Mark 8:22
And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

• A blind man is brought to Jesus. Who brings them? Friends? Relatives? We don’t know. But we know that whoever it is that brought him had some sort of great care for this man. Why? They besought Jesus to touch him.
• What does the word besought mean? They were begging. Just like the nobleman, this blind man’s friends were begging Jesus to heal him. In bringing others to Christ, we should learn to have a beseeching spirit, a begging attitude.
• Too often we fail to care for others as much as we care for ourselves or family and relatives or those that are close to us. But if we want to bring people to the foot of the cross, to the feet of Jesus so that they can be healed, we need to learn to have this begging attitude on behalf of others. Our most basic request should be for Jesus to touch their lives.

What happens next?

• Mark 8:23
  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town…
• The first thing that Jesus does is to lead the blind man by the hand, out of the city. Sometimes those that need healing need to get out of the city first. Too much temptation. Too much vice. Too much wickedness. Sin, too easily accessible at every turn. There are some that need to experience country living today. They’re too caught up with the world. And just to tell them to get out of the city won’t be enough. We need to lead them out ourselves, to be with them, to help them. To hand hold them every step of the way.
• This is what we need to do with many who are spiritually blind. Preaching and teaching to them is not enough. Telling them what to do is not enough. You need to show them the way and be with them step by step.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4
  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

On the other hand, what is very interesting is the thinking of this blind man. Remember, his friends have come with him asking Jesus to touch him. Jesus not only touches him, but he holds him for a long while by his hand. Yet, even though Jesus is touching him, he isn’t healed yet. What would you be thinking if you were the blind man?

• My friends asked Jesus to touch me. He’s touching me, but nothing is happening. How come?
• You see, Jesus doesn’t heal this man by touching. This blind man has to keep trusting Jesus and He is going to help him and to heal him. He has to live by faith, trust in Jesus, that He loves him and will help him. So already, this blind man is having to exercise faith already.

After Jesus leads him out, what happens next?

• Mark 8:23
  And 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 upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
• Jesus spits on the man’s eyes, then puts His hands on him, Jesus asks if he can see or not.
• Such an interesting act. Spitting on someone’s eyes. Of course, this is not anyone ordinary. This is not someone that hates you that is spitting on you. The blind man does not know what is going to happen. And when it happens, it’s too late anyways! So Jesus spits on his eyes and puts His hands on the blind man.

What is the remedy for spiritual blindness?

• Revelation 3:17
  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
• The Laodicean church is blind spiritually. They can’t see. What is the remedy?
• Revelation 3:18
  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
• Eye salve helps us to see. We are to anoint our eyes with it. What is the meaning of this spiritual eye salve?
• 1 Samuel 9:9
  (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
• And what is so special about the prophets?
• Romans 1:2
  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
• They are the ones that wrote the word of God.
• 2 Peter 1:21
  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
• It is through the word of God that He helps us to see. Moreover, the Word of God must be applied to our lives if we wish to experience healing. Too many of us look at the bible as a book of what we need to do. What we must do if we want to “claim” to be a Christian.
• We don’t look at it like a book of healing. How to live a satisfying life. We don’t see the blessings from reading this book.

When God opens our eyes, what does He want to do? What does He want us to experience?

• Acts 26:18
  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
• To turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. To receive forgiveness of sins. To receive inheritance of among them which are sanctified by faith in Jesus.
• This is what the Bible accomplishes to a certain extent. The Word of God is light!
• Psalms 119:130
  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
• It is the word of God that gives us the assurance that God forgives us if we confess – that’s 1 John 1:9. And it is the word of God that sanctifies us.
• John 17:17
  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
• If we wish to experience healing, we need to come back to the word of God.

Coming back to the story about the blind man.

• When Jesus spit on him and asked if he could see, what did the blind man respond with?
• Mark 8:24
  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
• He saw men like they were trees, walking. His vision was not clear yet. Wait, did Jesus not heal him properly on purpose? You see, there was a reason that the bible says it this way.
• You know, that’s how we see things when we first come into the truth and into the church. What do trees represent in the Bible?
• Isaiah 61:3
  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
• They represent righteous people. When people first come into the church, they are not able to see clearly yet. Everyone seems righteous to them. Everyone in the church seems to be on the right path. Not realizing that there is a wide variety of different types and stripes and colours of people in the church, all on a different journey and not all necessarily faithful to God!

But what happens when Jesus hears that his vision is still blurry?

• Mark 8:25-26
  25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
• Jesus touches him again, but this time He doesn’t spit. And his sight is restored fully.

Why doesn’t Jesus put His spit on the blind man again? How come He only touches Him and the blind man’s eyesight is fully restored?

• What is so important about the touch of Jesus? You see, having the spittle of Jesus, that is the eye salve. It represents the Word of God. Isn’t the Bible important? Yes it is! But it’s possible to have the Bible but not experience the personal touch of Jesus. Where in the Bible do we see the touch?
• Hebrews 4:15
  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
• Jesus touches humanity by coming in human form. He came to live among us. He came to empathize with us, not just sympathize. But He came to feel what we felt, to experience what we experienced. He came to experience first hand what it means to feel tempted. And though He didn’t, for a moment, fall under the power of sin, He had great sympathy and mercy for those that had degraded themselves to the depths of what sin pushed us to.
• The touch of Jesus is the experience that we need to go through when we make Jesus our own personal Saviour. It’s easy to read the Bible. It’s easy to hear doctrine. Many have grown up in church, going to church every week listening to sermons. But has Jesus become our personal friend? Has the words from the Bible become personal to each of us?
• John 1:14
  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
• Has the Word become flesh? Has it touched your life personally? Do you understand what Jesus means to you personally? Or is His word still just teaching, doctrine and instruction?

Who is Jesus to you today? Just a God to be followed and worshipped? If you don’t do it, you will be left out of heaven – type of doctrine? Or is He the answer to even all your problems that you face on earth today? Do you find Him to be the solution that you’ve been looking for? Is He the living water that quenches your thirst? Is He the bread of life to satisfy your hunger? Has He met your needs? Has He touched you?

We need to have more than an intellectual knowledge of Jesus today. More than just head knowledge. But also heart knowledge. To know Him, that is the essence of eternal life and even this temporal life that we are living today.

John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Yes we need to begin in His word today. But then go beyond that. Tell God, I want to know you, I want to experience you.

Jer 29:13
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Maybe we have not searched with all our heart. We’ve even come to reading the Bible as a formality. Something that we need to do because it’s just simply good for us. But Jesus, He wants that personal touch. He wants the words that we are reading to become more than just head knowledge. He wants to write His word into our hearts. He wants to fill us with His love. Let’s ask God to come and fill our hearts with His Spirit today.

Ephesians 3:17-19
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

God want to live in us so that we can be filled with all the fulness of God and be filled with His love today. May that be our experience in this week. God bless you all!