Mark 7:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

NIV: There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

NASB: And they *brought to Him one who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they *begged Him to lay His hand on him.

CSB: They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him.

NLT: A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.

KJV: And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

NKJV: Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.

The last time Jesus and the Twelve were in this area, the crowd drove them away (Mark 5:17). Now the villagers and farmers rush to greet Him, hopeful He will heal a deaf man.

"Deaf" is from the Greek root word kophos and means dull of hearing. The word often encompasses the state of being unable to speak, as well. "Speech impediment" belies the speculation that the man is completely mute. The Greek root word mogilalos means that either he speaks with difficulty or others find him difficult to understand. Either way, the description suggests he was not born deaf.

That the people ask Jesus to lay hands on their friend indicates that the disability may have been caused by trauma. They, at least, did not believe it to be due to demon possession like the mute man in Matthew 9:32–34. When Jesus heals physical ailments, He typically touches the victim (Mark 1:31; 5:23; 6:5; 8:25). When He frees people from demons, He does so with the power and authority of His words (Mark 1:25; 5:7–8).

It appears that the locals like or respect this man. Like the crippled man who was let through the ceiling (Mark 2:1–12) and the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22–26), they bring him to Jesus. Neither the man with a legion of demons (Mark 5:1–13) nor blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46–52) received such a courtesy. Fortunately, even when we don't have friends to lift us up to God, He hears us where we are.

Mark 7:31–37 mentions only this one healed man and is the only Gospel to do so, while Matthew 15:29–31 describes Jesus healing a great crowd. It's possible that this one healing created the crowd mentioned in Matthew. Healing the deaf is associated with God's direct blessing (Isaiah 35:5) and the Old Testament does not record any account of a literally deaf person being healed; most mentions of ''deaf'' people are references to those who are spiritually hardened. The people praise Jesus not only for healing the deaf and mute man, but for doing it well.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.