You’re Baptized; Stop Playing Deaf

Text: Mark 7:31-37

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

They brought Jesus a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. And they begged Jesus to lay His hands on him. This man couldn’t hear.  His ears were blocked.  Dead to sound. That was the issue. And because he couldn’t hear, his speech was garbled, twisted, and unclear.  Let me drive this point home a bit further.  If you can’t hear, you can’t speak rightly. That’s just how it works. And if you can’t hear—really hear—you’re cut off. You’re isolated. You’re trapped in yourself.  This is how it was with this man.

And so, this poor man was brought to Jesus. And what does Jesus do? Does Jesus wave a hand from a distance? No. He gets personal. He touches and invades the man’s personal space. Fingers in ears. Spit on the tongue. Eyes to heaven. A sigh. And then that powerful Word: 

Ephphatha! Be opened!

And just like that, the man’s ears were opened. His tongue was set loose. He could hear. He could speak.

Now, dear friends, do not let this escape you. This is not a sweet moral lesson about inclusion or physical restoration. This is not about Jesus fixing hearing loss so this man can now go enjoy music or have better conversations. No, even though this is a true story of a true deaf man being given ears to hear from the real Savior, it is also a living parable. In other words, this is a theological picture of what Christ does for every Christian. 

You see, like that man, you and I were born deaf - spiritually deaf. Yes, you were born spiritually deaf, dead, and with plugged ears because of sin.  Because of sin, you could not hear the Word of God. Not rightly. Not until Jesus opened your ears.

And when did that happen? For most of you here, it happened in your Baptisms.

Yes, in the waters of Holy Baptism, the Lord Jesus said to you: Ephphatha. Be opened. That is right, like the finger in the man’s ear, the Holy Spirit opened your deaf ears to hear. Not to hear entertainment. Not to hear motivational fluff. Not to hear your own thoughts reflected back to you in religious language. No, he opened your ears to the Word.

This is exactly what we believe, teach, and confess in our Small Catechism.  We clearly teach not that we found Jesus. Not that we figured it out on our own. Not that we got curious and pursued the truth. No, we believe, teach, and confess that:

“…[we] cannot by [our] own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, [our[ Lord, or come to Him.”

Did you hear that?  You couldn’t believe. You couldn’t come. The reason why: you were deaf, blind, tongue twisted, and dead in sin. Ah, but listen to this:

“The Holy Spirit called [you] by the Gospel, enlightened [you] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [you] in the true faith.”

He did the work. He opened your ears. He loosed your tongue. And now you hear. And now you confess.

But listen—don’t miss this next part. Those ears of yours? They weren’t opened for a one-time event. This wasn’t a one-and-done spiritual surgery. Your ears were not opened to hear once and then go back to spiritual deafness. No! Your ears were opened to keep hearing.

And this is where the Third Commandment comes crashing into this sermon. 

Remember what the Third Commandment teaches us? It says, 

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

But what does this mean?  It means that you and I:

“…should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”

In other words, we are not to hear the Word of God occasionally. We are not to hear it half-heartedly. But instead, we are to hear it gladly. Why? Because your ears were opened to receive this Word not just once, and not just twice, but continually.

But let’s cut through the pious fog. Too many naïve Christians think the Third Commandment is just about getting your rear in a pew once a week, as if church attendance is some kind of holy checklist. As if God is some insecure deity counting heads.

“Ah, you made it. Good job. Check.”

But dear friends, that is not what the Third Commandment is about.  That is not even close. You see, you can sit in a pew for 30 years with plugged ears. You can nod politely with a pious smile while sermons go in one ear and out the other. You can mouth hymns while your heart is elsewhere. That is to say, this is not hearing, and it is not gladly receiving.

Sit up in your pew. 

Listen!

The Third Commandment is not a law of location. Instead, it is about protecting the gift of listening to God’s Word. 

* * *

Everything we are discussing this morning is about God opening your ears, not to waste your time, but to fill you. To nourish you. To feed you. To strengthen you.

And why do you need strengthening? Because your old Adam—the sinful nature—is lazy, stubborn, and spiritually deaf. The old Adam wants nothing to do with God’s Word. He’ll give you every excuse:

“I’m too tired.”

“I’ve heard it all before.”

“It’s not relevant.”

“I can worship at home.”

Lies. Every one of them. Lies whispered by your sinful nature and shouted by the devil. And behind every excuse is the old Adam grumbling,

“I don’t want to hear God’s Word.”

And so we must say it plainly: neglecting the Word is sin. Skipping church because of laziness? Sin. Coming to church but refusing to actually hear and learn? Sin. Treating the sermon like background noise? Sin. Saying that you are confirmed and have nothing else to learn?  Sin. And yes, pastors: preaching fluff, neglecting Law and Gospel, and failing to feed the sheep? Sin.

So what do we do?

In a word: Repent.

You need to repent of ears that don’t want to hear. You need to repent of hearts that despise the Word. You need to repent of breaking the Third Commandment, not just with your calendar, but with your attitude.  Yes, you and I need to repent.  … and then, we need to listen. 

* * *

Baptized Saints, right here and right now, listen to the One who says to you again today: Ephphatha. Be opened.

Listen to the One who opened your ears in Baptism and opens them again through preaching.

Listen to the One who fills your ears with words that forgive and strengthen and comfort.

Listen to the voice that speaks through the Scriptures, the liturgy, the sermon, and the Supper.

Listen to the Gospel,

“You who neglect the Word of God with lazy, deaf ears, you are forgiven. Your dead and lazy ears have been buried in Christ’s wounds, and you have been given ears to hear.  Ears not for noise, but for truth. Not for background chatter, but for life. Not for tips and techniques, but ears to hear that you were bought not with gold or silver but with His holy, precious blood so that you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom with open ears.

* * *

Baptized Saints, it is important to stress today that you do not go to church to check a box. You come to church to hear that your sins are forgiven. You come to hear that Christ has died for you.  You come to hear that you are not alone in Christ’s church.  You come to hear that Jesus has done all things well for you. And, as already implied, this hearing doesn’t stop at the sanctuary doors. The Word you receive today goes with you. The Scriptures, the Introit, the Kyrie, the hymns, the sermon — these are not just Sunday noise. They are fuel for your week. They are truth in a world of lies. They are comfort for this week’s upcoming sorrows. They are life in the face of death.

So, again, do not despise preaching and His Word. Do not act as though your ears were never opened. Do not listen once and forget. Rather, return again and again. Gladly hear and learn. You are a Christian who has open ears.

And remember, when you fail — and you will — do not make a list of lame excuses.  Instead, boldly repent. Confess it. And listen again, for your Lord is faithful. He who opened your ears in Baptism continues to speak forgiveness to you: you are forgiven for Christ’s sake. 

Hear and rejoice. Hear and believe. Your Lord has opened you to receive—so receive!

Take it in.

Let it echo in your heart throughout the week.

Let it shape your work, your home, your conversations, your sorrow, and your joy.

Your ears were opened to hear. Not just once. But always.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.