LET JESUS CORRECT YOUR PERSPECTIVE
SCRIPTURE:
“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 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?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 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. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” (Mark 8:22—26)
OBSERVATION:
The blind man needed much help to be brought to Jesus so he could heal him. The people who brought him begged Jesus to touch him. And yet Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village, spitting on the man’s eyes, putting his hands on him, and asking him, “Do you see anything?” I am not sure why Jesus took the man outside the village. Couldn’t he spit on the man’s eyes where they brought him?
A couple of things I observed from this encounter. Miracles about to happen to the individual were not for public consumption. People would’ve criticized the method by which Jesus sought to bring healing to the blind man. Jesus deals with every problem differently. And the miracle was just for the person who needed it and not merely for people’s curiosity. The place and the method in which Jesus deals with our problems are all very different, and it will be meaningful and helpful to us and not to curious parties.
Another helpful observation was that it took Jesus two times to see the miracles done to the men for him to have his complete healing. So many times, we misunderstood the way Jesus deals with a problem. When Jesus lays his hands on me for the first time, I should be healed immediately, or my problems must be solved quickly. This is so important for me to remember. My healing or solutions to my problem may take some time. It may take Jesus two times to touch me for my healing to be completed. Or it may take a week, a month, a year, or years.
Jesus asks the blind man after he spit into his eyes, DO YOU SEE ANYTHING? The blind man looks up and says, “I SEE PEOPLE; THEY LOOK LIKE TREES WALKING AROUND.” This is how often my experience is. I don’t always have the proper perspective when an issue, circumstance, or situation blinds me. My comprehension is blurred. My understanding is messed up. What I thought I saw it wasn’t what it was. I needed to continue to allow Jesus to work in me and to dispel and repel darkness until I understood.
This is why it is never a good place to have God’s work be done only for the curious soul who is only entertained by the miracles and does not understand how God works his miracles in our lives. A miracle is much more meaningful to an individual rather than a crowd.
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. It is important to remember that miracles are not done for the entertainment of a curious crowd but for the individual’s wholeness.
It says when Jesus touched the blind man, his sight was RESTORED. I am not aware of how the blind man became blind, only that his friends brought him blind to Jesus. It looks like he was someone who used to see but became blind if I follow the definition of being restored. To restore is to bring back, return, or repair. I need the continuous work of Jesus touching my eyes or spitting into my eyes until I can gain the proper perspective and the right way to process things. Jesus may need to work on me many more times until I can see things correctly and clearly. Jesus sent the blind man home and told him, “DON’T EVEN GO INTO THE VILLAGE.” This is very important. The place, the method, and Jesus’ timing are significant in how to deal with issues, and I must learn not to hurry and go to places that are not helpful to my recovery. Why not go back to the village? I learned today that people are only curious about why Jesus spit and why Jesus had to touch the men twice, only to satisfy their curiosity. Thus, it is unhealthy for the blind man to go back and hear all the inquiries of people’s curiosity.
APPLICATION:
I must be careful of being around crowds who are only curious about what is done about my circumstances rather than focusing on what has been done. I must protect myself from inquiries further darkened by perspective and confuse my progression. I will continue to trust Jesus in choosing where I can be healed, the method he chooses to heal me, and the timing of his healing work in my life. I must resist the urge to tell things I do not understand clearly until I fully recover to give a truthful assessment.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for reminding me of how to work in my life. I thank you that you are the only one who can help me to be healed, who cares more about my challenges than the crowd who are there only to be curious about how you work. Teach me to trust you more about where you want to heal me, the method you use to heal me, and the timing of my healing. I trust my life in your hands. Amen!
