The Tongue of the Mute Will Sing Out Hope

For a second Sunday in a row the readings reveal a deep concern for the poor ones in our midst. It is enough to pause and consider today’s message within the context of a society blemished by mass shootings, hostage murders in the Holy Land and the desperate cry of those asking for a more peaceful time. Isaiah reminds all who long for some answers to wait in hope for a reversal of that status quo. James reminds us that God does in fact show partiality toward a select group in crisis. Meanwhile, the Gospel of Mark reminds us that it is possible to hear and speak a word of hope when one experiences personal or communal restoration. 

Isaiah highlights a time when the peaceful kingdom will be a light for all the world to see. The evidence of this comes from a reversal of fates. “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Is 35:5-6). This is another way to say that one day justice will be accessible to each person equitably, regardless of whether the person has the resources to pay for top counsel. In Isaiah’s time, it marks a return to the rule of law in one’s own land as opposed to living under the occupation of a greater power, like Babylon. Yet the reversal of fate imagery is a curious one in the New Testament, especially within the Beatitudes. The poor ones’ reversal is not to become rich but to inherit the kingdom: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20). 

The Letter of James continues a sentiment from last week’s description of true worship as care for the least ones, the widow and the orphan. This week, we have another thought-provoking piece of rhetoric: “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 2:1). James is calling into question favoritism within a worshiping assembly toward a man with fine clothes over a poor one. Favor no one, says James, in these situations. God, however, is depicted within Scripture as uniquely partial toward those who most need help. God does show favoritism, but in a manner that balances the lack of justice in our world as it is lived out on a daily basis. “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?” (Jas 2:5). Here we find partiality toward the poor in the world, to those who can become rich in faith and to those who love him.

Finally, the Gospel reading portrays a powerful reversal of fate for someone in need of help. After Jesus restores the deaf man’s ability to hear and speak, the witnesses show their approval of this hopeful moment: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mk 7:37). The entire scene encourages the hearers of this good news to open their own ears to the good news happening that may have gone unnoticed. The deaf man in this scene is given the unmerited gift of “opened ears” as Jesus says, “Ephphatha!” ( “Be opened!”) (Mk 7:34). The implied message is an invitation to us to be open in order to usher in the reversal of fate that all disciples are challenged to embrace. 

Does this message fall on deaf ears today? Be open, think differently, understand that God’s partiality comes from a way of seeing unlike our own. Think of the priest or deacon during a baptismal service for a newborn child who says toward the end of the rite, “May the Lord Jesus, who causes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak, touch your ears and loosen your tongue to embrace and proclaim the good news of the kingdom.”