They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 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?” He looked up and said, “I see people; 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.”
How is it that God allowed this miracle to happen in stages? Why was the man’s eyesight not healed right away, why did it take two times?
I have often wondered about God’s methods, his timing, and his ways. He operates in his own ways. He is at once incredibly wonderful and mysterious. He is sovereign and is not required to explain everything to me.
Maybe this staged miracle was a mirror into the way we see God spiritually: 1) Many are completely blind to God’s love, the truth, and his Spirit and its work. 2) Many others have a form of spiritual eyesight and vision, but it is blurred. They cannot see people clearly around them as God does. They cannot see their heart potential. They focus on themselves, thinking about how people make them feel and whether they measure up to the fairness standards they find in the Bible or develop on their own. 3) Finally, some have clear spiritual eyesight. They see people through “Jesus eyes”. They understand that God created people for so much potential in him. They see them for who they can become in Christ — pure, unblemished, highly-valued, redeemable, and worthy of sacrificial love and forgiveness.
As my wife and I have had people in our home and community groups (Bible studies) over the years, we have helped a few who have been in very tough spots. One was suicidal, another in and out of jail and hanging out with gangbangers, and some have tough family background and wrestled with bitterness and hatred of those who hurt them. But Jesus saw other people’s potential in life, not just their current sinful state. And he calls us to do the same. Everyone has great potential and is valued and redeemable by the Savior.
Just look at the thief on the cross, or Saul, the persecutor of the church (who approved of the stoning of an innocent follower of Christ, Steven), or David who committed adultery and then had his lover’s husband killed to cover it up. All of these men repented and were forgiven, redeemed, sanctified, and brought into the family of God.
When we embrace the truth in the stories and parables of the Bible and its teachings, we find that our eyes are fully opened in how we see others and we are enabled to love them with an otherworldly love. It is a love they do not deserve or understand. It is a love that mirrors the love of Jesus!
This type of viewing of others, by spiritual eyesight to love as God loves, is discussed at length in the book of I John. Here are some highlights: “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (I John 3:11) “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (I John 3:16) “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” (1 John 3:21-24)
Lord, thank you for this staged miracle that was mysterious to me for so long. I believe you have opened up its meaning to me today. Help me to not see people with blurred spiritual eyesight, like trees walking around. Instead help me to see them through your eyes, to see them as redeemable by an incredibly loving God. To see them for all the potential for good that you built into them when you designed them. I want to see others as you see them, Jesus. All the time and in every way, by your power and strength, help me to see them in all of the beauty and value that you designed into their hearts before sin got its foothold. For this is how you see me in Christ Jesus!
