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Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson Mark - Who is Christ?
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to MARK
PART 4 - Jesus' Great Miracles in Galilee and its Surroundings (Mark 3:7 - 8:26)
19. A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)MARK 8:22-26 A true Christian develops from partial knowledge to recognition of the redemptive plan of God. He who believes in Christ grows in the knowledge of his love and the experience of his power. He does not become perfect, in spite of the perfection gifted to him, but moves from faith to more faith. This spiritual development may be seen clearly in Christ’s healing of the blind man at Bethsaida. Some believers brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him with his healing power. This is exactly the subject of preaching. Your privilege, as a saved believer, is to bring the blind, with respect to faith, to Jesus in your prayers that he may enlighten them with his Spirit. The service of your supplications is the beginning of their healing. Christ did not immediately comply with the demand of those who sought him, but took the blind man aside. He led him from the midst of the crowd into isolation and silence, and was willing to heal him, and the blind man followed Jesus to a quiet place. As such, Christ takes every seeker after truth aside, away from the clamor of life, to treat him personally in the peace of meditation, according to his own needs and troubles. The Son of God spat in the eyes of the blind man, as a symbol of purification of his sins. He who is blind in spirit needs first to purify his heart of sin by Christ’s blood, for sins have hidden our knowledge of God. Jesus touched the blind man with his divine hand, and his power ran into the man who expected to be healed, as an electric current runs into your hand and body when you touch an electric wire. As such the power of the Holy Spirit, the new heavenly element, dwells in you when you believe in the forgiveness of your sins by him who was crucified, for Christ does not only speak to you, but he also makes you a partner of his own power. Then Jesus spoke to the blind man, and encouraged him to look. The blind man began to see partially, as some of those who believe in Christ do not see clearly at first, the capacity of their salvation, and the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, especially when the spirit of spiritual blindness had pressed on them for a long period. However, hearing the word of God frequently, and communication with his kind power develop true knowledge, and right faith. Christ did not lose patience with the healed man when he could not immediately see clearly, but put his hands again on the man’s eyes when he confessed that he could see partially. As such, we encourage you, dear reader, to confess your growing hopeful faith, that you may experience when the Son of God touches you, and gives you wider insight into his salvation, power, and love. Finally the healed man could see and recognize Jesus clearly before his eyes. The kind face of Jesus was the first thing to reach that man’s heart. Then he saw with astonishment all the details of the world around him, and his heart was filled with joy, for his eyes had seen the Lord. Christ warned him not to hasten to mention this event to the others, but to leave the crowd and withdraw from them, giving thanks to the Lord that he might recognize through his thanksgiving who Christ was, how great his work was, who man is in himself, and his unworthiness to receive the Lord’s help. Do you ever thank your Lord for your opened eyes? There are more than three hundred thousand blind people in the Arab world. Do you have enough pity and willingness to serve them? When will you begin to thank your Lord for the salvation he has given you? When will you visit a blind man in your area, pray with him, and help him practically? PRAYER: O Lord, we thank you for your patience with us. Forgive our spiritual blindness, purify our hearts of offenses, and impurity with your precious blood, and enlighten us with your Holy Spirit, that we may see you clearly in your kindness, and never forget you. Help us to recognize our foolish hearts, that we may not become proud, but be filled with your peace, and bring many from spiritual blindness to you, that they may see you, as we do, the center of our life. Help us also to serve the blind in our surroundings with practical services and constant prayers. Amen. QUESTION:
QUIZ 2Dear reader,
If you are able to answer 22 questions out of the above 26 questions, we will send you the next booklet of this series. Please write your full name and address clearly, and send your answers to the following address: Waters of Life Internet: www.waters-of-life.net |