Jesus left the district of Tyre and went

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went . . . into the district of the Decapolis

Before we get into today’s reading (Mark 7:31), let’s rewind two chapters.   Do you remember how, in Mark 5, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man?   Because of this great miracle, the man who was cured wanted to follow Jesus.   But Jesus told him instead to  “Go . . . announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you” (Mark 5:19).

And that’s exactly what he did.   This man went out into the Decapolis, a region heavily influenced by Greek, Gentile culture, and began talking with people about what Jesus had done for him.

Now jump back to today’s reading (Mark 7:31).   Lo and behold, Jesus goes into the Decapolis himself.   When he arrives, he finds people who are open.   Apparently, they’ve heard that Jesus is a healer, because they bring him a man with a hearing and speech impediment.   After Jesus heals the man, the people are astounded — so much so that they can’t help but tell others (Mark 7:36).

Don’t you think the man from Mark 5 had a part to play in the people’s openness?   His words must have softened their hearts and piqued their interest in Jesus.   Then the seeds he planted blossomed when these people encountered the Lord for themselves.

In the same way, you can sow seeds of faith — by your kindness, by showing mercy to someone who has wronged you, by sharing about what God has done in your own life.   Those seeds have great potential to play a part in someone’s openness to the Lord.   God really can use your witness to soften hearts and to stir up interest.

Of course, even after you’ve planted seeds of faith, you don’t always see people taking steps toward the Lord.   Still, you can trust that God is working, even if you can’t detect any evidence of it.   Just as the man from Mark 5 probably never knew that Jesus was going to visit the Decapolis again, we never know when Jesus will “visit” the people with whom we’ve shared our faith.   So let’s keep planting those seeds—and leave it to the Lord to make them bloom someday!

Word Among Us