EXAMINING YOUR SPIRITUAL VISION
Mark 8:22-26
I suffer from extremely poor eyesight. I recently had a physical and the nurse asked me to read the last line that I could see on the chart. My response was “what chart?” Without glasses or contact lenses I would not be able to tell you who was sitting on the first pew, (in fact I wouldn’t even be able to see the first pew). But thanks to corrective lenses I am able to see clearly.
Many people can see just fine physically but they are blind spiritually. It has been said that “there is none so blind as he who will not see”. This was the case for the Pharisees that confronted Jesus in - verse 11“the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.” These men did not believe in Jesus and they did not want to believe in Him. Even if He had given in to their demands and given them a sign from Heaven they still would not believe that He was the Christ.
Spiritual blindness was also an issue for the majority of the people in Bethsaida. They had seen miracle after miracle at the hands of Jesus, yet they continued to reject Him.
Furthermore, there are countless people in the world today who suffer from spiritual blindness. They reject the fact that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Like the people in Israel, they will face eternal consequences as result of their unbelief.
There are others who possess sight but their sight is dim. This was the case for the Lord’s Disciples. They did not reject Jesus’ message but they did have a hard time fully understanding it. Thankfully Jesus did not give up on these men. He did what was necessary to correct their spiritual vision.
We have a description of this great work here in Mark Chapter 8. When we last saw Jesus and the Disciples they were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was warning them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees”. The Disciples completely misunderstood the significance of Jesus’ message and instead of focusing on His teaching, they began to discuss their situation concerning literal food. They had forgotten to take bread with them and they were concerned as to where their next meal would come from.
It seems that they had completely forgotten that Jesus has just fed a great multitude with only 5 loaves of bread and a few fish. As a result, Jesus addressed their lack of faith. He asked them how many baskets of leftovers they gathered after He fed the five thousand and again when He fed the four thousand.
Prior to the feeding of the 4,000 Jesus healed a man who was deaf and He would soon heal a man who was blind. Both of these men suffered from physical issues that served as metaphors for the spiritual issues that the Disciples suffered from. The miracle that is recorded in our selected text serves as an illustration of what Jesus can do for those who suffer from spiritual blindness.
When we go to the optometrist they perform an exam to determine how well we can see. If there are any issues, they will do what is necessary to correct our vision. God does the same thing for our spiritual vision through His Word. The Scriptures show us how well we can see and they also serve to correct our vision. For that reason I would like to look to the text and preach on the thought “Examining Your Spiritual Vision.”
When Jesus arrived in Bethsaida word began to spread that He had returned to the area. Bethsaida is where Jesus had previously fed more than five thousand people with a little boy’s lunch. Some of those who were fed by Him may have been present on this occasion. As was common, people were coming to Jesus looking for a physical healing. Mark tells us of one such man. We see in verse 22:
I. THE CONDITION THIS MAN ENDURED
v22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.
This man was blind and he likely dealt with other issues as a result of his blindness. Many blind people in those days were beggars as a result of their inability to work. In Mark 10:46 Jesus encountered a blind man whose name was Bartimaeus, when Jesus found him, he was “sitting by the roadside begging”. We don’t know what this man’s financial situation was but he may have been a beggar as well. Another issue for those who were blind was the fact that they were outcasts in society. It was believed by the people in ancient Israel that those who were blind, deaf and suffering from other disabilities were under God’s judgment. (John 9:1 now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?") Jesus told the Disciples that it was not because of sin that this man was blind; rather it was so that “the works of God should be revealed in him.” That was true in this case as well!
We can be certain that this man’s greatest desire was to receive his sight. However, by this point he may have resigned himself to the fact that he would never be able to see. But Jesus was about to come on the scene and change his life in a major way.
- Not only do we see the condition that this man endured, in verse 23 we see:
II. THE COMPASSION THIS MAN ENCOUNTERED
v23a So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.
This man may have been an outcast, but it is apparent that he had some devoted loved ones. We don’t know if it was his family or his friends but someone cared enough about him to take him to Jesus. I can’t help but wonder if they were people who had received a healing from Jesus when He had previously been in the area; or if it may have been some of the people who were in the vast multitude that Jesus had fed with such meager resources. Regardless of their identity, the fact is they had compassion on this man and they had faith that Jesus could and would heal him.
Not only did this man receive compassion from some friends, He experienced the compassion of Jesus. This man had done nothing to deserve a touch from the Master’s hand. There was no way that he could earn the healing that he was about to receive. It was only by grace that this life changing moment was possible.
In this miracle we have a great picture of the amazing love and mercy that is found in Jesus Christ. We could never earn our salvation, and we certainly do not deserve it. But by God’s amazing grace salvation is possible! We have access to a new life because of the compassion of Jesus.
Jesus took this man away from the crowd; (in fact He took him completely out of the village) and gave him special care and attention. Once Jesus got him away from the crowd, He did something that can only be described as miraculous. Notice in verses 23-30:
III. THE CHANGE THIS MAN EXPERIENCED
v23b And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
Jesus spit on this man’s eyes and then He touched Him. And as soon as Jesus touched this man a change took place. Jesus asked him if he could see and he responded by saying "I see men like trees, walking." This seems to be an indication that this man was not born blind but rather lost his eyesight sometime later on. Though he could see at this point, he could not see clearly. He had eyesight but it was completely out of focus. He saw people but they looked “like trees”.
We are not told exactly why but this miracle took place gradually. Warren Wiersbe says “Perhaps it was the atmosphere of unbelief in Bethsaida that hindered Him, or it may have been the spiritual condition of the man himself. For some reason not given, the man was not ready for instant sight, so Jesus restored him gradually.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Warren Wiersbe)
Though we are not told His motivation, we can be sure that Jesus had a reason for performing this miracle in such a way. Regardless, Jesus touched this man a second time and when He did, the man could see perfectly clear. This man went from being completely blind to having perfect vision. The joy that he experienced must have been overwhelming. He was an outcast in society, a man with little to no hope. His condition was desperate and there was nothing that he could do to change his circumstances; and then Jesus came on the scene.
This is a picture of the miraculous work that Jesus has done in our lives. We were in a situation far worse than this man. We were not just spiritually blind; we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Our situation was desperate, and the consequences of our condition were severe; but then Jesus came on the scene.
Perhaps there was someone who cared for you like the people in this passage cared for the blind man. They loved you enough to do what was necessary to get you to Jesus. Then Jesus, filled with compassion took you by the hand and worked a great miracle in your life.
It is hard to describe just how amazing it is that God Himself would come to lost sinners personally and do such a transforming work. But that is exactly what He has done for us. Through the Holy Spirit we are convicted of our sins and convinced of our need for a Savior. Through faith we trust in the only one who is able to deliver us from our sinful condition.
I pray that you have experienced this wonderful miracle of salvation that I speak of. If you have not, I would like to do for you what these people did for this blind man. I would love the opportunity to introduce you to a miracle worker who can transform you immediately, completely and eternally!
There are many people in this assembly who have experienced His salvation, and each of them will testify that their lives have never been the same. However, if you continue to reject Jesus and His offer of salvation, your situation will not get any better, in fact in the end, things will be worse than you could ever imagine. Those who die without Christ will face eternal torments in the Lake of Fire. Sadly, that is exactly what happened to many of the people in Bethsaida. After Jesus healed the blind man He gave him some interesting instructions concerning what to do next. Notice:
v26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
It seems that the blind man was not from Bethsaida for Jesus told him to go to his own home rather than returning to the multitude or into the town. The fact that Jesus did not want him to return to the crowd was a confirmation of His judgment on Bethsaida. By this point in time, the people of Bethsaida had no excuse for their unbelief. They had seen countless miracles at the hands of Jesus and they had heard the message of the Gospel, but they still refused to believe. As a result the Lord issued a strong rebuke against them. (Luke 10:13 "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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.)
By preventing this man from returning to the people in Bethsaida, Jesus confirmed the permanence of Bethsaida’s unbelief and His own judgment. The blind man received his physical sight, but those people would remain spiritually blind forever.
There are some within this assembly today who are spiritually blind. The good news is that you are not without hope. Jesus has the ability and the desire to come to you and to work a miracle in your life. Your only hope is for Him to deliver you from your spiritual blindness. I encourage you to repent and believe in Him today.
Along with the spiritual blindness of the crowd, and the physical blindness of the man who was healed, there were others present on that day who suffered from poor vision. I am referring to the Lord’s own Disciples. They belonged to Jesus but they still suffered from “dim vision” concerning who He was. After all they had seen and heard, they still could not fully grasp His true identity. But just as Jesus gradually gave the blind man His sight, He was doing a consistent work in the lives of His Disciples. Though they still had a long way to go, they were growing in their faith and their spiritual sight was coming into focus.
In the very next passage Peter will declare that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” He still didn’t fully understand all there was to know about Jesus, but he was making progress. The Gospels show us that the longer the Disciples walked with Jesus, the clearer their vision became.
When we come to faith in Christ we are saved instantly, completely and eternally. However, though we are “born again” we are “babes in Christ”. The only way for us to grow and mature is for us to do what the Disciples did and spend time with the Master. The more time we spend with Him the clearer our spiritual vision will become. This is only possible through prayer and time in God’s Word.
Are you spiritually blind? If so Jesus can give you clear vision. Is your vision dim? Jesus can touch you and make it to where you see things in a whole different light. The miracle that we have seen today shows us that He has compassion on those who cannot see and He has the power to change their lives. He can do a great work in you today; I encourage you to look to Him and trust in Him. It is my prayer that you comprehend the importance of “Examining Your Spiritual Vision”.
