We should not ignore geography. Jesus kept moving, because He had business to do: announcing the kingdom of heaven, and training His disciples how to do the same.  After healing the child of the Gentile woman on the Mediterranean coast, He then travelled many miles to what is now Jordan and Syria, to heal a deaf-mute man.  But why did Jesus travel so far for two Gentile nobodies?  This was another important lesson for the trainee apostles.

Jesus specialises in people that others despise.  He loves them!  This man could not speak because he had never heard.  This was a parable of the Jewish nation who had no right to speak for God because they refused to listen to Him (Acts 7:51).  Although his caring friends begged for a physical miracle, Jesus announced that He would do much more.  "Ephphatha" – 'be completely opened' - is God's command to every human heart.  

This was a real-life drama acting out the message to the disciples.  Friends brought the deaf man to Jesus, who used sign language to indicate what He would do ... and invited the man to believe in Him. The word of command was not audibly heard but as Jesus spoke, the Creator addressed His creation - and hearing came immediately.  Clear speech then became natural.  In the same way, when the Holy Spirit explained the ministry to the apostles at Pentecost, they were able to speak about the wonder of salvation in the many languages of the Gentile world (Acts 2:4-11).

For the disciples, as for us, the first evangelistic lesson is that everybody is deaf to the call of Jesus.  But Jesus can and does break the sound barrier!  When our friends and colleagues hear the Lord speaking to them, a miracle has taken place.  I wonder how many of us beg the Lord to open the ears of our spiritually deaf friends and family.  As He attracts their attention, using our introductions, so He issues an inaudible summons that they can hear!  This should be another reminder to keep praying with urgency, and to keep introducing the spiritually deaf to Jesus ... shouldn't it!?