• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog Features
  • Bible
  • Contact
Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

JESUS TO HEALED MUTE: DON’T TELL ANYONE

Stephen M. Miller
map of Israel at time of Jesus
JESUS IN LEBANON. Jesus takes a road trip to what is now Lebanon, where he says some strange things to people who aren't Jews. Map by Stephen M. Miller, CasualEnglishBible.com.

ONE OF THE ODDEST stories in the Gospel of Mark is the tale of Jesus healing a deaf man who could hardly talk—and then asking him not to tell anyone.

Really, Jesus?

Why do you think Jesus asks the healed gent who could suddenly speak clearly to keep his mouth shut?

Here’s how I paraphrased the story in Mark 7, which I released last week for the Casual English Bible.

Healing a man with a touch of spit

7:31. Jesus left the area of Tyre, traveled up to Sidon,[1] and then headed back to the Sea of Galilee and to the region of the Ten Cities.[2]

7:32. Some people brought to Jesus a deaf man who could barely speak. The people pleaded with Jesus to put his hand on the man and heal him.

7:33. Jesus met with the man privately. Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit[3] on his own fingers and placed those fingers onto the man’s tongue.

7:34. Jesus looked up toward the sky. With a heavy sigh he said, “Open!”

7:35. Instantly, the man’s ears opened; he could hear. And his tongue started moving; he could speak clearly.

7:36. Jesus told the man who had just learned to speak not to tell anyone. But the more Jesus told people to stay quiet, the more they didn’t. News about Jesus spread everywhere.

7:37. Absolutely astonished, the people said, “Whatever he does, he does it well. He’s the healer who gives sound to folks who can’t hear and words to folks who can’t talk.”


Q&A, from Leader’s Guide & Atlas

Q

To heal a man who was deaf and unable to speak clearly, “Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit on his own fingers and placed those fingers onto the man’s tongue” (7:33). That’s odd. Why do you think Jesus did something like this? Normally, all he had to do was provide a touch or a word.

A

Some Bible experts speculate that Jesus did this to help build the faith of people by using techniques and remedies that were familiar to them. Here’s what the footnote to this verse contributes to the discussion: “Saliva was an ingredient that shows up in many remedies preserved from Roman writings in the first Christian century. One example from a collection of science books written by a man named Pliny (AD 23-79): ‘To cure inflammation of the eyes, wash the eyes each morning with spit from your overnight fast.’ Source: Natural History, Remedies from Living Creatures, book 28, chapter 10.”

Q

Once again, Jesus tells someone he healed to keep the healing a secret. But with this particular healing, it seems incredibly inappropriate to make that request. “Jesus told the man who had just learned to speak not to tell anyone” (7:36). That’s like telling someone who wakes up one morning singing like Julie Andrews in the “Sound of Music,” and dancing like Ginger Rogers in any of those routines with Fred Astaire, to put a cork in it, stretch out on the couch, and watch the Hallmark Channel. Did Jesus really think the man was going to keep quiet?

A

It’s hard to explain why Jesus would say something like this to a man who had just learned to talk clearly. In fact, it sounds cruel. But, maybe Jesus was using some of the sarcasm he may have used with that lady in the area of Tyre. Or maybe he was that desperate to dial down his profile so he could get his message out before the Jewish leaders could knock him down and hang him up.


Notes

[1] 7:31. Sidon is a coastal town in what is now Lebanon, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Tyre.

[2] 7:31. Decapolis. See the note for Mark 5:20.

[3] 7:33. Saliva was an ingredient that shows up in many remedies preserved from Roman writings in the first Christian century. One example from a collection of science books written by a man named Pliny (AD 23-79): “To cure inflammation of the eyes, wash the eyes each morning with spit from your overnight fast.” Source: Natural History, Remedies from Living Creatures, book 28, chapter 10.

Casual English Bible
Bible Gateway

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

Like this:

Like Loading...
View All Posts - Ordered by Most Recent First
« Previous
Next »

About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Casual English Bible Website

Featured Book

Complete Guide to the Bible

Complete Guide to the Bible
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Google Play

Latest Posts

  • When our faith glitches May 5, 2025
  • Job is the right book for me now April 16, 2025
  • Q for AI: “Do most scholars say Jesus never existed?” April 3, 2025

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog Features
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Stephen M. Miller · All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Reject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
%d