JESUS HEALS A BLIND MAN
October 14, 2007 PM
Sermon Outline
MK 8:22-26
INTRO: Remember that the disciples and Jesus are crossing to "the other side" of the Sea of Galilee (8:13). As they were traveling, Jesus spoke to them about "the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod" (8:15). The apparent objective of this journey was Caesarea Philippi. But the little expedition landed at a place called Bethsaida. However, this Bethsaida is probably not the one which is believed to have been nearer Capernaum and the home of Peter, Andrew and Philip. This Bethsaida is located on the upper northeast side of the Sea of Galilee and is often called Bethsaida Julias. While it became a fairly large city under the rulership of Philip the tetrarch, it apparently retained its description as a "village".
- WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE...
- A blind man is brought to Jesus - 8:22
- the reputation of Jesus seems to have spread widely
- He is recognized as the person Who has been healing so many
- the interesting thing for me is the interest this man's friends have in him
- in their concern for him the brought him to Jesus - in scripture are found some wonderful demonstrations of "friendship"
- Their request ... "touch him"
- they possessed a marvelous, simple confidence - "just touch him"
- "touching" is a human need ... one which identifies one with another
- "touching" is a means of expressing concern, interest
- and Jesus did often include a touch with healing - in the case of this blind man touch would mean so much
- What kind of friends are we?
- their concern was for a friend physically blind
- but do we have friends who are spiritually blind? (2 Cor 4:3,4)
- only Jesus is the remedy for their "blindness"
- and can share that information with them ... but do we?
- A blind man is brought to Jesus - 8:22
- THE MIRACLE DESCRIBED
- First, Jesus brought the man out of the town - 8:23
- my guess is that Jesus did not want this to be seen by a crowd of people
- He does not, however, hesitate to become involved with this blind man
- I wonder if the incident just described (note v. 18) might have made this opportunity very appealing to Jesus as an "object lesson"
- He put saliva on his eyes and put his hands on him
- from time to time Jesus did use some physical "medium" in healing
- and, in honesty, I'm not certain why ... did people need such things to reinforce their faith? did this set him apart from the "magicians" of that day?
- the power to heal was in His being Deity - not in spit or clay
- A unique miracle in that it is in two stages - only in Mark's gospel
- "can you see anything?"
- he saw imperfectly ... "men as trees, walking" (may not, then, have been born blind) - 8:24
- does this represent the inability of the disciples to "see" spiritual truths clearly? some have suggested the "parabolic" nature of this miracle
- He put his hands on his eyes the second time - 8:25
- this time Mark tells us "he was restored ... saw every man clearly"
- First, Jesus brought the man out of the town - 8:23
- no miracle of Jesus was "imperfect" - the man could now see and apparently he had once been able to see
- Mt 11:2-5 with Isa 39:3-6 - a visible confirmation that He is Messiah!
- The "progression" of faith?
- as I have mentioned, some suggest "spiritual lessons" here
- spiritual understanding is most assuredly "incremental" - inability to "see" clearly does not need to be a permanent condition - we can grow, little by little, to greater comprehension and understanding
- seeing clearly depends on continued relationship with Jesus and His word - the apostles continued that relationship and grew beyond thinking only of physical things
- it is, I believe, too true that many contemporary disciples are caught up in the material things of life ... and spiritual things are viewed through very physical eyes
- "open my eyes that I may see...."
CLOSE: The man was sent home ... not to the village. These are becoming hazardous times for Jesus, and He did not want to precipitate a crisis before it was the proper time. Still, His compassion did not yield to the extent that He could not stop along the way to care for people in need!
Cecil A. Hutson
14 October 2007