August 23, 2026

Today's Reading: Mark 7:31-37

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 3:1-15; 1 Kings 3:16-4:34; 2 Corinthians 1:1-22

“And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” (Mark 7:33-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Our God works through means. Jesus could have only said “Ephphatha,” and the blind and deaf man would have been healed. But our God puts His holy spit into the mouth of the man before He commands him to be opened. God is not afraid to get down and dirty with His creation. He not only commands this man’s ears to be opened and his tongue to be released, but this man was spiritually opened and released. While only his ears were opened and his tongue was loosed, Jesus also opened this man's eyes to see his savior. On his own, he was spiritually blind, but through God’s working, he confesses the goodness of Jesus. In a similar way, we too were spiritually deaf and mute. We could not hear the Word or confess our Lord until the Holy Spirit opened our ears to the Word of God and loosed our tongues to confess with saints all over the world. We can join the proclamation of the healed man and zealously proclaim what God has done for us. We are opened by Christ’s salvific work to proclaim His life, death, and resurrection. God puts His words into our mouths when we proclaim the truths of the Bible. Just as the healed man spreads the Word, God uses you as one of His means to bring more people into His kingdom.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Almighty and merciful God, by Your Gift alone, Your faithful people render true and laudable service. Help us steadfastly to live in this life according to Your promises and finally attain Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.