Are We Ready to See Clearly?

In Mark 8:24-25 Jesus begins the process of healing the eyes of a blind man. The curious thing is that Jesus took him by the hand and led him outside the village. Why? I wonder. Was it because the method that Jesus was going to use was so unconventional that it would have sparked criticism or worse yet, copycat attempts to do what He did? I really don’t know.

But the one thing I do know is that like other occasions, this healing was somewhat progressive. Oh I know it only took a few moments, but you’ll note, the first laying on of hands and spittle mud application didn’t completely get the job done.

Now I’m not suggesting that Jesus somehow goofed up or something, or that He didn’t have enough faith in the first prayer, but I am suggesting that we can derive a principle from this story. And the principle is this: As Jesus leads us out of our comfort zone; He always leads us into a process. And furthermore His processes are intended to be progressive, because they in turn require us to submit or trust in His leading and admit that we simply don’t see it all very clearly YET. But eventually we can expect to see everything clearly. Before you cheer, are you sure you want to see everything clearly?

“The man looked around. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around’. Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Don’t go back into the village on your way home.’”

I understand that this man’s physical sight was completely restored, and he now had full use of his eyes, but I believe a greater sight was given, and then protected by the Lord in His command to not return to the village. He was NOT supposed to go back to the place where he had once been blind, because with the miracle of seeing things clearly and surely differently, one MUST NEVER return to the place where blindness is the norm. That place where blindness is expected by those who once knew you; where blindness was the preferred handicap of choice. Because after all, who could find a blind man guilty? You know, it wasn’t his fault, he simply couldn’t see.

But NOW he could. And that changes EVERYTHING. So much so, Jesus led him in a NEW DIRECTION. And that’s often what happens when Christ makes everything clear so we can see.

Are We Ready to See Clearly?