Mark 7:31-35 (New International Version)
The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man
31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.[a] 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.Max talked about the word, "sigh" and it's meaning. Dictionary.com says: 1. to let out one's breath audibly, as from sorrow, weariness or relief. 2. to yearn or long; pine
Now, I am sure that the #1 meaning was the sound that was made, but Max stated that when Jesus let out that deep sigh, prior to saying "Ephphatha!", that the sigh described is one of a hybrid of frustration and sadness. It lies somewhere between a fit of anger and burst of tears.
This is where I am. These are my sighs of late and when I post my frustrations and my sighs, this is the best way to describe what they are. Sometimes I feel burdened to speak out, yet because of my "position", I need to hold tight, the reins of my mouth and attitude. Perhaps, I feel a bit better knowing that Jesus let go of such feelings as well. After-all, he was known to turn over a table or two in the temple. (see Matthew 21) It's all about a righteous anger. I guess I struggle with just leaving it with a deep sigh. (I tend to open my mouth) My heavy heart on many issues speaks out and my flesh wants to bite back. I need to practice looking into the heavens and do more deep sighing.
I'd probably stay out of trouble that way. :)
So, when you see me "sighing"....you might understand a little bit more. No, I'm not always sighing that deeply, but there is a point to them.
Thanks for reading :)
Thank you for the words, Val. They meant something to me today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Cindi :)
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