Episode 2 - What Do You See? (Mark 8:22-26)

Have you ever felt like God was working in your life, but you still couldn't see clearly?

In this episode, we explore the story of the blind man in Mark 8:22-26 and uncover a powerful truth hidden within his response to Jesus. When asked what he saw, the man didn't pretend. He honestly admitted that people looked like trees walking.

Join me as we discuss why honesty with God is often the doorway to healing, clarity, and the next touch from Him.

If you've ever found yourself in a season of partial understanding, this episode is for you.

Hear God's Voice. Find Healing. Build Intimacy and Trust.

Thank you for listening to Valetha's Greatest Moments with God.

If today's episode encouraged you, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with a friend.

Until next time,

Hear God's Voice.
Find Healing.
Build Intimacy and Trust.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello. Welcome to Veletha's Greatest Moments with God. In this episode, we're going to be digging into Mark chapter 8, verses 22 through 30. And in here, from the NIV version, it talks about Jesus restores sight to a blind man. Now, have you ever prayed for something and felt like God was working but not completely? You know something has changed, but you're still not seeing clearly. If that's you, I believe that today's episode will encourage you. Today we're going to look at a fascinating story between Jesus and a blind man. It's one of the few miracles in Scripture that happened in stages. And I believe there is a powerful lesson for us in what happened between the first touch and the second touch. So grab your Bibles. I have mine here, and let's get reading. So let's dig into Mark, starting with chapter 8, verse 22. They came to Bethesda, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. When he has spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, let's put a check mark there. Jesus asked, Do you see anything? So I just want to quickly go through. There are a couple things that Jesus did here. We're going to dig into it, but I want to just make sure you see where I'm going. First, he took him by the hand and he led him outside the village. Second, Jesus spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him and asked him, Do we see anything? The man looked up and said, I see people, but they look like trees walking around. 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. Jesus sent him home saying, Don't even go into the village. So when we go into the Bible, again, I got mine here. I'm just going to place it here on the side. You when you read the Bible, you always don't just read it for the words that is speaking. Because we have to remember the word is living, living word of God. So let's dig into what God is saying. But I'm always reminded for when I was taught how to read the Bible, you got to know the context a little bit. You got to understand when the author got it from the Spirit of God, what was he, what was his surrounding? What was his present time to get a better picture of what God is saying? So the story started in a village called Bethesda. Now Jesus had already gone into Bethesda prior to the blind man coming to him. And in that city, people had already experienced miracles that were performed by God. In fact, Jesus later pronounced woe over this city, because despite the miracles that he performed in front of the people, they still largely remain unbelieving. So they're like, oh, I see all these miracles over here, but I still don't believe you are the Messiah. So Jesus said in Matthew 11 and 21, Woe to you, Bethesda, for if the miracles that were performed in you have been performed in Tyran and Sidion, they have repented by now. So in other words, the Jesus comes in front of you. And this particular crowd probably clapped their hands when they saw signs and wonders. But it didn't change their hearts, it didn't drive them towards repentance. So this village failed to respond to what God was doing and how he was healing. So now with that, there were some people in that city that did believe. We see that because it was a group that brought the blind man to them. Heal this man, Jesus. And Jesus, understanding the surroundings that he was in, the non-believers that probably was like church people that go in on Sunday, oh, thank you, God. That was a good word. Oh, yes, it was. And then they walked right out the door, and their hearts didn't change, their postures didn't change. So God had to pull him away from that. And when he pulled him out of that seat, that where it was just him and that blind man, then he went to work. Now the first thing he did, he had to spit on them. He had to remove the residue, the ugliness that we go through. So he spit on them. And then he took his hands and he put them over his eyes. And then when he removed his hands, he said, What do you see? And in that moment, the man was truthful with God. He didn't pretend to say, Oh, God, I can see. Thank you, Jesus. He didn't even say, Oh, I think something is, you know, I can see. Thank you, Lord, because it's better than what I was when I didn't see anything. No, he was honest with God in that moment. He said, God, I see people. I see something I've never seen before. But I know it's not fully clear. Because these people look like trees. And I know people don't look like trees. Which means he saw, but it wasn't clear. It wasn't crystal clear. But he knew he saw progress because it was different than what he'd seen before. Let's put that in our personal lives. What have you prayed to God for? That a circumstance was so bad and so crazy that God had to pull you out, get some one-on-one time with you. And maybe that situation was so bad that he had to do something different and drastic. Well, you were expecting this miracle to come one way, but God came at it a whole different way. And God said, What do you see? In that moment, in that prayer time, are you being honest with God? What about someone that hurt you? What about a disappointment? What about there were people in your life where they walked away? And yeah, life is a little bit better, but you don't feel good about it. In those moments when you have that one-on-one time, are you being honest with God? Are you saying, God, I see progress, but I thought it would be a little bit different than what it is now, because it's I'm still dealing with some of it. Now, mind you, it is not as crazy as it was before, but some of it's still there, God, and it still hurts. It's still, I still feel a little frustrated with it. Because the blind man that could see people like trees, because he was honest with God and said, I see, but I don't see as clear as I know I should be seeing. God continued to minister to him. God continued until the miracle was fully restored, where he can see clearly. How often when you pray, when you know you're dealing with a situation, and you go into prayer and you say, God, I'm good. When honestly, you're not. What about I'm trusting you, God? But when honesty, you're afraid. We get so caught up on that Bible verse that God didn't give me the spirit of fear, but of power and love and the sound mind. So therefore, I don't have any fear. Is that honest? I'm raising my hand. There have been certain situations in my life where I know I shouldn't be afraid. The word told me he didn't give me the spirit of fear, but I'm still scared. There's nothing wrong with talking to God about what is truly on your heart. Or if you come out of a bad relationship, and you say, Okay, God, you delivered me from this bad relationship. I'm ill from it. But honestly, you may be out of the relationship, but you're still hurting from the wounds and the scars it created. That's being honest with God. That's giving God something to work with to make sure that you're fully restored to where you should be. The blind man in Mark A, he teaches us something powerful. That honesty, it doesn't mean that you lack faith. It's just a doorway to allow another touch from God to put you in a place to show God I see progress. I see I have taken a couple steps, and I have I see what you have doing in this situation, and it may not be a hundred percent restored, but God, because I see movement, because I see people, but they look like trees. When before I came to you, I didn't see anything at all. You just gave God an opportunity to say, Yes, my daughter is still here. My daughter recognized that I am in the mix, that I am working on something. So therefore, she gave me permission to give her another touch until she's fully restored. Once Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes, the second time, his eyes were opened and his sight was restored. And he saw everything clearly. Notice what God did when I put the place marks when we were reading the word. The first thing God had to do is he had to take him out of the village. Now we learn from the pretext that that city had people in it that did not fully believe that Jesus was the Messiah. So they gave him credit for the healing, but their hearts weren't changed, their posture wasn't changed, and they did not get driven into repentance. So he had to pull them out of that environment. He had to pull them away from those people so he can deliver what that blind man was asking for. And it was a process for that prime man where he had to get touched not only once, but he had to get touched twice. And then what's key is once his sight was fully restored, he gave him a specific instruction. Let me get my Bible back. He told the man, don't even go into the village. That's found in verse 26. Why did God tell him to not ever return from where you came? He healed them and then he told them not to go back because sometimes God has to heal us outside of the area that contribute to our blindness in the first place. And he knows that if you go back to where you were just delivered from, that fully restored sight can leave and go back to being unclear. We are always impacted by the places we are, the environments we're in, and people that are around us. They are influencers over the mindset that we carry. Their voices keep us from seeing unclearly. So when God pulled them out, he was able to heal him because he was not in that environment. And for him to maintain his miracle, God said, don't go back to which you came from. What's holding you up from your healing? What's stopping you from being fully restored? Could it be a location that you're in? That when God pulled you out, you find yourself back there. Bethesda is a place, but sometimes it's not just a place. Sometimes it's old thinking. Do you have old thoughts that after you see a miracle and you experience a miracle? And because the miracle may not have been in full form, it was in the process. Well, you saw some things, but you didn't see the full thing. Did you go back to your old way of thinking? I am guilty of that sometimes. That when old thoughts come up in my mind, oh, that didn't work anyway. Oh, you should have known you wasn't gonna get it. I have to quickly shift my thinking. But God said this. But I saw that, so therefore I shall receive. What about unbelief? Could unbelief be stopping you from fully receiving? And that's an old thing that God is trying to pull you out of and ask you not to go back in. Familiar limitations where you have you're used to not having money. Poverty mindsets are big when it comes to financial things. God, I am short on my rent. I have bills this high and um finances this high. I don't know how I'm going to do that. And then the miracle happens, and all those bills were played, and you still ended up by the end of the week with a couple dollars in your bank. But then you go back the following week. Oh God, I don't know how I'm gonna pay these sets of bills with only this money. When you just forgot last week, God made a way for those bills to get paid. That's going back to familiar limitations. You have negative influencers in your life. They tell us that we are, and I'm gonna mess this up so bad, but we are the product of the most five people that we're closest to. Whatever they're doing, whatever they're talking about, because we're in that circle, it's gonna rub on us as well. Who's around you? Who's speaking in your ear? If you got somebody say, Oh, I'm broke, I'm always broke, oh, I'm sick, I'm always sick. Oh, my child never does anything, right? Oh my god, I hate my job. Oh, I had to really get away from those people because I'm still in corporate. I can't have nobody in my ear talking about how much they hate their job, and I gotta be in my job. I can't have that. Who's in your ear? And it's God pulling you from people. Do you notice close people that have been with you that no longer are with you, that are stepping away from you because of the new person you're trying to become? And you're hurt because y'all grew up together. Y'all were ace buco coons, but now for some reasons they don't they don't want to be around. Maybe that's God. Maybe God is pulling you from negative influencers and want to reintroduce you to a new set of people. People that believe in God, the people that will motivate you and encourage you and want to see you do better and celebrate, even when you see people that look like trees, until you see more clearly. These are the things that we have to look at before we can receive the fullness of what God is trying to give us. Jesus wasn't interested in giving him new vision, only to send him back to the same atmosphere that lacked vision in the first place. So I really want you to take a moment. And I want you to think about what did you ask God for? What situation that drove you to God because it was so severe? And what we just read, it was blindness. He can't see a lick that he can't get anywhere unless someone helps him to that destination. What is your thing that drew you to God? Mine were my boys. My oldest was a junior or senior in high school at the time, and I saw the lifestyle that he was living, the friends he were connected to. And I knew what was on the other side of that. Right into a brick wall. I ran to God. God, help me help my son. God help my son. Because me doing it by myself was tearing us apart. Tearing us apart. But when I prayed, I pleaded with God. And I saw God come in. Now my friend, my son's friends didn't change. But he was coming home more at night. We started talking on a regular, intelligent basis to one another. We weren't arguing and screaming and slamming doors. That was my seeing trees in the moment. Until finally I sat with God and I was honest with God. God, my oldest is not doing everything he's supposed to be doing. But God, he's not doing this anymore. I'm still hurt because I don't want him to hit that brick wall. I don't want him. I got black boys. I don't want him dead. I don't want them in jail. God, but I see progress. I see you in it. And even though he's not fully there yet, I see you, God. I see those people that look like trees. I gave God permission to continue to do what it is. What is yours? What's your thing that God is trying to pull you out of that you may find yourself back into? Instead of saying, God, I surrender. It hurts. It don't feel good. I'm going to let you do what you do. Amen. So as we close today, I'm going to leave you with the same question Jesus asked the blind man. In this moment, in that situation, what do you see? Do you see progress, but it's just a little unclear because you don't know the full thing. Or maybe you see God moving, but you don't yet understand what he's doing. Maybe you see the beginning of healing. Maybe you're going through something with your body and you do see a little healing. But you're not sure because you're not a hundred percent healed. Whatever you see, don't be afraid to be honest with God about those emotions. The blind man didn't pretend, he didn't exaggerate. He simply told God the truth in that moment. He told God what he saw. And because he was honest, Jesus continued to work. My encouragement to you today is this. Don't settle for tree people. Don't settle for partial vision. But most importantly, don't walk away before you allow God to give you that second touch. How do you do that? You stay in his presence. You stay in prayer. If you're like me, you just every Sunday at church, I stayed on the altar. You stay connected to God, the one who began the work in the first place. And because that same God who started the process, he is faithful to the completed. I'm Val Mitchell, and I'll see you on the next episode.