Seeing Jesus Clearly
Truth Taught- Jesus can open our blind eyes so that we can see Him clearly
Pastoral Prayer
Mark’s Gospel is a strategically arranged Gospel. He had a purpose when he wrote everything about what Jesus did and spoke. This week’s passage is one of those amazing passages and it is even more amazing when we realize why Mark placed it where he did. Sometimes, these accounts are chronological and they are placed where they are due to God’s sovereignty in designing events to happen when and how they do. Other times, the Gospel writers are like editors and take true events and group them together for a purpose. This passage before us today is…all of the above.
From last week and beyond we have seen Jesus heal as the Messiah.
Psalm 146:8 (ESV)
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
Isaiah 29:18 (ESV)
18 In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
Isaiah 35:5–6 (ESV)
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
When the Messiah comes, He will heal sickness, disease, blindness, hearing and many things. So, when Jesus does this, He is proving He is the Messiah. He also is doing something else specifically with this particular healing.
I want to take a moment and back up into the text from last Lord’s Day to see something with you that is very important.
If you remember, the Pharisees were seeking a sign. What is a sign? It’s a visible work or miracle of Jesus that by seeing this, belief would be instilled within them.
Jesus had already performed many visible signs that they saw but did not really see or perceive because they were blind to everything spiritual. So, the reality is that a sign will not produce belief because it takes belief to rightly interpret the sign. The sign will never produce belief.
Mark 3:22 (ESV)
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
Then the text from last week transitioned to the disciples.
Mark 8:17–18 (ESV)
17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Mark 8:21 (ESV)
21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
The disciples were also for the most part blind to who Jesus was and what He was doing. They have the advantage because Jesus is with them and patiently teaching them because they are His. He had chosen them to be His disciples. Their sight while very dim is slowly beginning to work.
So, the focus in this section of Mark is seeing properly. Seeing with faith. Seeing who Jesus is. Seeing with understanding and perception.
Let’s look together and see what Jesus is doing here with this blind man. I pray we are amazed and that we see Christ even in a new and amazing light ourselves.
Please Stand…
Mark 8:22–26 (ESV)
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
1. Jesus Can Heal Blindness (8:22)
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.
Here we see a blind man and his friends. His friends bring him to Jesus to be healed. We don’t know anything about any of these people except one was blind and the others had faith that Jesus could heal their friend. Perhaps one of them had been healed or one of them had possibly met Jesus? We simply do not know anything about them.
Jesus arrived at Bethsaida and was met by those who knew Jesus had power to heal. This was a much different greeting than the Pharisees gave. This was a greeting surrounded by faith…Jesus will You touch our friend and heal him?
Many people were wanting Jesus’ touch in order to heal them. Some thought they could touch Him and be healed. However, we must always remember that it was not the touch that healed but the faith behind the touch.
Mark 5:27–34 (ESV)
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
These friends here probably had this same belief. It was faith but uninformed faith. We might even say the very beginning of faith. Sometimes faith comes all at once but most often faith is a bit slower than that.
The disciple’s faith was beginning to grow and so was their sight. There is a direct connection to seeing who Jesus is and saving faith. As the disciples see and learn more about Jesus, their faith is born and grows.
How God brings saving faith to us is different in every case. Some report having been brought to faith by reading the Gospel of John, for example, or a verse from Revelation. Other’s report that God had taken them to a very low place in their lives before faith was born. Whatever the experience though they vary, faith is the same. What we must believe in order to be saved does not change.
We must believe that we are sinners in need of God’s grace.
We must believe Jesus is the Son of God (God incarnate).
We must believe He has the power to save us.
They expected Jesus to heal by a touch but what He does is completely different than they expected.
Isn’t that how Jesus always does it? God works in ways we do not expect and does things we never would have guessed.
2. Jesus Took the Blind Man by the Hand (8:23)
23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
The first thing we notice in verse 23 is that Jesus took the blind man by the hand and began to lead him out of town. Our Lord patiently walked this man around the hazards and obstacles a blind man might encounter. He no doubt spoke to this man as they walked.
Our Lord is establishing a personal relationship with this blind man. They are walking together in fellowship. This idea of walking together is the same picture we have in the Book of Genesis when the Bible tells us that Adam walked with God…
This is what takes place here, Jesus is walking in fellowship with this man. Leading him away from the unbelieving crowd and into a personal relationship with Him.
This happens to all believers. Jesus will lead us away from certain people we used to be around whether family or friends who are not good for us or for our faith. He leads this man away so He can speak with him and heal him.
Was this the touch his friends had hoped would heal him? This man’s faith was beginning to be born as our Lord clasped his hand and walked with him.
This blind man is being honored by Jesus as our Lord takes the time to walk with Him hand in hand leading him out of the village. This was not the touch the friends were hoping for, this was not the miracle that the crowd anticipated, this is just Jesus and a blind man walking together.
Then came the healing… Jesus spits and rubbed His saliva into the man’s blind eyes. Now, faith was being born in this blind man who had no hope before.
This is much like the eyes of the disciples who were also beginning to open and come to life. Their sight which previously could do no more than think Jesus was a man to meet their needs with food and healing. Like this blind man, their eyes are slowly beginning to open.
If our spiritual sight is to be awakened from our blindness, we must be touched by Jesus. It takes time with Jesus to open our eyes.
Are your eyes open today to see Jesus clearly?
Mark 1:1 (ESV)
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
3. Jesus Opened the Man’s Eyes Partially (8:24)
24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
The picture here is that as faith was birthed so was the man’s sight. His sight paralleled his faith.
For the first time in many years the man began to see colors and light. Shapes were blurry but Jesus was coming into focus.
24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
Jesus is not losing His ability to heal. He’s not losing His power or forgot how to heal. Our Lord is doing this for a reason. His eyes are beginning to work because his faith is beginning to work.
This is the current state of the disciples. Their faith is beginning to work…
Then, Jesus touched the man’s eyes again.
4. Jesus Opened the Man’s Eyes Completely (8:25-26)
25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
He saw everything clearly is a very powerful phrase. He now sees EVERYTHING clearly. In both realities, he sees clearly now his eyes see people walking around as people. In other words, he has 20-20 vision. Now in the spiritual realm, he sees Jesus clearly.
At every phase we see Jesus directly involved. We also see the man’s excitement and participation in his spiritual growth.
26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
Jesus did not want this miracle broadcast yet. His time has not yet come. So, our Lord sends this man home and not back into the village.
This account of the healing of the blindman from Bethsaida is the turning point of Mark’s account of Jesus. With the gradual healing of the blindman, Jesus shows us how saving faith often times comes about.
The disciples go from…
Mark 8:18 (ESV)
18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
To our next section when Peter as their representative gives the clear confession of who Jesus is. This confession does not come about by Peter’s intellect or his intelligence but God has taken him by the hand and opened his eyes gradually at first and then clearly. Peter sees Jesus clearly and makes his very famous confession…
Mark 8:29 (ESV)
29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
Conclusion
The disciple’s eyes were beginning to see clearly. Their confession was Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah, the Son of God.
The Pharisees could not see this reality. Jesus’ enemies could not see Him as He really is. The lost world does not see Jesus rightly.
Resources
Mark by R Kent Hughes
The Gospel According to Mark by Edwards
Mark by William Lane
Words of grace
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