12-10-2017, #2: JESUS IS THE ONE WHO CAN CAUSE US
TO SEE ALL THINGS CLEARLY
(Mark 8:22-26)
In the Summer of A. D. 29, Jesus had been ministering in Israel for nearly three years. One day he comes to the city of Bethsaida, which means “house of compassion”. Some men bring a blind man to him, earnestly asking him to touch him. Bethsaida was one of those cities where many of Jesus’ miracles were done (Matthew 11:20-21). It was near Bethsaida that Jesus fed more than 5,000 people by multiplying bread and fish (Luke 9:10-17). But although Jesus worked many powerful acts of compassion in Bethsaida, still most of the people there did not repent. After all the miracles they saw, they failed to heed the word of God spoken through Jesus (Matthew 11:20-24). They were given a high level of spiritual light. They would be judged accordingly. So Jesus takes the man by the hand and leads him out of the city - out of such an atmosphere of unreceptivity to God’s word.
With the Spirit of Elohim, the Eternal Creator upon him, Jesus spits on the man’s eyes and lays hands on him and asks him, “What do you see?” (Mark 8:23c) The man’s sight begins to come back and he looks up and answers, “I see men, but they look like trees walking.” Jesus places his hands on the man’s eyes again. Jesus knows that the man needs another touch. Suddenly the man’s sight is totally restored and he can see all things clearly! The New International Version reads, ". . . his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:25b).
Old Testament Promise Fulfilled:
“Behold, I will bring it health and healing;
I will heal them and reveal to them
the abundance of peace and truth”
(Jeremiah 33:6, NKJV).
Jesus commands the man, “Do not go back into the village as you go home” (Mark 8:26b). It would not help the man to talk with people who would drain his faith. He needs to go home and reflect on what Jesus did for him.
Comments: Some people have said that Jesus prayed twice for this man. But the Bible doesn’t say that. This passage says that Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes twice (Mark 8:23-25). The first time Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes, the man began to see, but men looked to him like trees walking. The second time Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes, the man’s eyesight was totally restored and he could see all things clearly.
Jesus’ miracles were done for more than one purpose. First of all, Jesus worked them because of his love and compassion for people and because he wanted to meet their needs.Second, his miracles bore witness that he was who he said he was and that his message was true. But also, often his miracles conveyed spiritual truth. I believe that a truth that this miracle teaches is that at times Jesus touches us mightily by His Spirit and we see something we haven’t seen before. We may get excited about it, but we don’t yet see it well enough to share or teach it to someone else. But as we continue to seek Him, Jesus touches us again and we see more clearly what He was trying to show us. We know and discern “in part”, but our knowledge and discernment can grow. Sometimes we need “another touch” from Jesus. And we know who to go to for help to see things as they actually are. We can go to Jesus who can cause us to see all things clearly. I invite you pray this prayer for yourself as I pray it for myself: “Heavenly Father, I pray that You will help me to see the things I need to see, and to see them more clearly, Jesus’ Name. Jesus, I receive You as the One who enables me to see all things clearly.”
Note: much of this devotional is from The Life of Jesus Foretold, pages 149-150.
With the Spirit of Elohim, the Eternal Creator upon him, Jesus spits on the man’s eyes and lays hands on him and asks him, “What do you see?” (Mark 8:23c) The man’s sight begins to come back and he looks up and answers, “I see men, but they look like trees walking.” Jesus places his hands on the man’s eyes again. Jesus knows that the man needs another touch. Suddenly the man’s sight is totally restored and he can see all things clearly! The New International Version reads, ". . . his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:25b).
Old Testament Promise Fulfilled:
“Behold, I will bring it health and healing;
I will heal them and reveal to them
the abundance of peace and truth”
(Jeremiah 33:6, NKJV).
Jesus commands the man, “Do not go back into the village as you go home” (Mark 8:26b). It would not help the man to talk with people who would drain his faith. He needs to go home and reflect on what Jesus did for him.
Comments: Some people have said that Jesus prayed twice for this man. But the Bible doesn’t say that. This passage says that Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes twice (Mark 8:23-25). The first time Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes, the man began to see, but men looked to him like trees walking. The second time Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes, the man’s eyesight was totally restored and he could see all things clearly.
Jesus’ miracles were done for more than one purpose. First of all, Jesus worked them because of his love and compassion for people and because he wanted to meet their needs.Second, his miracles bore witness that he was who he said he was and that his message was true. But also, often his miracles conveyed spiritual truth. I believe that a truth that this miracle teaches is that at times Jesus touches us mightily by His Spirit and we see something we haven’t seen before. We may get excited about it, but we don’t yet see it well enough to share or teach it to someone else. But as we continue to seek Him, Jesus touches us again and we see more clearly what He was trying to show us. We know and discern “in part”, but our knowledge and discernment can grow. Sometimes we need “another touch” from Jesus. And we know who to go to for help to see things as they actually are. We can go to Jesus who can cause us to see all things clearly. I invite you pray this prayer for yourself as I pray it for myself: “Heavenly Father, I pray that You will help me to see the things I need to see, and to see them more clearly, Jesus’ Name. Jesus, I receive You as the One who enables me to see all things clearly.”
Note: much of this devotional is from The Life of Jesus Foretold, pages 149-150.