Mark 7:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He set it aside, as He was not servile, having condescended to our lowly state and refrained from performing wonders before the crowds unless the well-being of those present necessitated it. When He spat, He contacted His tongue, symbolizing that every aspect of His sacred flesh was divine and consecrated, allowing even the act of spitting to free the tongue's constraints. Although every act of spitting may be seen as excessive, in the Lord, all things are extraordinary and divine.

The divine essence of God descends and assumes a physical form that can be experienced by the senses, allowing those who seek Him to approach closely. By engaging with His humanity, one gains insight into His divinity. This is demonstrated when He healed the deaf-mute by using His own fleshly fingers to touch the man’s ears and loosen his tongue. Through these palpable hands, the invisible God reached out to him, breaking the bonds that silenced him and unlocking the barriers that prevented him from hearing. As the Creator and designer of the human body, He approached the individual and, with a gentle command, enabled his ears—once unresponsive for so long—to hear.

From this context, the Spirit is referred to as the hand of God. To ‘insert fingers into the ears’ signifies the act of opening the understanding of the deaf-mute to heedfulness through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord could not find solitude here either, so He journeyed with His disciples to the northeastern region of Galilee, near the lake of Gennesaret. Yet, no matter where He went, His presence was recognized, and as soon as people identified Him, they brought the afflicted to Him, unable to leave them without healing. The multitude hungered to hear His teachings; thus, He could not remain silent. They surrounded Him at every turn, and all He needed to do was frequently change His location, keeping the discourse alive about His miraculous works. The nature of His healings was unique. A man who was deaf and mute was brought before Him. Unlike His other healings, He did not restore him instantly with a word or by laying on hands.

According to Mark (7:31), Jesus departed from the territories of Tyre and traveled through Sidon, referring not to a city but to a region, indicating a northern route. Mark further specifies that He arrived at a location by the Sea of Galilee, specifically on its eastern shore near Decapolis. From the vicinity of Sidon, Jesus journeyed to the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon before crossing to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus accomplished numerous miracles and healings with just a word. However, in the case of a deaf man who could not speak, He chose a different method. He placed His fingers in the man's ears, spat and touched his tongue, looked up to heaven, sighed, and commanded, "Be opened." Why this meticulous approach when His word alone could suffice for healing? As Bishop Michael explains, Jesus took the man away from the crowd to avoid their idle curiosity, comprised of both Gentiles and Jews. By putting His fingers in the man's ears and touching his tongue, He aimed to stir the man's faith in the possibility of healing, particularly since the man could not hear words. By looking to the heavens and sighing, Jesus outwardly demonstrated His earnest prayer to God.

Removing the afflicted man from the crowd, possibly to allow for a freer demonstration of His miraculous abilities or to minimize the potential for unrest and adverse political ramifications, He placed His fingers in the man's ears and then, wetting a finger with saliva, touched his tongue. These actions may have been aimed at kindling faith in the man who could not perceive spoken words, as the miracle would ultimately be realized by touching the soul of the afflicted individual.

Taking him away from the crowd, the Lord employed various outward actions to heal the afflicted man, such as placing His fingers in his ears, spitting, and then touching his tongue. The initial act may have been intended to redirect the superficial curiosity of the onlookers, as many in that semi-pagan context—the region of Perea where Jews lived alongside Gentiles—lacked genuine, fervent faith in Him. By isolating the sick man, the Lord aimed to ignite the fervor of his faith, as speaking alone would not suffice due to the man's deafness. The act of spitting and touching the tongue likely served a similar purpose. By this act, He signified that all aspects of His sacred flesh were divine and holy, demonstrating that even His spittle possessed the power to loosen the bonds of the tongue. See vv. 34.

Jesus Christ departed from Tyre and Sidon, traveling to the Sea of Galilee through the region of the Tithegrad. There, a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment was brought to Him, afflicted by a condition that human remedies could not cure. It is likely that they had heard of how Jesus had previously healed many sick individuals through the laying on of hands. In this instance, however, He chose a unique method to restore the man’s health. To divert the spectators' idle curiosity, Jesus took the afflicted individual aside. He took steps to prepare him for the impending miracle and to awaken faith within him; He placed His fingers in the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue.