Sometimes it's a process...
| They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spit on the man's eyes and put His hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." (Mark8:22-26) |
In both cases Jesus takes them to one side. This is a very considerate gesture as receiving hearing and sight could be very overwhelming in the face of the crowd. Furthermore, the intimate nature of the healing deserves privacy.
The healing of deafness and blindness were powerful signs of Jesus' identity and power and this sets the scene for the coming conversation Jesus will have with His disciples regarding His identity. Scholars also note that this miracle marks the next phase of Jesus' ministry. Up until now He has been ministering in Galilee but now He will start moving towards Jerusalem. This section continues until the end of chapter 10 where Jesus heals "blind Bartimaeus." This repeated healing of the blind is very striking when we consider that Jesus talked about spiritual blindness a lot in the last two chapters...
There is one more unusual feature and that is that this healing happened in stages. There is no other healing account like this. The deaf-mute man instantly heard and spoke. The lame man walked immediately, even though his muscles must have been severely atrophied. But the blind man is healed in phases.
It's important to note that Jesus is not caught by surprise - it isn't a case of "Oops, that didn't work, let Me try again." Instead, Jesus deliberately heals the man progressively.
Once again, we see Jesus' compassion. It is likely He knew the man would struggle to cope with the sudden transition from complete blindness to full sight, so He heals him in steps - allowing him to adjust and not be overwhelmed.
So too, when we move from spiritual blindness to spiritual sightedness, many of us take the journey in phases. In fact, even in yesterday's account of the disciples' lack of faith, we see evidence of a gradual awakening - "a conversion in phases." And this is how many of us have come to faith...
Here are three comforting thoughts to consider:
1. Jesus deals with each of us personally and intimately.
2. Jesus brings light into darkness and opens blind eyes (physically and spiritually).
3. Jesus doesn't overwhelm us - His journey with us is step by step.
