This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.”
Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
(Mark 8:22-26 ERV)
22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man.
23 So Jesus held the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes. He laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see now?”
24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people. They look like trees walking around.”
25 Again Jesus laid his hands on the man’s eyes, and the man opened them wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly.
26 Jesus told him to go home. He said, “Don’t go into the town.”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
Setting the stage.
For the past couple of days, we looked at the miracle of Jesus healing a deaf man who could not speak. After Jesus healed this man in a very creative way (putting His fingers in the man’s ears and applying saliva to his tongue), Jesus traveled to Bethsaida, where He encountered a similar situation. Once again, a group of people brought a man to Jesus to be healed. This time it was a blind man, and similar to what Jesus did with the deaf man, He took him away from the others. Jesus led the man outside of the village.
The blind man could hear, so I am sure the people who brought him to Jesus had already told him of the many great miracles Jesus performed. He was there because he believed he was going to receive his sight. So when Jesus personally escorted the man out of town, I am sure his expectations were high!
So there they were: a blind man and Jesus, all alone. Jesus then applied saliva to the man’s eyes. That’s a nice way of saying it. Our text says, “He spit on the man’s eyes.” After doing so, Jesus asked, “Can you see now?” This is unusual. In most miracles, as soon as Jesus touches or prays, the power of God is manifested, and the people respond immediately. This man did not do anything, so Jesus asked him if he could see. The man said, “Yes, I see people. They look like trees walking around.” So Jesus did, with this man, what He had not done in any other miracle. Jesus laid hands on the man again. Jesus gave the man a “second touch.” This time the man was completely healed; he saw everything clear and bright.
1. God can touch you in public and in private.
— Jesus took the deaf man who could not speak aside with Him, away from everyone else. Actually, the text says that Jesus took the blind man out of town so that He could be alone with him. The point is that there are times when God ministers to us in public (Jesus did many miracles in front of crowds), and there are times when He prefers to do so in private. I am putting an emphasis here on God’s preference. Today’s message will be a reminder that God is an infinite God, and we don’t get to figure Him out with our human and finite minds. We don’t know why Jesus took the many out of town to be with him one-on-one. Jesus healed many people in front of others, but He also healed several people one-on-one. The Bible does not give us an indication as to why, so anyone who claims to know why is just speculating.
— The private nature of this miracle does serve as a reminder that while God appreciates public worship, there are times when He cherishes alone time with us.
— Public ministry serves as a sign for others, but private ministry provides us the intimacy that is often required for us to open up to God in ways that we simply would not do in public.
— The blind man in our text was touched by God in a one-on-one session with Jesus. Likewise, we can be touched in a moment of intimacy as well. God can give you your breakthrough at church, in front of everyone else, but He can also do it at home, while you are by yourself, in your prayer closet. So enjoy both your public and private times with God.
2. Be open to however God wants to do it! And remember that God is God, so He does not have to be conventional.
— Just because it is strange, it does not mean it is not from God. We just saw how Jesus stuck His fingers in a man’s ears and then put saliva from His tongue on the man’s tongue. In today’s miracle, Jesus spits on a man’s eyes. Without question, that was unconventional. It’s a good thing no one else was around because if this were done in front of a crowd, I can only imagine what the crowd would say.
— If this were done today, it would be all over Instagram and Tik Tok and I can only imagine what the captions and comments would say.
— Jesus used saliva with the deaf man and the blind man in our text. Some believe the saliva may have been used to moisten and remove the crust from the blind man’s eyes. The crust would have been an obstacle to the man opening his eyes, hence a hindrance to him receiving his sight. Once the obstacle was removed, the man could open his eyes and explain what he saw. We don’t know this for sure. Whether or not you believe the saliva had anything to do with crust, I think most people will agree that it was a bit strange. Strange or not, be ready for God to move however He chooses to do so!
— God often does strange things TO us and requires strange things OF us in our journey with Him. God’s ways are, by definition, strange to this world because God is not of this world. The more you walk with God, the more open you must be to things that don’t make sense or defy human reasoning.
— Just because something does not line up with the proper etiquette or protocol, it does not mean it is not from God. Whatever God tells you to do, no matter how strange it may seem, do it in obedience and receive your breakthrough!
— I do need to point out here that we should not be too quick to criticize things just because we do not understand them. There are many things the Holy Spirit may lead you to do that even well-intentioned, church-going, God-fearing people will criticize just because they did not hear what God told you.
— To be led by the Holy Spirit, you must be willing to deal with the scrutiny and criticism that comes from others. And know that some of the strongest pushback you will get will be from other believers. You would be surprised at some of the comments I get on my videos and social media posts. Most of the negative comments come from people who claim to be Christians, not the world.
3. Attempting to explain why Jesus had to touch the man twice.
When dealing with the blind man in Bethsaida, Jesus spits on the man’s eyes and lays hands on him. The man then says he can see people, but they look like trees walking around. Jesus then lays hands on the man a second time (giving him a second touch), and this time the man is completely healed and can see everything clearly.
There are several interpretations among Bible scholars regarding the need for Jesus to touch the man twice to heal him. Some suggest that it may have been a gradual healing process and that the first touch partially restored the man’s sight but not completely. Others believe the second touch was required because of the man’s lack of faith. Some also note that this event may have served as a reminder that not all healing is instantaneous and that God works in mysterious ways.
It is important to note that the Bible does not provide a clear explanation for why Jesus had to touch the man twice, and therefore scholars can only speculate based on their understanding of the passage and the context in which it was written. I don’t like to speculate, so I won’t.
Ultimately, the miracle serves as a reminder of Jesus’ power to heal and his compassion for those in need, regardless of the method or timing of their healing.
4. Whether we can make the point from today’s passage or not, there are times when your breakthrough from God will come in a progressive, and not immediate, way.
— While we don’t know why Jesus had to touch the blind man twice, we do see that the healing manifested in a progressive way. This is the only progressive miracle performed by Jesus recorded in scripture. While this man seemingly required and therefore received a second touch from God, I think we can all agree that we often require multiple touches from God.
— Most of the time, Jesus’ miracles were examples of the immediate manifestation of God’s power. In this case, the man needed a second touch. The power of God was applied to his eyes twice before he was able to see clearly. Sometimes your healing is immediate and instantaneous. Other times, it is manifested in a progressive way. Either way, thank God for His healing and receive it however it is manifested in your life.
— If you need healing and God provides it to you, while others may debate or discuss HOW He did it, the method will mean little to you. In your heart, all that will matter is that God needed and breakthrough, and God provided it. For some, it is immediate. For others, it happens over time. In every case, we should give God praise!
5. There are some things we understand until we get to heaven.
— While I am called to preach the God, I want to be clear that I am not called to know everything. If I could fully explain God, then I would be God’s God!
— While I do my best to preach the Gospel and teach the Bible, just know that there are countless things about God that we, as humans, will not understand. If anyone tells you that they have it all figured out, they are lying.
— God will REVEAL Himself, but He does NOT have to EXPLAIN Himself! God is God. Don’t forget that!
— As humans, we are finite. As a deity, our God is infinite. When bad things happen, and we have lots of questions, it’s okay to ask God about them. Just don’t think that God has to answer you. There are things we will not know until we get to heaven.
— There is a level of mystery to walking with God. If you are the type of person who needs to know everything and who needs all the answers upfront before you make a decision, then you are going to have a hard time walking with God. The whole point of God requiring FAITH from us is becuase we won’t know everything. Faith is required because God is not going to tell you everything when you want to know it. There will be times when you have NO CLUE what to do. In those times, we must learn to trust God. When it is all said and done, God’s plans will prevail, and they will be good.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
I am determined to experience You this year like never before. My heart is open to receive whatever You want to do in my life; however, You want to do it.
You can do it in public or in private, as a single touch or a series of touches.
I refuse to put stipulations on You, Father. I love You. I honor You. I follow You. I pursue my purpose. I walk with You daily. And whatever You want to do in my life, I am open and ready to receive.
I will not allow my reason, logic, or common sense to cause me to miss out on Your best. I will do whatever You lead me to do, and I am open to whatever You want to do without regard for the opinions of others. I am not moved by people’s opinions. I am only moved by You, Your Word, and Your Spirit, even when I have no sense-realm evidence to support what the Holy Spirit is leading me to do.
Living this, I know I will experience Your best in 2023 and beyond. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
