LEARNING DAILY

Mark 8:22-25, Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everything clearly.

Can you agree with me that the healing of this blind man was done in a different way than the other blind people Jesus restored sight to? It is probable that the people who brought this man to Jesus had heard that He had restored the sight of other blind people as they “begged Him to touch him” and not just give a blessing over him. Jesus often healed the sick by touching them; He chose a different way to restore the sight of this man.

Matthew 11:21 gives a little insight to the people of and around Bethsaida. Jesus had witnessed miracles of healing and the casting out of demons; it is even believed to be the area where the 5,000 were fed. But, even the witnessing of these happenings did bring the people to repentance. Perhaps it was because of not understanding what they were seeing. I have read that the eye symbolizes understanding (from Charles Spurgeon). Spurgeon also writes, “the heart of stone must be changed instantaneously but that is not necessarily true with the understanding; our understanding is often brought into proper balance and order in a gradual way.” The Bible does not tell us about the faith of these people nor the blind man. I wonder if it was spiritual blindness, the lack of understanding, that needed to be addressed by Jesus?

When the blind man was brought to Jesus, the first experience he had with Him was Jesus taking his hand.  Again, I wonder how many Christians want to experience the hand of God upon their lives? I wonder if the words of a message preached that spoke clearly to you was the hand of God tugging at your heart. Could it be the hand of God touching you that leads you to pray for another or suggesting you call that person you have not spoken to for a while? Could it be the hand of God touching you to ask for forgiveness when you have stumbled along the narrow way?

Taking the blind man by the hand Jesus led him out of town. Did they go alone? Did they go to a place where no one else was? What was the purpose? Perhaps He wanted the blind man to know His sight came not from those who brought him, but from Him. The blind man needed to be by himself, not depending on anyone else – just the Savior. The moment a person trusts Jesus enough to confess their sins comes when one forgets about everyone around them and let grace begin to do its work. If one is looking for a sign, I would say it is a pretty good sign Jesus is dealing with you when you forget about everyone else and you are thinking about yourself and your relationship to Jesus.

What Jesus does to the blind man when they are out of town is to spit in his eyes. Spurgeon wrote, “It seems to me that the use of the saliva connected to the opening of the eye with the Savior’s mouth. That is to say, it connected the illuminating of the understanding with the truth which Christ spoke. Spiritual eyesight comes from spiritual truth, and the eye of understanding is opened by the doctrine which Christ speaks.” Nothing is written to tell us the words Jesus spoke to the man. The man did open his eyes, but he did not see clearly – more on that in the next page of the blog.

This work done by our Lord refers to spiritual blindness. I believe the times we spend with Him, away from others, and spending time in His Word are extremely beneficial. There are those who laughed and mocked the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the Savior touched you and opened your eyes to the need for the Savior. It was when He came into your heart to save and change you that you found the power and hope in that gospel you once despised.

It would be appropriate to take the time you need to thank Him for opening your spiritual eyes to His truth!