This is My Story, This is My Song

Notice Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. Not him. Them, not him.

That’s important.

Jesus just healed a deaf and mute man. When the healing occurred, not only could he hear . . . but he could also speak (Mark 7:35). Think about that. He had never heard a word or a sentence or a paragraph in his life. Immediately, he was able to understand conversations and contribute, with understanding, conversations happening around him.

Immediate ability to use language – understandably – with those around him.

It would be the equivalent of me landing in China and immediately being able to understand and contribute to conversations going on around me. Actually, that’s too easy. I’ve heard Chinese words before. The formerly deaf man had never even heard words before. Yet he could hear and speak, with clarity.

Do you think Jesus was going to tell this man not to talk? No way. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. The crowd, not the formerly deaf and mute man.

Add to this the reality that his entire life, this deaf and mute man had been someone else’s story. Someone else had to share who he was. Someone else had to share what was going on with him. Someone else had to communicate who his parents were and where he was from. He never got to share his story.

Until now.

Jesus commanded them not to tell. Not him. He just learned to speak. He just learned to communicate, plainly. Not only that, he could share his story. He didn’t have to let someone else share. He got to do it. Jesus had made this man whole. Jesus gave this man a mouth to be able to speak. He had a story. He had his story.

Sometimes I wonder if, when it comes to making disciples, we don’t because we really don’t have a story to tell?

I wonder if we rely on hearing what Jesus has done to others?

I wonder if we keep our mouths closed because we don’t really have much of anything to say?

I get the feeling that there was ZERO chance the former deaf man was going to be quiet about what had happened. I wonder if there is ZERO chance we communicate the reality of Jesus because we haven’t experienced Him personally?

What is your story? What has Jesus done for you? What is Jesus doing in, for, and around you?

If Jesus told those around you to be quiet so you could share what happened to you, what would you say?