‘And he took him aside from the crowd privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue, and looking up to heaven he sighed and says to him, “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened”. And his ears were opened and the bond of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly.'
‘He took him aside from the crowd privately.' It may be that this was from compassion as He recognised the man's sensitivity, but it also demonstrated that what was to happen was for the disciples' eyes alone. But more, it signified what He had done with the disciples. He had separated them out so that He could open their deaf ears and enable their tongues to speak. And shortly that would be so.
‘Put His fingers into his ears.' The finger of God is a feature in the Old Testament. The ten commands of the covenant were written with the finger of God (Deuteronomy 9:10) and the non-Jewish (therefore ‘Gentile') magicians themselves recognised in the miracles in Egypt the finger of God (Exodus 8:19). It is probable then that Jesus wished His disciples later to see that God's message through both word and miracle (both ‘fingers of God') was applied to the deaf ear so that it heard, and that it was first a message of what He was doing for them also and secondly what He would do for both Jew and Gentile.
‘And he spat and touched his tongue.' It was from the mouth of Jesus that the man's tongue would be loosed. Again the whole symbolism demonstrated that God through Jesus' power and words would unstop first the disciples' ears and tongues, and then the ears and tongues of both Jews and Gentiles, and would make them speak freely as promised in Isaiah 35. It was a physical demonstration that He was here to introduce the new age.
‘And looking up to heaven He sighs and says to him, “Ephphatha”.' The fact that Jesus looked up to heaven was significant. For the idea of looking up to heaven see Mark 6:41; John 11:41; compare Job 22:26. In each case He was looking for the miraculous power of God to work in extreme cases. It was symbolic of calling on God. Only God could unstop men's ears and loosen their tongues. ‘He sighs (or groans)'. This was because He had in mind mankind in its deafness and what would be involved in its relief. ‘And says, “Be opened”.' This was the longing of His heart. First that the ears of His disciples might be opened, and then through them the ears of all of those given to Him by the Father. He saw in this man, and wanted His disciples to see, the whole future of redeemed mankind.
‘Ephphatha.' Mark regularly gives us the Aramaic actually spoken by Jesus, compare Mark 3:17; Mark 5:41; Mark 7:11; Mark 11:9; Mark 14:36; Mark 15:22; Mark 15:34. At important moments he wants to record Jesus' exact words. A translation was not sufficient.
‘His ears were opened and the bond of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly.' The man was made whole and fully restored. His ears were opened and he could hear and speak plainly (see Isaiah 32:4).
‘The bond of his tongue'. His tongue was as though it had been bound. Now it was free to speak freely. There are really no grounds for connecting it with the man needing to be freed from a demon. Jesus' whole method used here is against that. He never touched those possessed by evil spirits, He exercised His authority with a word of command.
Many commentators connect the healing methods used here with the fact that saliva was seen in those days as having natural healing, or even magical, qualities. But Jesus had no need for such methods. On the other hand it may be that as this was Gentile territory he did use the spittle partly as an aid to faith, compare also Mark 8:23, also in Gentile territory. It would identify the man more closely with Him.