GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 7:35
Hearing and Speaking
Hearing often translates into action. But what happens when one hears incorrectly? In the 1942 film Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart (aka Rick Blaine) said, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’” What audiences remembered Bogart saying was “Play it again, Sam,” which became the most famous line of the film. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell, in making the first phone call ever, said, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” People listening heard “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you,” which became the line recorded in history books.
At the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War in 1854, Lord Raglan ordered his troops to “attack the guns,” referring to a specific artillery battery. However, the Light Brigade commander heard and communicated the order as “Charge the Russian artillery in the valley.” The Brigade charged into a fortified artillery position, resulting in over 600 soldiers being killed or wounded because of a mishearing.
In the region of the Decapolis, helpers brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking. They asked Jesus to place his hands on him for healing. Jesus took the man aside, placed his hands on him, and prayed for his healing. “And immediately his ears were opened, and the band of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke plainly.” (Mark 7:35) The sequence here is that the man’s ears were opened, healed, and then he spoke plainly, healed.
In several places in the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes that he who has ears should hear (e.g., Matt. 13:9, 13:43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; Rev. 2:7,11). The emphasis is on correct hearing, which can lead to correct behavior. At a meeting recently, some people in the audience held their cell phones discreetly held below the table, reading them as the speaker explained his position. It’s legitimate to ask whether they heard correctly and whether that will affect how they act and what they say.
An application from Mark’s story might be to hear well and speak plainly.
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