Mark #25 - Do You See Anything?

Mark 8:22-26 (NIV)

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when the things that were happening were so big and so important, that you couldn’t quite comprehend what everything meant at the time? Or have you ever looked back at a moment and realized that the evidence for a thing was right in front of you the whole time, but you didn’t have eyes to see?

Recently I was reading a book that someone told me I should read years ago. And as I was reading it two things were very clear to me. One was that it was exactly what I needed when the person gave it to me to navigate my situation, and two was that if I had picked it up and read it, I would have rejected it because of the condition of my heart and mind.

Like a good movie today, Mark’s gospel isn’t as concerned with a linear timeline as he is with conveying meaning with specific stories. In today’s passage, he places the story of Jesus healing a blind man at this point in the narrative as an example of how the Disciples and Israel needed their eyes open. They could see, but it wasn’t quite clear.

----------REFLECT----------

1. Even though this passage was short, what feeling did it cause you to have?

2. Can you relate to the blind man in this passage? Have you ever needed Jesus to give you a second dose of healing in order for you to see something more clearly? What was that and what was it like?

3. This blind man’s eyes reflect the condition of the disciples hearts. They are seeing, but not quite perceiving. Is there something that you struggle with about who Jesus is and what following him requires? Would you be willing to ask him to clear up your vision in that area?

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