Daily Reading 21

"He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, 'Ephphatha!' (which means, 'Be opened!')." -Mark 7:34

So there was this guy that Jesus had pulled aside from a big group in order to heal him. I think that it's interesting that he pulled him aside. He didn't want people to make a fuss about the fact that he was performing a miracle. (So Jesus wasn't like most of those TV preachers who want everyone to watch them perform miracles. He didn't get paid by people at home watching either.)
The bible tells us that this man could not hear or speak. People really wanted Jesus to heal him. They actually brought him to Jesus.
Something that didn't catch my attention when I read the verse above for the first time, was the word sigh. This is the point that Mr. Lucado brought to our attention. Isn't it a little weird that Jesus is sighing? He's not sighing because he is impatient or because he can't make someone understand. He is sighing because he could see the helplessness that the man felt. He sighed because he understood his frustration. I have a sister who is hearing impaired and she is often frustrated in a situation when hearing people all talk quickly and face away from her. I can only imagine that this man, who could not hear anything or speak clearly would be HIGHLY ticked on many occasions because he couldn't communicate.
Jesus is sighing to express to God that he gets this man's frustration. He is being a go between to God, sharing the man's concerns. The bible tells us that Jesus will go to God for us. When we're feeling lost, alone, confused, frustrated, angry, or even doubtful, we can tell Jesus. He gets it. He sighs for us and lets our Father know.