Today we are reading from Mark 8: 22-26:

22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” 24 And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”

This is one of the more interesting miracles of Jesus.  Go back and read it and see if you notice anything that is different or stands out to you.  I’ll wait.  

Ok, what did you notice?  

This healing didn’t “work” the first time.  Jesus used saliva and it only partially worked.  But it took a second touch, a second act for the man to be healed.  Why is that?  

It must mean something because Jesus and literally heal or raise the dead with just a word, why did it take two times?  

Remember, a lot of what we see in Jesus’ ministry is always pointing to something deeper.  This happened because Jesus was trying to show something more.  This passage here is going to be at the beginning of His moving towards Jerusalem. And it will actually include another healing of a blind man.  Remember in scripture, the healing of the blind has as much to do with spiritual blindness as physical.  What is happening here is that even after the move of Jesus, the man was unable to see.  It took more effort by Jesus for the man to see.  

Does that sound like anyone else in the Gospels?  Yep, the disciples.  Jesus has done so much, and just like the man, they can partially see.  But Jesus isn’t done with them yet.  It’s a process.  They are now on the way to Jerusalem. And after the cross. And the empty grave. And Pentecost, they will be able to see. 

The miracles show us that even after Jesus begins to move in our lives, He has not finished the work. There is much work left to do and much that we must learn.  Just as the disciples saw some, but not all, we see some, but not all. 

This man was brought to full sight. The disciples were brought to full sight. We will be brooch to full sight.  It’s a process, all through God’s grace.  Just because He has begun a work in you, it doesn’t mean that He has finished it.  

He who began a good work in us will be faithful until the day of completion.  

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