Today I took my son to pick up his brand new eyeglasses. He tried them on and everything fit well. It was a very rainy day, so he put the glasses in his hoodie front pocket. When he was inside the vehicle, he slipped his new glasses on and said, "Oh wow! I can see!! There's the sign for the mall.... and there's the sign for Chick-Fil-A!"
I asked him, "Have you not been able to see those signs before?"
He answered, "No," and then kind of laughed in disbelief.
I told him, "You didn't know how much you couldn't see, until you could actually see, huh?"
Of course that reminds me of our walk with Christ. He reveals His Word to us and we learn more about His character and His goodness the more we spend time with Him. We see how much we know about Him is really not that much in comparison to how great and magnificent we know Him to be!
Having good vision is a blessing. I had Lasic eye surgery a couple of years ago. I now have 20/20 vision. I can see far away with no problem. When it rains, I no longer have to hide my glasses in my pocket and squint into the horizon. I no longer have to wear prescription sunglasses. I can wear any sunglasses I want. No more having to take off my Rx sunglasses and put on my Rx glasses to go into a store or the house. It is the little things that I am so thankful for and what I was looking forward to the most with having this surgery. What I did not expect was to have crisp vision and to see so far! It was a blessing! It still is, and I thought about how much of a gift sight really is.
I cannot imagine being born blind. I have nothing to compare it to. Once when my siblings and I were younger, my mom told us to close our eyes and try to get around the house. Well I bumped into all kinds of things. I knew where the furniture was because I was born seeing and so I had already seen it with my own eyes, but in the darkness, no vision, I miscalculated steps and nearly fell. It gave me a tiny glimpse of what it might feel like. I felt scared and helpless and nervous. Do you remember the man in the Bible who asked Jesus to heal him? You may say, which one? Good question! We are going to look at two encounters, two different men, and two different methods of healing that took place.
It is a private miracle.
Mark 8:22-26
And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. And 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 upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Jesus gets into town and as soon as he gets there, they bring this man to Him. They urgently and fervently asked Jesus to heal him. Who is the man? The Bible does not say in this text. We only know that a lot of people cared about him because they took the man to Jesus. The faith in Jesus to cause the man to see again was so great that they were waiting on Him to arrive.
We do not know why Jesus did not heal this man in public. I find it significant that he took the man by the hand and led him outside of town. Maybe it was not far, but Jesus took him by the hand and led him away. See the love there? He did not ask someone to go with them. This was personal. This was private. He took the man so they could be together apart from the crowd's prying eyes, and those who wanted to be entertained with a miracle.
Jesus could have spoken the Word and healed him. He could have made a clay mask like He did for another blind man. He could have used any method He wanted. Jesus spit in the man's eyes. We can all agree that is an unusual way to heal someone. Yet, the man is never recorded as getting upset or questioning Jesus's method. Jesus put His hands on the man and asked if he saw anything. The man's vision has returned. It is not perfectly clear, but he recognizes shapes and things. This lets us know he had sight before because he recognizes people and trees.
Jesus did not leave the man in that condition. He did not say, "Well at least you can see a little better now." Jesus loves this man so much, He wants him to have perfect vision. He put his hands on the man's eyes and made him look up, and the man was restored and saw clearly. Then Jesus gave him strict instructions to not return to that town and not tell anyone in that town what Jesus had done. It was a private miracle.
Maybe the man was wounded in his eyes by someone in the town. Maybe they had been making fun of him. We have no idea but Jesus clearly did not want him to go back to that town. He told him to go home and stay away from that town and the people there. Not everything Jesus heals us and delivers us from needs to be made public. Some things are private miracles and God will still get the glory in those times.
New identity.
Mark 10:46-52
And they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
I find it interesting that Mark identifies this man as "blind Bartimaeus." Often we read things like the man who was blind, or the woman with the issue of blood. This is indicative that Bartimaeus was born like this. He had a special cloak that he wore to let others know he was blind and he was begging because he could not work for money. He was doing what he could do with his life's circumstances, but Bartimaeus did not want to remain blind. He wanted a new identity.
Bartimaeus sat near a busy road. His hearing was sharp, and from what we know about the human body, it was probably a little sharper with his sense of vision gone. He undoubtedly heard people talking about the miracles of Jesus along the road. He must have had some knowledge of the Scriptures because he connects Jesus as the Son of David. When Bartimaeus finds out that Jesus is going to be walking right past him, hope came alive in his heart, like it never had before. He was desperate for a touch from God.
He has no idea where Jesus is in relation to where he is sitting, so he lifts his voice as loud as he can, and he starts begging Jesus for mercy. He is getting on the nerves of everyone around him. They start saying things like, "Blind Bartimaeus, be quiet!" They keep labeling him what he does not want to be. He refuses to hold his peace. This is his chance, his opportunity, and he is not going to miss it. He refuses to be hushed by those around him.
Jesus stops. Sometimes we can cry out with great faith and need and it will stop Jesus in His tracks. He tells them to call the blind man to Him. Now the annoyed people who once were shouting at him to shut up are the very ones who are comforting him. "Be of good comfort. Rise because Jesus is calling for you." They don't call him blind Bartimaeus now. He has the attention of the Master so they are starting to look at him differently.
Bartimaeus immediately shed his identity as a blind beggar. He removed what told the onlookers that he was a blind man. He threw that robe from his shoulders in eager anticipation to see. He stood up, no longer in a posture of begging. He was about to get an answer to his prayer. He came to Jesus. Can you imagine the intensity of this moment? He is in the final moments of being without sight.
Jesus knew Bartimaeus was blind. It was no secret. He saw him at the side of the highway begging. He knew the man's need but Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And this is finally the moment he had been waiting on. "Lord, that I might receive my sight." What is your need that Jesus knows you have? He is asking you, "What do you want Me to do for you?" This is your moment. Ask him for what you need.
Jesus does not use any of the other methods of healing blind eyes. He says to Bartimaeus, "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Bartimaeus did not have to wait for the healing to come. He immediately received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. He was made whole and another translation says he was saved. He followed Jesus. What will you do when Jesus gives you what you have been praying for? Will you follow Jesus in the Way?
I am so thankful for the gift of sight. I am grateful for glasses so my son can see clear, sharp images and words. I am thankful that not only can I see in the natural but I can see in the spiritual. My eyes are open to the truth of God's Word. I once was blind, but now I see. What an awesome God we serve!
What are some things you are thanking God for today? I pray something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
