On the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, a single healing in Gentile territory carries the weight of prophecy. In The Mass Readings Explained, Dr. Brant Pitre walks through this Sunday's readings and shows how the cure of a deaf man signals the arrival of the messianic age.
In the Gospel (Mark 7:31–37), in the Decapolis Jesus takes a deaf man with a speech impediment aside, puts his fingers in his ears, touches his tongue, and says, “Ephphatha”—Be opened. Isaiah had foretold that in the new exodus “the ears of the deaf” would be unstopped and “the tongue of the mute” would sing (Isaiah 35), and James warns against showing partiality to the rich over the poor (James 2). Dr. Pitre draws on St. Ephrem to explore why Jesus heals by touch rather than word alone.
GOSPEL, FIRST READING & PSALM TRANSCRIPT (Subscribe or Login for Full Transcript):
...and in that prophecy one of the ways you will know that the new exodus has come is that God is going to perform certain miracles, which includes making the deaf to hear, right. So I will just give you the key verses here, Isaiah 35:4-7, it says this:
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
Okay, so you don’t have to look too hard to see the immediate significance of this prophecy for Jesus' action. First, Isaiah's prophesying the coming of God. What will happen when God comes? Well two key elements here are being described. The ears of the deaf are going to be unstopped and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. So there we find a clue as to why Jesus heals the man in the way he does. Why does he put his fingers into the man's ears and say be opened? Because he is deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 35 that when God comes the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, they’ll be opened. Why does he touch the man's tongue, right? Well because he's deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 35 that the tongue of the mute, of the dumb person, will sing for joy, right, at the healing that they received. So this is a really fascinating prophecy. Of course it also mentioned the eyes of the blind being opened, we’ve seen that elsewhere in the gospel where Jesus heals the blind.
So what is Jesus doing? This is so crucial. Jesus is deliberately enacting in his own person the miracles that Isaiah said God would perform at the time of the new exodus. So the healing of the man who was deaf and mute isn't just a revelation of Jesus' messianic identity, it is that, the healing of the man who is deaf and mute isn't just a sign that the age of salvation has come, it is that, but the healing of the man who was deaf and mute is also a revelation of the divinity of Jesus. The healing of the man who was deaf and mute is also a revelation of the fact that what the Old Testament says God would do, Jesus now does himself.
SECOND READING TRANSCRIPT (SubscribeorLoginfor Full Transcript):
The 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B continues the Church's journey through the wonderful Catholic Epistle of James, and here we read from James 2:1-5 on this interesting description of an early Christian liturgical assembly. So if you have ever wondered what was it like in the early Church when they gathered to worship, 1st Corinthians 10 and 11 is one of the most important passages, but here James 2 does give us a little window into some of the problems...
GOSPEL, FIRST READING & PSALM TRANSCRIPT (Subscribe or Login for Full Transcript):
...and in that prophecy one of the ways you will know that the new exodus has come is that God is going to perform certain miracles, which includes making the deaf to hear, right. So I will just give you the key verses here, Isaiah 35:4-7, it says this:
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
Okay, so you don’t have to look too hard to see the immediate significance of this prophecy for Jesus' action. First, Isaiah's prophesying the coming of God. What will happen when God comes? Well two key elements here are being described. The ears of the deaf are going to be unstopped and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. So there we find a clue as to why Jesus heals the man in the way he does. Why does he put his fingers into the man's ears and say be opened? Because he is deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 35 that when God comes the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, they’ll be opened. Why does he touch the man's tongue, right? Well because he's deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 35 that the tongue of the mute, of the dumb person, will sing for joy, right, at the healing that they received. So this is a really fascinating prophecy. Of course it also mentioned the eyes of the blind being opened, we’ve seen that elsewhere in the gospel where Jesus heals the blind.
So what is Jesus doing? This is so crucial. Jesus is deliberately enacting in his own person the miracles that Isaiah said God would perform at the time of the new exodus. So the healing of the man who was deaf and mute isn't just a revelation of Jesus' messianic identity, it is that, the healing of the man who is deaf and mute isn't just a sign that the age of salvation has come, it is that, but the healing of the man who was deaf and mute is also a revelation of the divinity of Jesus. The healing of the man who was deaf and mute is also a revelation of the fact that what the Old Testament says God would do, Jesus now does himself.
SECOND READING TRANSCRIPT (SubscribeorLoginfor Full Transcript):
The 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B continues the Church's journey through the wonderful Catholic Epistle of James, and here we read from James 2:1-5 on this interesting description of an early Christian liturgical assembly. So if you have ever wondered what was it like in the early Church when they gathered to worship, 1st Corinthians 10 and 11 is one of the most important passages, but here James 2 does give us a little window into some of the problems...
The Readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
First Reading: Isaiah 35:4–7a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:7, 8–9, 9–10
Second Reading: James 2:1–5
Gospel: Mark 7:31–37
Key passages & sources examined: the signs of God's coming in the new exodus (Isaiah 35:4–7); the Decapolis as Gentile territory; the touch of Jesus (Mark 7:33); “Ephphatha” as Aramaic for “Be opened” (Mark 7:34); the messianic secret; St. Ephrem the Syrian on Christ's touch.
What are the Mass readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B? Isaiah 35:4–7a; Psalm 146; James 2:1–5; and the Gospel, Mark 7:31–37.
What does “Ephphatha” mean? It is Aramaic for “Be opened”—the word Jesus speaks as he heals the deaf man.
How does Isaiah 35 connect to this healing? Isaiah foretold that in the age of salvation the deaf would hear and the mute would sing, a sign fulfilled in Jesus.
What does James teach in the second reading? Show no partiality to the rich over the poor; God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith.
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dgbaugh
Hi David, I see you do have a subscrition. Once logged in, you can access everything by going to 'Mass Readings Explained' in the main menu bar of our website, then 'Watch Videos' and then pick one of the options there. The calendar view works well for finding those Mass Readings that are in the near future and The Mass Explained will take you to videos in that series.
I have inherited leading a Bible Study based on the Mass Readings for each Sunday. The videos are very helpful in facts and insights to add to my research and prayerful preparations. Thank you for offering these teachings.
I subscribed and offered payment
but I have received nothing I requested???
Please advise
dgbaugh
Hi David, I see you do have a subscrition. Once logged in, you can access everything by going to 'Mass Readings Explained' in the main menu bar of our website, then 'Watch Videos' and then pick one of the options there. The calendar view works well for finding those Mass Readings that are in the near future and The Mass Explained will take you to videos in that series.
I have inherited leading a Bible Study based on the Mass Readings for each Sunday. The videos are very helpful in facts and insights to add to my research and prayerful preparations. Thank you for offering these teachings.
