<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 8;22-26<div><br></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;And they came to Bethsaida. &nbsp;And some people brought to him a blind man, and begged him to touch him.</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;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 upon him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”<br>24. &nbsp;And he looked up and said, “I see men; but they look like trees, walking.”</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly.</b></div><div><b>26. &nbsp;And he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>To the best of my recollection, no other healing preformed by Jesus had this progressive nature to it.</div><div>After Jesus&nbsp;spat&nbsp;in the eyes of the blind&nbsp;man and placing his hands on him, his sight was partially restored, but not completely. &nbsp;Men looked like trees walking, (shapes without definition, unclear, out of focus).</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus again places his hands on the man’s eyes again a second time…&nbsp;the man <i>“looks intently” </i>and now he saw <i>“everything clearly”. &nbsp;</i>The questions to be asked are: ‘Is not this&nbsp;Jesus God in the flesh? &nbsp;Yes! &nbsp;Has He not perfect knowledge and all power?&nbsp;Yes! &nbsp;Was Jesus’ first effort to restore sight to the blind man incomplete or imperfect? &nbsp;Did Jesus only partially heal this man, <u>or</u>&nbsp;was the incomplete healing the result of the blind man not himself <i>“looking intently,” </i>&nbsp;straining his eyes, so as&nbsp;to force them to focus?</div><div><br></div><div>I believe the latter. &nbsp;I believe Jesus fully healed the blind man with his&nbsp;spit and touch the first time. &nbsp;Yet, the gift of sight Jesus restored to him, the blind man had not yet fully made use of. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The most beautiful part of this account is that Jesus did not say to the blind man, “You are not trying hard enough to focus, try harder.” &nbsp;No! &nbsp;Instead, he placed his hands on the blind man’s eyes a second time, allowing the blind man to not focus on himself, but on Jesus who does not give up on half seeing Believers, but patiently continues to apply his touch to us all until we all see clearly.</div><div><br></div><div>The fault is not the Lord’s but our own slowness to see <i>“everything clearly”. &nbsp;</i>Our own spiritual insights are still progressively coming into focus. &nbsp;We are all works in process. &nbsp;Our Lord in patient, continual,&nbsp;love continues to touch us with his Truth and Spirit,&nbsp;increasing&nbsp;and clarifying our own our spiritual vision, to know Him better.</div><div><br></div><div>This is why our Lord exhorts us to, <i>“continue in My Word” &nbsp;</i>and, eat and drink His&nbsp;body and blood&nbsp;often, so that his touch may continue to&nbsp;rest upon us, and encourage us to <i>“look intently,”</i>&nbsp;straining to have our spiritual vision grow ever sharper.</div><div><br></div><div>Note: &nbsp;The Lord told him not to re-enter the town of Bethsaida, but rather go straight&nbsp;home, why? &nbsp;Was it to reduce the chances of creating&nbsp;another great crowd of people in the town? &nbsp;Or, could it be that our Lord knew there were family members who needed to see the blind man now see, <u>and</u>&nbsp;whom the blind man needed to see himself? &nbsp; In other words, his family was to be his mission field, before he ‘went public’.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, Your patience with Your own children being slow to understand, slow to see clearly all that you have for us, is so comforting. &nbsp;Bless us to put forth greater effort to make better&nbsp;use of what You have given us in Christ Jesus. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is or habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 8;22-26
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 upon him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24.  And he looked up and said, “I see men; but they look like trees, walking.”25.  Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and saw everything clearly.26.  And he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
To the best of my recollection, no other healing preformed by Jesus had this progressive nature to it.After Jesus spat in the eyes of the blind man and placing his hands on him, his sight was partially restored, but not completely.  Men looked like trees walking, (shapes without definition, unclear, out of focus).
Jesus again places his hands on the man’s eyes again a second time… the man “looks intently” and now he saw “everything clearly”.  The questions to be asked are: ‘Is not this Jesus God in the flesh?  Yes!  Has He not perfect knowledge and all power? Yes!  Was Jesus’ first effort to restore sight to the blind man incomplete or imperfect?  Did Jesus only partially heal this man, or was the incomplete healing the result of the blind man not himself “looking intently,”  straining his eyes, so as to force them to focus?
I believe the latter.  I believe Jesus fully healed the blind man with his spit and touch the first time.  Yet, the gift of sight Jesus restored to him, the blind man had not yet fully made use of.  
The most beautiful part of this account is that Jesus did not say to the blind man, “You are not trying hard enough to focus, try harder.”  No!  Instead, he placed his hands on the blind man’s eyes a second time, allowing the blind man to not focus on himself, but on Jesus who does not give up on half seeing Believers, but patiently continues to apply his touch to us all until we all see clearly.
The fault is not the Lord’s but our own slowness to see “everything clearly”.  Our own spiritual insights are still progressively coming into focus.  We are all works in process.  Our Lord in patient, continual, love continues to touch us with his Truth and Spirit, increasing and clarifying our own our spiritual vision, to know Him better.
This is why our Lord exhorts us to, “continue in My Word”  and, eat and drink His body and blood often, so that his touch may continue to rest upon us, and encourage us to “look intently,” straining to have our spiritual vision grow ever sharper.
Note:  The Lord told him not to re-enter the town of Bethsaida, but rather go straight home, why?  Was it to reduce the chances of creating another great crowd of people in the town?  Or, could it be that our Lord knew there were family members who needed to see the blind man now see, and whom the blind man needed to see himself?   In other words, his family was to be his mission field, before he ‘went public’.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, Your patience with Your own children being slow to understand, slow to see clearly all that you have for us, is so comforting.  Bless us to put forth greater effort to make better use of what You have given us in Christ Jesus.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is or habitation, and we are His.”
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