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I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW!  

Mark 8:22-25

This miracle was one of Jesus’ strangest miracles. Jesus spat on the blind man’s eyes. The Hebrews saw the spittle as life and new birth. It was as if Jesus was imparting life to his dead eyes. He asked “Do you see anything?” The man said “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. His eyes had been out of focus but now he saw clearly. Everything came back into focus.

Was he partly healed? Jesus’ miracles were signs that pointed to something greater than themselves - spiritual truths. This miracle was also a parable. He was saying something through it, a deeper truth.

• The lesson was for his disciples. Before this Jesus had rebuked them for their lack of understanding. They were still half blind. He wanted them to see themselves as they were – their vision was not clear.
• It is for us today. Jesus lives his life in us. You could say he has applied the spittle to our eyes. People in the world are blind. But although we are not blind our spiritual vision is out of focus. Do you ever say to yourself: “I believe. But if I were a Christian I wouldn’t be having these thoughts etc.” We see but we don’t see. Was there a time when you were afraid of God? If you still think like that then your eyes are out of focus. You are seeing men as trees. How clearly do you see God? Yourself? Do you see who God is? Do you see who you really are? Or do you live in doubt and fear and even condemnation? Do you see yourself as you really are? Or do you see yourself as a failure, no good, struggling and trying to please God. Jesus Christ lives in you – he is your life. But do you see that? Or are we like the blind man – “I can see but I can’t see properly.” Do you see the changes from the Old Covenant to New? Do we understand what grace is? Or are we out of focus?
• He saw people as trees. The point where the miracle broke down was in his relationship to people. A miracle had happened, but the miracle lacked something, and that lack was a relationship to people. Many do not see people as important. Their relationship to people is totally out of focus. They see people as trees walking. Trees are its, things. But people are not trees. Do you realize how different you are? Too often we do not stop and think about that. People are different from the things God has created. That is a major reason why we get depressed, discouraged, feel unaccepted, unworthy – we feel we are things in Gods eyes, unimportant, insignificant. Jesus treated unimportant, anonymous, insignificant, peasants, low class, lepers with great value. Jesus interacted with and healed nameless people. They are his care and his concern. 1Cor1:26. The church is made up of very insignificant people -by worldly standards. But remember who you are! Remember who people are! You are of great value to God made in God’s image like everyone else. You’re not a tree, you are a person. Galatians 2:20. Jesus died for us as though we were the only persons in the world to be died for.

That’s how valuable we are to God. It doesn’t mean we are number one, and everybody else is number two, or maybe number three. That is, we look at people as trees that walk – they’re not persons; they’re just trees. We live, we work with people, but we have no more relation to them than to a tree. Most troubles and problems are in the area of people. You couldn’t really be angry unless there were people around. It’s other people. Bitterness? Something churning inside of you because of what someone said or did to you. If there were no people, just only you, there wouldn’t be any church splits or church fights. Psalm 55:6. Our trouble is exactly like this man in the miracle. Jesus touched him. The spittle speaks of life and new birth. The man could honestly say, “I do see.” But, at the same time, he said, “I don’t. I’m out of focus when it comes to people.” We are Christians.  But when it comes to relationship with people, we are out of focus. What did Jesus do? He included the man in his final miracle. “What do you see?” The original Greek it’s almost as if he said, “How’s the miracle coming?” He was drawing the man out. This man had got to be part of the miracle, and if we are going to see God, see ourselves and others, we are going to be included. .

• The man was honest. He could have just given up and lied. Jesus had a reputation for healing blind people, and he could have just felt, “I’ve got to save Jesus’ reputation so, I’ll lie.” We can be like that. “How are you?” “Great” But things are not great. There will never be any bringing to maturity of us experiencing God until we begin to tell the truth to ourselves instead of putting on a mask. The full, completed miracle was only because of his honesty. He stopped all of his struggling and he just admitted, “I don’t see properly.” We need to learn stop all our struggles and excuses and masks and cover-ups, and we rest in what he has done. When you see what Jesus has done and rest therein, we can stop saying, “Well, I’m trying very hard to be a Christian. I’m doing my best.” No. Our best is useless. Just rest in the fact that it’s not what I did, not what I do, it is what he has done. Christ is your new life, so therefore, put on love. Put on tenderness and kindness, forgiving one another

Look at others -  they are people – not trees. You can look at fellow Christians and realize Christ died for them; Christ lives in them now, and anything that has stood between them, and me -- I let it go.

Let Jesus treat people through us as people. Do you want to carry on living in the forest? Or, do you want to begin to live fully?  See people as people. Then let God’s love flow through you to them.

If you want to see clearly: Be honest. Deeply understand doctrines. Submit yourself to God.

Mark 8:22-26

²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into^[a] the village.”