JESUS CHRIST no 26 Blind man trees walking

“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #26- “BETHSAIDA BLIND MAN – TREES WALKING”
Mark 8:22-25,26

THE TEXT:
22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
23 And 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.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (Mark 8:22-25)

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida
Bethsaida was one ‘tough’ city with the blindness of unbelief. They had seen a lots of miracles but had remained unmoved about Christ being God in the flesh (1Timothy 3:16)

“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Matthew 11:21)

a blind man unto him,
How fitting to perform a miracle for blindness such as this … as the whole city of Bethsaida was blind as well … with their eyes of understanding remaining closed (Ephesian 1:18).

and besought him to touch him.
The word ‘besought’ has the same meaning as ‘beseech’ meaning urgently and fervently.

Why touch? The people that brought this man knew that when Christ touched people, they were healed … as with the case of the widow with an issue of blood, where an automatic dose of virtue came out of Christ (Mark 5:30).

But as we shall see, the virtue here, would be imparted consciously into the blind man on the faith of others (John 1:44)

As stated, it was an unbelieving city, but even so, Christ chooses to heal this blind man even though does not ask for it … indeed making him look up (Luke 8:25).

23 And he took the blind man by the hand
When Christ takes you by the hand, something will happen … be it a healing or a deliverance (Matthew 9:25; Mark 1:31; Mark 5:41; Acts 3:2; Acts 9:8; Hebrews 8:9)

and led him out of the town;
Indeed, Dear Reader, Christ’s healing for us also took place ‘out of town’ at Calvary … out of a ‘kingdom of darkness’ called Jerusalem (Colossians 1:13).

Similarly, Bethsaida, being a city in darkness, was not going to be the place where Christ would heal this blind man.

and when he had spit on his eyes,
To spit on someone in the Bible, is to express derision and contempt. However Christ, in spitting on the man’s eyes, was not showing disgust toward the man, but an abhorrence at the condition of blindness.

Remember, this is also a message for Bethsaida as a whole, that Christ was spitting on their blindness as well.

Indeed, unlike other spitting in the Bible, we are reminded that Christ’s spit has a dual function … one of contempt and one of healing (John 9:6).

and put his hands upon him,
It may have been his shoulders or arms but not on his eyes at this stage … and for a specific reason that we shall uncover.

he asked him if he saw ought.
Christ knew what the answer would be … that the man would see.

a. Christ, as the Son of man, is rightfully called the Branch (Jeremiah 33:15) … with God the Father being the tree … out of which Christ has come (Hebrews 7:14).

b. Having said that, Christ is the tree … as Christ is the Father in the flesh (1 John 5:7-8; Isaiah 9:6).

c. As Christ, having created all things, men are made in his image as trees as well (John 1:3; Genesis 1:26)

d. That the blind man sees walking trees indicates they are natural physical men … they are not dead … as they are walking.

e. However, only when Christ specifically touches this man’s eyes can he see Christ as the tree of life (Genesis 3:22).

25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes,
This was to signify as to the place on the man’s body where Christ would now spiritually heal to truly open his eyes of understanding (Ephesians 1:18).

The fact that this man sees natural physical men at this stage, simply means his eyes have been brought back to physical life … it’s the first stage of his healing.

But it is not until that Christ touches the man a second time, specifically on his eyes, that he will see the true spiritual tree … that of Christ as the tree of life.

Christ says “As you physically look up at me, you will see me … the tree of life!”

Indeed Dear Reader, we are reminded … “… when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

This was a lesson for Bethsaida to see, that not only could Christ make men physically see, but should the city look at him a second time, they would be spiritually healed.

Although Philip came from the ‘blind’ city of Bethsaida (John 1:44), he was an example of one who had his eyes of understanding opened by Christ (Ephesian 1:18).

It seems fitting then, that Philip could help ‘open’ the Ethiopian’s eyes to see Christ (Acts 8:27).

In addition, certain Greeks would come to Philip also asking to see Jesus (1 John 12:21).

Conclusion
This was a specific message to the particularly blind city of Bethsaida, and indeed blind Israel … that as the man eyes were physically opened, so Christ could spiritually open their eyes.

The first time, this man looked up to see Christ … he was a walking tree (John 8:24), but it was not until the second time that he was made to look up, that he saw Christ as the tree of life.

And this seems fitting, as Christ being the 2^nd person in the Godhead, is the second witness (Matthew 18:16).

There are many who look at Christ as a tree,
but very few will look at him a second time,
and see him as the tree of life.

Matt 17:14-17,18-21;
Mark 9:14-17,18-21,22-25,26-29;
Luke 9:37-40,41-43
Unbelief, Christian train-wrecks
The key to understanding this miracle is about unbelief.

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