Trees Walking
Mark 8:22-30
I have always been fascinated by the response the blind man gave to Jesus.
Photo by Jonas Tebbe on Unsplash
They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.” Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. - Mark 8:22-30
He tells Jesus he sees people, but they don’t look like people. They look like trees.
Jesus then lays his hands on the man’s eyes and fully restores his sight.
What does this encounter tell us about our relationship with God?
Jesus didn’t know what the man could see. He had to ask him to know how effective his miracle was. As it turns out, the steps Jesus took to cure the man’s vision were not enough to fully restore his sight. He needed the feedback to know he should do more.
How many times do we ask God for help? How many of those times do we tell God how effective that help was?
God created us to be able to live apart from Him, even though He wants us to be with Him. He could have built us in such a way that He could control our thoughts and read our minds, but He didn’t.
He wants us to invite Him into our lives, to share our pains and joys with Him, so He can experience this life He gave us through us.
We believe that Jesus is wholly human and wholly divine. He is one of us, but also one with the Father, so God can experience what we experience firsthand.
Even so, Jesus needs to ask the blind man what he sees.
Jesus has the power to change the world, but only if we provide the feedback He needs to know how effective those changes are.
Now, this story about the blind man can be interpreted in two ways. When Jesus laid hands on the man and asked him what he saw, we assume Jesus performed an act of healing that was not fully effective, but what if he didn’t try to restore his sight at that moment?
What if Jesus was laying hands on him to bring him peace so he could then ask about the man’s vision?
We know the man was blind, but there are degrees of blindness.
The same is true for us. We may be blind in some respects and still see poorly, as Paul described his vision: through a glass darkly.
When we share what we see with God, God can bring us the light. If we go about our lives apart from God, we will remain separate and see the world poorly.
The beauty of God’s creation becomes apparent only when we can fully open our eyes, and that happens only when we seek God’s help and share our experiences with Him.
Until we choose to share our lives with God, we remain alone. And in a way, God remains alone as well. He is waiting for us to come and share what we see with Him so He can bring us to a better life.
More to come...