The people who had seen the miracle Jesus had done, were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:37.
They were exactly right. “He has done all things well.”
We might think of it this way: He has done all things well, acceptable, OK. God the Father declares such when He raises Jesus Christ from the dead and then exults him to the highest glory at His right hand in heaven.
Now, we who have believed in him have all the benefits of this. Jesus has done all things well -- for us and for our salvation. Another acceptable way of saying this statement is, “He has done all things beautifully.” We can say such a thing, rejoicing and praising God for all that our Lord Jesus has done for us in his life, his suffering and death, and his glorious resurrection and ascension to heaven where he now watches over us, loves us and is preparing a place for us.
The crowds were talking that day, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” It had become so nicely clear to everyone that Jesus was the fulfillment of all God’s promises, like he had said in Isaiah’s prophecy: “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see” (Isaiah 29:18). These miracles of Jesus were leading people to believe and confess the first and most basic creed: “Jesus is Lord.” He is the God of heaven come to earth. He is one and the same Lord who led the forefathers of old, who now when the time was right came to make everything good and restored between God and sinners, to open the ears of the deaf and the lips of the mute and the eyes of the blind, to bring health to the sick and life to the dying and the dead, to save the lost and return those who have gone astray, in summary, He has done all things well.
That ought to be a very easy sentence to keep in your mind and in your heart in the days ahead. Happily recall these words, “He has done all things well.” And each time you remember those words, consider the two ways in which it’s so good for you that he has done all things well. First, it’s good because you and I need him to do all things well. We need him to fix what is wrong. We need him to do all those things that he does so well and beautifully. You and I are the sinners for whom he died. We are the dying mortals for whom he came to bring life. We are the ones at enmity with each other and with heaven, so we need him to do all things to bring us peace and reconciliation.
Secondly, it’s good for us that he has done all things well, because there are so many things that we don’t do well. We need him to do what we can’t.
Anyone who cares a little to listen to what God says, soon finds that the word of God is sharp like a sword and it cuts, it stings, it leaves a mark. God says you are to love: love God, love each other, love your neighbor. And it stings as you remember all your unloving thoughts, words and deeds. Love God, it says, but we have not been loyal when we should have. Love your neighbor it says, but each loves his own self so much that they are stingy with love toward others. Every sinner must admit, I don’t do things well. So now every sinner should rejoice to say, He has done all things well. If you haven’t loved the Lord, thanks be to God, He loves you. You’ve struggled to love and help your neighbor. Even the closest neighbors who live under your own roof, You’ve too often neglected them, pursuing your own interest and preoccupations. But He has done all things well. And the Lord helps them, cares for them, loves those dear ones better than you ever could.
Back to the passage from Mark 7. Some people brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Because he couldn’t hear words, he had great difficulty producing words. Jesus gave him both hearing and speech, miraculously. The miracle of Jesus is, in doing all things well, he fixes and saves lives. He opens eyes to see. He opens ears to hear. He opens lips to talk. He opens minds to understand and hearts to believe. He still does miracles today. You gotta believe that. Imagine that deaf man’s life before, the disappointment, the frustration of lifelong impairment and disability. Can you picture him with his disability, looking around at all the other people in his town, who visiting and gabbing away, talking about their business, their families, their hopes and dreams. It’s not too hard to imagine, because everyone of us, has had our share of disappointments and frustrations, of hopes never realized, of dreams never to come true. But then this deaf mute is changed and transformed by he who does all things well. It is as if he’s given a whole new life.
So consider your life without the help of the Lord. Disappointments, regrets, failures on your part, and failures on the part of others that left you suffering and at a loss. Looking back at past mistakes make you feel foolish. Looking back and seeing missed opportunities to be loving, nice, helpful to those in need -- it makes you feel guilty and disappointed in yourself. Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that he who does all things well, that he is doing great things for you? Even if you don’t see it like the deaf man saw Jesus and felt Jesus touch his ears and tongue, believe that Jesus can and is doing miracles for you, transforming, life-changing miracles. Miracles to forgive your sins and give you a new, fresh start on life; Miracles of forgiveness that take guilt away and overcome regrets.
In the Matins service we pray for what seems like a small miracle, but it’s powerful. “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise” (Psalm 51:15). Dear Lord, take away our impediments, and we will serve you with our speaking and doing and living. Take away our lovelessness, and we will love you and our neighbor. Take away our doubts, and we will show forth our unshakable faith. Take away our guilt and nagging regrets from the past and we will confidently approach the future with you. Open our lips and we will declare your praise. Open opportunities and we will serve you, here and now in this life and always and forever in your Kingdom to come.
Amen.
