“ Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him. A fter 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. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. ” (Mark 7:31-35)

In Mark 7:31–35 Jesus healed a deaf man with a speech impediment by a rather unique procedure. Placing his fingers in the man’s ears and his saliva on the deaf man’s tongue, Jesus looked up to heaven and sighed deeply as he spoke, “Be opened!” Was his sigh indicative of the pain he felt for those afflicted by the brokenness of our world? Was Jesus empowering this man’s faith by appealing to his senses through touch and taste? Others had brought this deaf man to Jesus. Now it was his turn to believe in the impossible. Jesus enabled him through this sensory process to have faith. Serving leaders empower others to believe in the unthinkable. They inspire faith and courage. Also note that Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd to perform this miracle. He did not heal to boost his popularity or to build a greater power base. Jesus served out of a heart of love. Serving leadership is authenticated by proper heart motivation.

KEY QUESTIONS: What motivates me to lead? How do I empower others? How might I inspire faith and courage in my children, or in my co-workers or in those I lead organizationally? What is currently happening in my life that requires me to respond with an act of faith?