Can You See Clearly Now?

Can You See Clearly Now? 8/5/04

Mark 8:22-25

The Gospel of Mark is unique. It is not a biography of Jesus, like Matthew or Luke. It does not dwell on the family history with all the begets and genealogy. It is a record of Jesus’ actions. It shows Jesus as Savior-King, who conquers demons, disease, and death. Mark dedicates more of his account to the miracles of Jesus more than any of the other Gospels. It is the shortest of all the Gospels, but yet it is action packed. Today we are going to look at one of those miracles with the healing of a blind man. This is the only Gospel who records this. And we will look at several meanings behind this healing.

(Read Mark 8:22-25)

Now maybe you did not notice, but did you wonder why Jesus led him out of the city? (Vs. 23) Couldn’t Jesus have healed him where He was?

Bethsaida had rejected the ministry of Christ.

Matthew 11:20, Then He begin to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

The people may have rejected Him, but Jesus still had compassion on this one blind man. So He took the time and the effort to led him out of the city.

He seeks out the Individuals

That is the way God works. He will always seek out the individual.

We read in Genesis 6 that God was sorry that He had made man. So He said in verse 7, “So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…”

But then God sought the individual. Verse 8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He sought out the individual in Lot.

The demon possessed man living in the tombs, the woman at the well. God has sought many the outcasts and He still seeks after the individuals today.

Remember the Pharisees were always complaining about the company Jesus was keeping. But that is the way He works. I believe if I would have been the only person to ever live on this earth, God would have still sent His Son to die for me.

For God so loved Dean Meadows that He gave His only begotten Son. That if Dean Meadows would believe in Him. He would not perish; but have everlasting life.

He loves us each as individuals. He desires an individual relationship with each of us. He made the way so that ALL could come to repentance.

He Touched Him (Vs. 23b)

Not only did Jesus lead him out of the town, but also He physically touched him. Now was this touch necessary?

A couple of Chapters later we read about blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight.

(Read Mark 10:46-52)

There was no physical touch, no spiting, or nothing. Jesus just spoke the words. And do you find it strange that Jesus asks this blind man, “what do you want me to do”? “DA! Jesus I am blind here.” Jesus wanted to hear his faith. “I want to see,” he says. And the reply form Jesus was, “your faith has made you well”.

With one blind man, there was a physical touch, another; just the words out of Jesus’ mouth. I can’t tell you why for sure, but I can tell you what I think. The first one was brought to Jesus. They brought him and it says that they (not the blind man) begged Him to touch him.

The second may have been blind physically but he had his Spiritual eyes open. He sought after Jesus, not someone else bringing him to Jesus. He did not quit seeking after Him even though he was told to do so. He might have been blind physically, but his Spiritual eyes were wide open. (I see said the blind man).

So in our text we see this man being brought to Jesus and being asked by others to be touched for the receiving of his sight. We will get back to this in a little bit.

He received a second touch (Vs. 25)

Not only did this miracle have physical touch, but also twice this blind man was touched. After the first touch, Jesus asked him if he could see anything. He states in verse 24, “And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking”.

He could see, but not clearly.

Then we read in verse 25 there was a second touch.

Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everything clearly.