulate reflection and discussion. I suspect it will also send some back to the Gospel of Mark itself to see what lies behind it.”

My initial motivation for writing Through Mark’s Eyes was to convey the “movie images” I was seeing in my mind’s eye when I read Mark’s Gospel in the Bible. Now, however, my goal is far more ambitious and evangelical. I want to share the Jesus story with people far and wide. My greatest hope is that Through Mark’s Eyes will invite thousands and millions of people to meet Jesus again for the first time, to borrow from Marcus Borg’s book title.

I want to finish this morning by thanking Old St. Andrew’s parish and each one of you for your years of support as this book developed. Your curiosity about Jesus was an inspiration. Moreover, the constructive criticism of early readers and your encouragement is deeply appreciated. My prayer is that you and many others will be drawn into the Jesus story through Mark’s eyes.

Amen.