Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night? I have, quite frequently. And when I wake up, there is usually something to do; a drink of water, an unexpected bathroom break, something. But even in the familiarity of my own home, it’s hard to navigate in the dark. It’s like walking around all day with your eyes closed. So this truth comes to me:
We need to have our eyes open.
Opening blinded eyes is the very centerpiece that Jesus came to do. He opened human eyes that human eyes would see the way Jesus sees. That we would see one another the way Jesus sees us. That we would behold what he beholds. We need to get our eyes open because we can see what’s really going on. We need to get off the surface level and go a little deeper.
Mark 8:22-25 tells us this great story of a man who was blind whom his friends brought to Jesus to heal. Here’s the story:
Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
I think there are 5 things in this story that will help us today.
1. He took him out of town.
In ancient days, those that were blind were beggars and they had habits. They’d go put on a beggars coat, sit with a cup and shake it. So the first thing Jesus did was break that habit. So your habits will keep you in bondage. I would suggest that to break a habit, maybe spend a little more time in prayer and read a bit more. Jesus will come and change your routine. So identify those habits and set out to change one.
2. He spit on him.
If you want an encounter with God, be ready to be humbled. We all have stories about how God has humbled us. The Bible is filled with stories of people who humbled themselves before the Lord. What that means is they changed their posture. Falling on my face has nothing to do with me falling on my face. It has to do with my attitude. God will change the posture of your life so he can change the attitude of your heart.
3. He asked him “Do you see anything now.”
The man responded with “I see men like trees, walking.” He didn’t say, “oh that’s better than it was. I’m good now.” He didn’t settle for partial sight. Your outlook is a reflection of what is on the inside. What do you see God doing in your life?
4. He touched him again.
He couldn’t see people like Jesus saw the people so he was touched again. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind. We have to have the same vision that Jesus has. We have to see people and situations in the same light that Jesus sees them. How are we seeing each other?
5. He said Don’t Go Back.
We as humans have a tendency to revert back to that which is familiar; back into our old habits and routines. Jesus looked at the man, eye to eye and said, don’t go back. We need to hold on to the new vision God has given us, don’t look back but keep moving forward.
So 5 things that Jesus did to help this blind man recover his sight. I think that these 5 things can help us see the world as Jesus does.
