In All, God Can Be Trusted, Evans Olang

Mark 8:22-26, “22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So 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 on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly

It’s a scary thing to have the blind leading where a pair of eyes is needed to lead. If you knew of a pilot who was about to fly a plane and you discovered he was blind or a driver of a car, you would be very hesitant to board that plane or get into that car. There is something special about the eyes none of us would want to take for granted. Over 570 times, the word eye(s) has been referenced in the bible.

The definition of eyes in a dictionary is that its is an organ of vision. It’s the window to our souls. Two things I find fascinating, is that the brain that can never be full (out of memory) and the eyes can never be considered to have seen enough so as not to receive anymore.

We now come to Mark where Jesus meets this blind man brought to Him. If you read Mark’s writing, he is fond of using the word “immediately”. In other words, every miracle Jesus did, you hear Mark saying immediately something happened. And here we see the only gradual miracle done by the Lord I’ve come across to demonstrate something.

First He leads the man by the hand out of the town away from people of unbelief. The most important in my judgment as I read this passage, He wanted alone time with this man plus only those who believed Him, (His disciples). Then He does something we would consider unusual, spat in the man’s eyes then touched it. Then Jesus asks him if he sees anything, his reply, “I see men like trees”, then He touched his eyes again and he was restored.

Christ showed in what method those commonly are healed by His grace, which by nature are spiritually blind. At first, their knowledge is confused; but, like the light of the morning, it shines more and more to the perfect day, and then they see all things clearly.

I see Five things that are related to this blind man’s eyes being opened. 1. The leading of the Master 2. The demonstration of God’s power to make His name great among people, 3. To cause a man who had heard of Him but never had the privilege of seeing Him see Him 4. To bring about a point that its Christ gradually opens the eyes of those seeking Him to see clearly what they could not see on their own, 5. To meet a physical need of one who needed it and believed that only one could make it happen.

John Gill, “Christ’s taking the blind man by the hand, and leading him out or the town, and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands upon him, and then asking him if he saw ought, are emblematical of what he does in spiritual conversion, when he turns men from darkness to light: he takes them by the hand, which expresses his condescension, grace, and mercy, and becomes their guide and leader; and a better, and safer guide they cannot have; he brings them by a way they know not, and leads them in paths they had not known before; makes darkness light before them, and crooked things straight, and does not forsake them: he takes them apart, and separates them from the rest of the world; he calls them out from thence to go with him, teaching them, that, when enlightened by him, they should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and the workers of them; for what communion has light with darkness? his putting spittle upon his eyes, may signify the means of grace, the eye salve of the word, which, when attended with a divine power, enlightens the eyes; and which power may be represented here by Christ’s putting his hands upon the man; for the Gospel, without the power of Christ, Is insufficient to produce such an effect; but when it is accompanied with that, it always succeeds”, blessings Ev