EPHPHATHA (BE OPEN)

Ephphatha is an Aramaic (or Syriac) word found only once in the New Testament, in Mark 7:34. Mark also gives the meaning of the word: “be opened.” Jesus spoke this word when He healed a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. Mark, more than the other gospel writers, included the exact words Jesus spoke. The recording of Jesus’ exact expressions shows the influence of Peter, an eyewitness, on Mark’s writing.

Jesus was ttravellingthrough the region of Decapolis when some people brought to Him a man “who was deaf and could hardly talk” (Mark 7:31). Jesus took the man aside, “away from the crowd,” and put His fingers into the man’s ears (verse 33). Then Jesus spits and touched the man’s tongue with the moisture. He did not have to go through such physical actions, and in other miracles of healing, Jesus simply spoke a word (e.g., Matthew 8:8, 13), but in this case, He chose to.

After touching the man’s ears and tongue, Jesus “looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’” (Mark 7:34). The posture of prayer signified Jesus’ connection to the Father, in whose name He acted. The deep sigh was a sign of Jesus’ commiseration with the man’s plight and of His sorrow over the sin in the world and its lamentable fallout.

When Jesus said, “Ephphatha!” the results were immediate: “At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly” (Mark 7:35). Jesus then commanded the man not to tell anyone about the healing (verse 36). But the man used his newfound speech to spread the news anyway. People were “completely amazed” (verse 37, NLT), and they praised the Lord, saying, “He has done everything well. . . . He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (verse 37).

interestingly, Jesus rarely healed people in the same way. Sometimes He merely spoke (Matthew 12:13). Other times He laid His hands on them, and they were healed (Luke 13:10–13). One time He spits on the ground and made mud to place on a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6–7), and another time He healed a leper by touching the man and speaking to him (Mark 1:41–42). The details of each miracle vary slightly. The variety of methods Jesus used eliminates confidence in any one technique or modus operandi. Healing is not the product of any talisman, spell, or process. Healing comes from the power of God.

THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

 

A sermon presented on Easter Sunday 17th April 2022 by 8 is @ City Of Hope Assembly Inc. Aka. God's City Rukuba Road Jos, Plateau State Nigeria.

Christianity was founded on power and has thrived thereafter through the display of God’s power (Gen.1:1-3). Hebrews 1:3 states that God upholds all things by the word of his power. On this Easter Sunday, it is very appropriate we reflect on the place of God’s power in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:8, enjoins us to remember that Jesus was raised from the dead.
Why is this necessary that we remember that Jesus was raised from the dead?

+ One, remembrance strengthens our faith. At communion, we remember his death (1 Cor.11:23-26). In Matthew 28:6, when Christ rose from the dead, an angel testified to the women who came to the tomb thus, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6 NKJV). This means there was evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. When we remember his resurrection we are celebrating the power that raised him from the dead.

+ Two, remembrance gives us hope. Remembrance reminds us of the victory of Calvary. 1 Corinthians:2:8 read, “which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (I Corinthians 2:8 NKJV). The death and resurrection of Jesus gave birth to the Church and its over two billion adherents today. His resurrection brought unquantifiable blessings to the Church and the world.

+ Three, remembering the resurrection of Christ gives us hope that we shall be raised with him in future even after our death. Paul wrote, “knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and will present us with you” (II Corinthians 4:14; 1 Cor.6:14; 1 Cor.15:20)

+ Four, his resurrection reminds us that he was raised by the Spirit of the Father, and that same Spirit dwells in us and would give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11).

This Easter Sunday, we cannot but reflect on the mystery behind the power that raised Jesus from the dead. That power is the same today and forever, it has not lost its power. Let us consider some of the outworkings of this power over time.

God displayed his power at creation, and the whole of creation attests to the power of God (Gen. 1:1-3; Romans 1:20).

God challenged Abraham to believe in his power to give him a son from his wife Sarai. God eventually gave Abraham a son even when they had passed the age of child-bearing (Gen.18:13-14; Jere.32:17).

God delivered Israel from Egypt by his awesome power (Exodus 7:3-5; 14:31; Psalm 78:42-50.).

God demonstrated His power to Israel in the wilderness through supernatural provisions (Num.11:21-23).

God displayed his power at the conception of Jesus (Lk.1:34-35)

Jesus grew up demonstrating the power of God through signs and wonders (Acts 10:38; Matt.11:4-6).

The resurrection of Jesus was the greatest display of God’s power (Mt.12:38-40; Rom.1:4).
The list of God’s power on display down the ages is endless.

We are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ at a time when our nation is plagued with Carlos and wanton destruction of lives and property, the world is being ravaged by COVID-19. At present, close to two million people were in their hospital beds bedridden by this deadly virus. While thousands have died, millions of others are living in fear. Many would-be asking, what is the relevance of Christ’s resurrection power to my condition? Others, in subdued tones, would wonder, can the resurrection power heal me? The answer is, yes his resurrection power can heal, it can deliver, it can set free, can prosper, can bless. It can do all things, it can end your tears, it can give you a husband or wife, it can wipe your tears, it can end your shame, it can end your battles.

Yes, but with the power of his resurrection, all things are possible.

Happy Easter to you from your partner

Dr I. D. Samuel 

What's so Good About Good Friday?

Why do we call Good Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day of suffering and death for the man of Galilee even Jesus the Christ?

What’s So Good about Good Friday?

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian holy day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday. 

It is the day his death certificate gave me my birth certificate.

The day his incrimination certified my justification 

It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.

For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all by what God had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).

On Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10). It is followed by Easter, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith (Romans 6:5).

What is the Meaning of Calling it "Good" Friday?

Still, why call the day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad Friday” or something similar? Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from their sins.

For the good news of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance only makes sense once we see how we are enslaved. Another way of saying this is that it is important to understand and distinguish between law and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our condition is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace comes and brings us relief and salvation.

In the same way, Good Friday is “good” because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful day of suffering, sorrow, and shed blood at the cross, God could not be both “just and the justifier” of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was the death blow in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from bondage.

The cross is where we see the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. Psalms 85:10 sings of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross of Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness, coincided with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly took our divine punishment, the result of God’s righteousness against sin. “For the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to his resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of God’s reign of righteousness and peace.

Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.

When Is Good Friday This Year?

This year, Good Friday is today Friday, April 15th, 2022. Good Friday is always the Friday before Easter. 

Good Friday Bible Verses

Romans 5:6-10 - "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might dare to die? But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

1 Peter 2:24 - “He bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds, you have been healed.”

Isaiah 53:3-5 - "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed."

Matthew 27 - The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ

John 3:16-17 - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him."

Mark 9:31 - "For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

HALLELUJAH!!!

Happy Easter from Your Partner

Dr I. D. Samuel

The Primate