GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 7:34
Empathy to Action
It has now been over two decades since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on Louisiana, especially the city of New Orleans, killing over 1,300 people and leaving damage of over $125 billion. It was one of those moments that focused national attention. The hurricane traveled north through Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and finally exhausted its energy as a tropical storm over Ohio. It was difficult for most people to “wrap their heads” around the scenes of homes flooded to the roof, and some above the roofline. There were stories of heroic rescues as the nation went into survival mode. It turned empathy to action.
In the days and months after Katrina, the nation went through a national crisis of empathy. People from across the U.S. went to Louisiana to “lend a helping hand.” Companies sent machinery to the region to help with the recovery. Many people who could not go personally sent money to organizations dedicated to helping. Even twenty years later, the recovery process continues. The recovery process has been uneven—some areas have made significant progress, while underserved neighborhoods still experience lingering damage. The population of the city remains 100,000 fewer than before the hurricane.
As Jesus and his disciples made the long walk from Galilee to Tyre and Sidon and through the Decapolis, some people brought to him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking. None of the writers explains exactly where this incident took place, but it may have been in the Decapolis—a group of cities located east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The cities were Greek-speaking and Roman-governed; therefore, the man described by Mark may have been non-Jewish. Mark said Jesus spat and touched his tongue and placed his fingers in his ears. “And after he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened!’” (Mark 7:34)
This short account describes a valuable lesson. First, Jesus sighed. The word here carries the meaning of uttering a groaning sigh—to sigh deeply. Writers think this sigh indicated Jesus’ empathy for the suffering of the man before him—a man limited in his ability to earn a living, raise a family, or occupy a prominent place in society. Second, Jesus issued a command—“Ephphatha,” or “be opened.” Jesus moved from empathy to action. Empathy is an admirable human trait, but it does not change a situation. Yet empathy moved to action can change a situation—it can help clean up New Orleans, build hospitals, change culture, or change the national direction.
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