Oh to See Clearly ...

“And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”

(Mark 8:22–25, ESV)

This morning is another one where I wonder why things look fuzzy, until I look at the layer of dirt and dust on my glasses. They need cleaning so often … or so it seems! When I do clean them, it truly is easier to see.

In Mark 8, the disciples were struggling to grasp the reality of Christ our Saviour. They acknowledged and followed Jesus, but only partially understood Him as Christ. To illustrate this, it seems Christ did a two-stage healing of a blind man’s sight; after the first step, he could only see partially - as the disciples were only partially grasping who He as the Christ was, but then the healed man could see fully - as the disciples would yet see.

To what extent are we seeing? Are we doing the work of clearing away the debris and distractions that keep us from fully seeing and grasping Christ? What effort can we make today to open wider our heart-perspective of who Christ is and who we are in Christ?

May we see increasingly more clearly!