MARK vii. 33, 34. “He
touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and
said, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.”
I. WE have here set before us the foundation and con-
dition of all true work for God in the Lord’s heaven-
ward look. The heavenward look is the renewal of our
own vision of the calm verities in which we trust—the
recourse for ourselves to the realities which we desire
that others should see. The heavenward look draws new
strength from the source of all our might. If our prayer,
our longing, trustful look, is turned to the heavens,
we shall not speak in vain on earth when we say, “Be
opened.”
II. Let us look at the pity for the evils we would remove
set forth by the Lord’s sigh. Pity that is not based upon
and corrected by the look to heaven is dangerous; pity
that does not issue in strenuous work is more dangerous
still.
III. We have here loving contact with those whom
we would help set forth in the Lord’s touch. Whenever
men would help their fellows, this is a prime requisite,
that the would-be helper should come down to the level
of those whom he desires to aid.
IV. We have here the true healing power and the con-
sciousness of wielding it set forth in the Lord’s authorita-
tive word. The reflection of Christ’s triumphant conscious-
ness of power should irradiate our spirits as we do His
work. The pattern of our work is before us in the Lord’s
look, His sigh, His touch, His word.
Alexander Maclaren, D.D.