The Blind Man Of Bethsaida

[The man] looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

Mark 8:24

Jesus never does anything halfway, but sometimes He does work in stages. In Mark 8, the disciples only partially understand His teachings, and they don’t fully grasp what He is saying. “How is it you do not understand?” He asks them (verse 21).

In verse 22, Jesus teaches His followers a lesson. Upon meeting a blind man in Bethsaida, Jesus heals him in stages. At first, the man sees people “like trees, walking.” Then Jesus puts His hands on the man’s eyes again, and his sight is restored to twenty-twenty vision.

This two-stage miracle is very encouraging. When we’re confused about some aspect of Bible study, when life seems blurry, or when we’re bothered by events we can’t explain, we’re seeing things like trees, walking. But how wonderful to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior! As we walk with the Lord day by day, we find that our focus improves, our knowledge grows, our wisdom increases. And even if things are still a little blurry just now, we can be assured that with the Great Physician we’ll understand it better by and by.

The simplicity of the gospel gives what the complexity of human wisdom promises but never delivers.

JOHN MACARTHUR^a