Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

CHANGE INTRO:: In the song “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, we are presented with two opposing concepts painted on various canvas’.

Sleep and waking.

Aware and unaware.

Quiet understanding and boisterous ignorance.

Light and dark.

Connected and disconnected.

Hearing and silence.

I don’t think there is accurate theology to be gained from the song, but there is an insight into our passage today.

Pray

{{Like the song, there is a series of opposing thoughts compared and contrasted with each other in this passage.

Hearing and not-hearing.

Public and private.

We see much of what Jesus does is done in public, but this passage show us Him taking a deaf man to be healed in private.

}}

Any work for a giant corporation?

There are benefits to it.

Established systems, job focus, you can hide in the bureaucracy… But giant companies have tremendous resources to be able to implement market adjustments, even if they are sometimes slow and cumbersome when they do.

But what a vast company can’t offer is personality.

By that, I mean they can’t offer a work schedule specific to you, with a benefit package for your coworker who needs something specific, and a work from home policy that is sensitive to someone else who has a specific medical need.

A small company can provide flexibility, community, an environment that works best for everyone.

But sometimes they struggle with the resources to achieve their vision.

Maybe the same thing could be said of churches...

With that context, let’s look at the passage today.

This section has always struck me as rather odd! There’s another record of Jesus healing someone that is equally as odd

What is odd is what ties these two passages together.

Spit, in the context of baseball is not odd.

Spit in the context of a miracle IS odd!

In Mark, Jesus sticks His fingers in the guys ears, then spits on His hand and touches the guys mouth.

WIERD!

In John, Jesus spits in the dirt to make mud and then smears it on they blind mans eyes.

Then He tells him to go wash in a particular place.

It’s only after he washed that he was able to see.

Again, WIERD!

Why did Jesus perform these two miracles in these unique ways?

Why mud here and a finger in your ear there; a word from a distance now but a touch on the garment later?

Why are Jesus’ miracles so unique when His purpose on earth was so specific?

There was always only one problem to solve - separation from God as caused by sin.

And there was always only one solution to sin - a perfect atoning sacrifice by God in the flesh.

One solution to everyone's problem.

So why are the miracles so unique?

Let’s ask that question of these, the most unique of Jesus’ miracles.

Unique situations.

From what perspective you you consider these events?

If your like me, you respond to them something like, “That sounds really weird TO ME.” I’m not being totally self-centered when it comes to God’s word, its just that I think it sounds odd.

Let me challenge you to shift your perspective from the hearer of a story to a participant.

We take speech and communication for granted.

What a different world the deaf man from Mark lived in.

Not only different from our world of audible communication, but also a world much less able to integrate him into society.

unique situation of the deaf and mute man

unique situation of the blind man

unique situation of the woman with the issue of bleeding

unique situation of so many Jesus healed

Each of these people had pain and loss from one problem - sin.

Sin causes death.

But because the condition of sin is a universal problem, the results are also universal.

In John, the disciples wanted to know if the results of sin were attributable the man’s sins or his parents.

Jesus clarified that the results of sin are universal, but the victory over sin is for the purpose of glorifying Christ.

There certainly are sinful things we can choose to do that have direct attributable affect.

To put it very lightheartedly - Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I don’t need a show of hands if you have suffered under the direct results of your own dumb choices.

We ALL have, at least a time or two!

This isn’t a hard concept to come to grips with.

People have a harder time accepting that terrible things happen to innocent people.

Understanding the reality of universal sin goes a long way to alleviating us of that misconception that there are innocent people.

But that doesn't actually resolve the issue entirely.

Pretending it does doesn’t help with our credibility with non-believers.

The other part of the answer is that sin is much worse, and much more messy than we tend to think.

Sin is more like a grenade than a sickness.

When someone is sick, they can easily isolate and prevent the spread.

But when a grenade explodes, everyone around gets hurt.

Sin affects the evil as well as the one pursuing the righteousness of God.

We all swim in the sea of sin - we are all wet.

One problem, but many situations.

God’s mercy is made evident in that He addresses each person uniquely.

Unique solutions.

The blind man couldn't see Jesus, so Jesus’ miracle made a connection in another way.

Someone with sight could see His face of mercy, this man could not.

So Jesus showed mercy in a way he could see it.

The deaf man could not hear Jesus’ words of blessing, His tender love, or His words of encouragement.

So Jesus expressed them in a language he could hear.

The same for so many miracles that Jesus did.

And the same for us.

The gospel came to each of us as we were in our own blindness - our own deafness.

Pride?

Abuse?

Addiction?

/ Indifference?

Depression?

Self-sufficiency?

What was your blindness when Jesus found you?

Jesus finds us each with a pedigree of sin.

How He shows His love toward us while we were sinners/slaves/enemies is different for everyone.

One Gospel message - many modes of delivery.

Jesus’ unique expression of love is His mercy.

But that unique expression in only possible when we are each doing our part to share Jesus’ love to our own.

Our own neighbors.

Our own friends and families.

Yes.

But also our own kind of sinners.

I know how someone who struggles with doubt and overthinking, who swells with pride from analytical prowess thinks.