Patterico's Pontifications

9/9/2018

Sunday Music: Bach Cantata BWV 35

Filed under: Bach Cantatas,General,Music — Patterico @ 12:01 am



It is the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost. The title of today’s Bach cantata is “Geist und Seele wird verwirret” (Spirit and soul become confused). Today we have a live performance, which is always fun:

Today’s Gospel reading is Mark 7:24-37:

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man

Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The text of today’s piece is available here. It contains these words:

You give hearing to the deaf,
speech back to the dumb,
indeed, even more,
at a word You open the lids of the blind.
These, these are miracles,
and their power
is inexpressible even to the choir of angels.

Happy listening!

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]


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