"PRAYING OR PRESCRIBING?"

“…and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.” (Mark 8:22)

We do not deny the free agency of man, as we have sometimes been accused. Man freely does what he does. However, only one Man possesses absolute free agency. Jesus Christ, being one with His Father, does what He wills as He wills in all things. This freedom of will and action is clearly seen in His public life and ministry. His free agency is seen in the great variety of His mighty work. Though each of them sets forth certain aspects of the miracle of regeneration, even those most similar in nature differed in the working. This we see in the example before us. Of the many blind persons whose sight Jesus restored, none were alike with respect to circumstances or outward means.

Bringing souls to Christ is always commendable, and here we have an act of friendly intercession. Some caring folks at Bethsaida brought a blind man to Jesus and besought Him that He might heal the man. They saw the need and did the right thing in bringing him to the only One who could help. This, as other cases of physical blindness, pictures the unregenerate sinner who sits in darkness, and except he be born again, will never see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). The faith of these intercessors is evident, yet it is not perfect, in that they do not simply trust Christ to restore the man’s sight but rather prescribe how He must effect the cure: “…And besought Him to touch him.”

This may seem like a little thing, but when we add prescribing to our pleading, we would, in fact, “limit the Holy One of Israel.” Obviously, they were aware of other cases (perhaps had witnessed other cases) where Christ had touched the patient while commanding the healing, and therefore they limited Him to that method. There are essential elements in all true conversions, but none of them have to do with outward circumstances. There must be illumination (as pictured here in this miracle), repentance, confession, obedience. All these essentials are seen in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9, but the amazing circumstances surrounding that glorious event account for none of them. I once read about a man who, after hearing Billy Sunday preach, was later saved while under a bridge. He was sure that if he could get his friends under the bridge they would be saved as well. We may smile at this, but we too are sometimes guilty of limiting the savior by times, places, certain messengers/messages, etc. God may be pleased to use such things as fall under these categories, but He is not limited by nor bound to any particular means.

While Jesus honors faith, He does not defer to its weakness, or to our inferior wisdom. “He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.” (Verse 23) He responded to their faith but would not allow Himself to be moved by superstition mingled with faith. Not only did He refuse to be limited as to method, but clearly, He intended to illustrate other aspects of the antitype. The blind man’s faith was clearly lacking, so Jesus took him by the hand and led him further. The end result will be the same as other cases; however the cure will not be instantaneous, but gradual. At first his sight was blurred, but Jesus touched his eyes again and the man saw clearly. (Vs. 24, 25)

This gradual cure is meant to be a vivid illustration of how the Holy Spirit frequently works. Without Divine illumination none can see spiritual things (I Cor. 2:14), yet few see things clearly at first; we must grow in grace and knowledge.

The gradual cure of the blind man is also a striking picture of the present position of Christ’s believing people in the world, compared to that which is to come. Paul describes us thus: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Cor. 3:18) “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face...” (I Cor. 13:12)