Level 3
Lesson 18: Jesus Understands

Think for a minute or two about your ears and what kind servants they are to you.

What wakes you in the morning? It is the sound of your mother’s voice calling, “Time to get up, John. Wake up, Mary.”

Did you ever wake up early and listen to the birds singing? Or perhaps your cat comes and scratches at the bedroom door, or your puppy gives a bark to tell you he is awake.

The clock strikes seven, and you know it is breakfast time.

On the way to school, the car’s horn tells you to be careful in crossing the road. Perhaps you have a school bell, and when it rings you know it is time to hurry. At school you hear your teacher’s voice, the music of the piano for singing.

I expect you would know your friends’ voices with your eyes shut. How happily you can talk with them.

But suppose you could neither hear nor talk! You would be deaf and dumb (not able to talk). How sad that would be!

Once a deaf man was brought by his friends to Jesus. This deaf man was tongue-tied, too, so even if he could have heard he could not have spoken.

The deaf and dumb man felt afraid of the big crowd of people. Jesus knew he was afraid, and took him away by himself and smiled kindly at him.

He put His fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue, to let the man know that He understood his troubles and wanted to help him.

The poor deaf and dumb man saw Jesus look up to heaven. The people around heard Jesus sigh, and then say a long word, “Eph-pha-tha,” which meant, “Be open.”

And immediately the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue was loosed. He could hear and he began to speak plainly.

And all the people were amazed, saying: “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf and dumb to speak.”

When the man went home he could hear his wife and children when they spoke to him. He could answer their questions. He could tell them, “Jesus gave me my hearing and made me able to speak. How good He is!”