The Healing of the Deaf & Mute Man

Community Group Discussion Guide 

Mark 7:31-37- The Healing of the Deaf and Mute Man 

Icebreakers:
1. Have you ever had a close friend or friends that were deaf or unable to speak? How did you find a way to communicate with them? 
2. What is one of the weirdest miracles or supernatural events that you have personally witnessed? 

Scripture:
Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 32They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. 33Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:31-37 NASB 

Read Verses 31-32: Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 32They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. 

1. Jesus finds Himself in the Decapolis where He had previously delivered the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. The people asked Jesus to leave the first time but now they are bringing to Him those who are in need of healing. What role do you believe the demon-possessed man from Mark 5:20 played in what is about to take place? 
2. How important is it that we fulfill our individual callings or ministry? What is God calling you to do, or walk in right now? 
3. They asked Jesus to lay hands on this man, But Jesus is going to do something else. Do you ever feel like we put God into a box of what we think it should look like when He moves?  

Read Verses 33-34: 33Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

1. Why do you think Jesus pulled this man aside from the rest of the crowd? 
2. Jesus is touching this man's ears and this man's mouth. Both are where this man's primary issue lies. Talk about specific areas that God has touched in your life to bring about healing. 
3. What are some reasons why Jesus healed this man in such a unique way? 

Read Verse 35: 35And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.
1. This is an instantaneous healing done by the hands of Jesus. If the man would have been able to speak after this, that would have been amazing in and of itself. But it says he could speak plainly. In John 10:10 Jesus says that He came to give life abundantly, not just life itself. What does it look like to live the abundant life of Christ in our lives? 

Read Verses 36-37: 36And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
1. The news of Jesus could not be contained inside of these people. Have you ever experienced a time where you just HAD to speak what the Lord was showing or speaking to you? Read Jeremiah 20:1-9 for reference of hat is happening internally when that takes place. 
2. The people declared "He has done all things well". What are some things that you are thankful for that Jesus has "done well" in your life? 
3. How can you and I encourage others that do not fully believe that Jesus does "all things well". 

Read Isaiah 35:4-8: Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. 7The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. Isaiah 35:4-8 NASB
1. This prophecy was written hundreds of years before the life of Jesus to foretell the Messianic age that was coming. How can we take comfort from this prophecy while living during a time of gloom and destruction?