By: Dale Weckbacher
Mark 8:23b-24
“Do you see
anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see
people, but they look like trees, walking.”
(ESV)
Back in 2008, my family and I had the privilege of traveling
to Israel with a group from our church. It
was one of those momentous life-changing events that my family and I will never
forget. The reason for this is while in Israel,
we visited places I had previously only read about changing my vision of these
places from something I would imagine to something I could clearly see. While many reading this may never have the
privilege to travel to Israel, all believers in Jesus as savior have the
presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives to provide clarity of vision as they
study the Word of God and live their lives for Christ.
The text of Mark
8:22-26 once again records Jesus performance of a miracle, this time in Bethsaida. Similar to Jesus’ healing of the deaf man in Mark
7:31-37, Jesus does not just lay His hands upon the man and restore his sight
but takes him aside. In both events,
Jesus is illustrating that the method with which He brings a miracle may differ,
but Jesus still shows compassion through His willingness to minister to each
individual. However, the reason for
Jesus’ healing this man in the manner in which He did, provides a figurative
lesson of the ongoing transformation in a believer’s life that restores Godly
vision (Romans
12:2).
The blind man’s healing occurs in two stages. In the first stage, Jesus spits in the man's
eyes and lays His hands on the blind man (Mark
8:23). However, in the second stage,
Jesus lays hands on the man’s eyes and he sees clearly (Mark
8:25). Salvation is a three-stage
process of justification, sanctification, and glorification.
1)
Justification (Galatians
2:8) – The initial stage of salvation is one receiving forgiveness of sins
through acceptance of Jesus as their savior.
Romans
3:23 reminds us that every one of us has sinned with the penalty for that
sin being death (Romans
6:23a). However, Romans
6:23b tells us of the free gift of eternal life offered by the sacrifice of
Jesus through His death on the cross (Romans
5:8). Receiving this free Gift from
God only requires our believing and acknowledging Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection (John
3:16; Romans 10:9-10). By doing
this, one receives total forgiveness and justification before a righteous God,
escaping the condemnation of God (John
3:17).
2)
Sanctification (Romans
12:2) – Justification is the easy part, for the work was already done on
our behalf through Jesus. However, the
Christian walk comes with its share of struggles that require one developing a
closer relationship with God beyond justification from sin. This process is ongoing and continues until
we go home to be with the Lord for eternity.
Prior to our praying for forgiveness from sin and justification, we were
living in conformity to the world and not at odds with Satan. However, once we received justification from
sin, we changed sides with the thief changing tactics and now seeking to kill
and destroy us (John
10:10). Through the transformation
of the mind by the study of the Word of God we gain wisdom and power to resist
the thief’s attempts to kill and destroy us and begin enjoying abundant life in
Christ. However, this does not mean our
lives are free of trouble, just that we now have a closer relationship with
Jesus who overcame the world (John
16:33).
3)
Glorification (2
Thessalonians 1:10) – The aspect of glorification is not present in this
text for it does not occur until we meet the Lord face-to-face at our death or are caught up to meet the Lord at his return. Until then, we must be diligent in continuing
the transformation from thinking as the world does and learning to think as
Christ does (Romans
12:2). The request to Timothy by the
Apostle Paul for his books and parchments indicates his desire to continue the
sanctification process right up to the time of execution for his faith (2
Timothy 4:13). Glorification is not
something one reaches in this life but the hope of all believers in eternity.
The process of restoration of sight illustrated in the
account of Jesus healing a blind man in Mark
8:22-26 provides a picture of the restoration of Godly vision and a
biblical worldview in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. People are blind spiritually until they meet
Jesus and have him cleanse their spiritual eyes through acceptance of Jesus as
Savior. This allows them to begin seeing
the world differently, but the vision is blurry, a picture of one’s justification. As a believer continues in study of the Bible
and communication with God through prayer, their vision becomes clearer and
they experience a mental transformation from thinking as the world does to
having a Godly worldview based upon the truth of the Bible. While going through the sanctification
process, a believer has hope of glorification which will occur when they meet
Jesus face-to-face. However, one must
first experience justification to move on to sanctification and glorification
when they meet Jesus. Otherwise, their
eternal state will be separation from Christ and eternal condemnation (2
Thessalonians 1:5-9; John 3:18). The
choice all people face is a hope of eternal glorification with Christ or the
affliction of eternal separation from Christ.
If you choose glorification and have never accepted Jesus as your
Savior, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, was
buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.
You now have justification and a right standing with
God. However, while you have now
received restoration of your spiritual vision, that vision is blurry as it was
with the blind man Jesus healed. The
healing process of your spiritual vision is not complete and requires continued
interaction with God through the study of the Bible individually and as part of
a church or Bible study, prayer, and association with other people also going
through the sanctification process. There
will still be challenges and problems in life (John
16:33) with the difference now being we have justification from God and a
connection with the one that overcame the world and a hope of eternal
glorification with Christ.
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