I would like you to think ahead here just for a moment if you would please on an event that is upcoming in your life, something that is required of you, either later today, tomorrow, or next week perhaps. This function that you are required to attend, an occasion where your presence is necessary, something in your immediate future that you must attend, but you are definitely not looking forward to at all. Think intently on it for a minute, take a deep breath, hold it for a moment and then let it out with a deep sigh. Did you feel those emotions, that complete lack of anticipation, an almost dread, wishing you could find a way out of what you must do, but knowing that you might as well get used to the idea that it is going to happen, might as well get it over with.
“And they bring unto him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, be opened.” (Mark 7:32-34)
He sighed, our Lord looked up to Heaven, took a deep breath, held it for just a moment and then sighed. Here is a human trait completely devoid of sin, a very normal action that we almost all take on a regular basis, and yet many Christians do not like this verse, you will probably never hear a sermon on it, for it attributes to our Savior a part of humanity that we would rather not like to believe He had, He got tired of some people.
The vast majority of those who confess Christ do not want to look at this side of our Lord, it makes Him “too human” in their eyes, it tends to bring their perception of who He is down a few notches, it makes Him too much human and not enough God. Well, at least their idea of what they want God to be. He sighed, He was upset at the moment because nearly all these individuals that came to Him wanted nothing more than what He could do for them, heal their physical infirmity. It was like going to a doctor for them, the cure was virtually guaranteed, there was no obligation or appointment necessary, and you didn’t have to pay Him anything, what more could you ask for?
And so He sighed, He knew these things for a fact, come and get healed and then go about your business, He didn’t even tell them that they needed to stick around and hear His message, no passing around of the plate to take up an offering for the traveling miracle worker, possibly not even many “Thank you’s.” “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17) He sighed because it was starting to get a little old, show up, wait your turn, get healed, leave, and tomorrow would be the same thing.
Do not misunderstand me here, our Lord did not sigh because He was getting tired of the same old thing or looking forward to doing something that He did not want to do, He released that deep sigh because that was all most of those people wanted, fix my body, don’t concern yourself with my eternal soul, just heal me. The five thousand came and were fed, then the four thousand, and when He stopped feeding them, when He stopped giving them food for the nutrients that their bodies needed, they left. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.” (John 6:53) And then these left also. He looked at His disciples and said, “are you going to leave me also.” Peter answered Him, (John 6:68) and that one answer was worth all the sighing He had done, worth the knowledge that He had held since the foundation of the world, that almost all humans are only truly concerned with, one thing, themselves.
“Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.” (John 4:15) Are you beginning to see the pattern of humanity here, are you able to see more clearly the reason for that sigh? “A sermon, no thanks, I got what I wanted, thanks anyway, see you around.” Zacchaeus wasn’t looking for anything (Luke 19: 1-10), he just wanted to see this Jesus, this miracle worker, he was definitely not expecting to be noticed, why would Jesus look up into the tree he had climbed, but he listened intently, asked for nothing, and there were tears shed that day that his master died and again on the day that He rose from the dead. One of the leaders of the Children of Israel, Nicodemus, came to Him by night, wanting nothing more than His questions answered, needing to know if in fact this man the Messiah was. He left with all that he needed to know, and I am sure that he was no longer a leader within the religious sect after a very short time but began his life as a true servant of the Most High God.
Our Lord did not sigh after He left the presence of these and other men like them, I am going to guess there was a big smile on His face, they were not seeking anything from Him, all they wanted, all they needed was Him. I believe this is why I admire John the Baptist’s actions so much when he was in Herod’s prison house. All these people that came to Christ wanted only something for themselves, heal me, heal my daughter, judge between my brother and me (Deut. 6:16), feed us, I need this, give it to me now. John didn’t send his disciples to the Lord with a request for Him to get him out of prison before Herod decided to kill him, he did not ask for the kingdom to come immediately like so many presumed would happen, he didn’t even ask for a warm coat or a soft pillow, he wanted to know one thing and one thing only, are you the Christ. I can rot in this prison until I’m dead, if Herod wants to kill me tomorrow that’s alright with me, as long as I know for a fact that you are indeed the Christ of God, nothing else matters. There is a man of God my friends.
I’m going to presume that most of you that are reading this are people that pray, whether it be occasionally, at a set time, regularly, or without ceasing, as we are told to be in. (1 The. 5:17) The question is, what are you praying for? Are your prayers constantly around yourself, I need this, I want that, are you always seeking the Great Physician to heal you of your latest infirmity so you can get on with your life, or have you learned to be content in whatever state you are in. (Phil. 4:11) Far too many today are concerned only with themselves, and their prayers for others fall by the wayside most of the time. Many tend to think that our Lord should be concerned with us even when we are not truly concerned with others. When it seems like nearly all of our requests are centered around ourselves, I think He may still be sighing a lot.
