By this time in His Ministry, the crowds of people knew that Jesus usually healed by the physical action of laying on of hands (which only accompanied the miracle but was not its cause). As with this deaf man, his family & friends brought him to Jesus, trusting in faith that Jesus would heal him also. Since the man could not hear Him speak, Jesus used such signs to communicate what He intended to do. By sticking His fingers into the deaf man’s ears, Jesus silently invited him to exercise faith & believe for a healing…and his faith set him free.