Step Before You See / Mark 8:22-26

Step before you see: we needed to sell the house - a man approached my dad as he put the for sale sign in the front lawn. Next time, a family knocked on the door to let us know their interest if we ever were to sell.

Sometimes God calls you to take a step of faith before you see how it can become a reality.

Tonight we will look at three surprising steps.

First,

The brave step of “some people”

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.

Bethsaida was a normal town (hometown of Peter). And this unnamed group who brought the blind man were normal people. And amidst this normal setting, the extraordinary is about to happen.

Some of you may be waiting for some special religious opportunity to talk to your friends about your faith. What if God wants to bring the special moment out of a totally normal moment? Think about all that could have gone wrong… they could have gotten rejected, the blind man might have been embarrassed to have his suffering highlighted, but they knew his healing was worth the potential awkwardness.

Be “those people” who bring your friends to Jesus.

They took a brave step, but the next step was even bolder….

The blind step of a helpless person

23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village,

During covid the housing market was so competitive that families were having to purchase homes without ever seeing them in person. They had to trust their realtor with full confidence to win the home.

This is similar to the mans experience - he left the village he knew, he left the people who brought him to God, he now had to walk with God alone, hand in hand, to an unfamiliar place.

To experience the healing you need, God often calls us to take a step before you can see. If he never took this step, perhaps he never would have been healed.

This is the scariest step - you need to confess, you need to end the relationship, you need to take a risk that doesn’t make sense. If you take this step, you better make sure it is Jesus that is leading you…

and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”

Jesus heals over 5 blind people in the gospels. Every time he heals them with a different technique. He doesn’t use a magic formula or phrase. He cares for the individual person in a unique way. With this man, he initially uses spit. “In the Hebrew culture and much of the ancient world at this time, spit was thought to contain medicinal value.” Jon Courson

Imagine what the blind man must have felt, after the first attempt. Will it work? Does he have the power?

How and when he heals you may be unexpected. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t working.

Third attempt to sell home: wanted to move, would sit outside and wait, nothing happened, God had a better plan.

25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

“The fact that this man needed to be touched twice encourages me in my own areas of need. Be it with regard to physical healing, spiritual help, material provision—sometimes we need to pray for a second touch, a third touch, a tenth touch.” Jon Courson

You could be on touch number 9 ready to give up, not realizing that touch 10 is when your healing will happen. Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep knocking. Keep seeking.

“Some People” took the first step of bringing their friend to Jesus. The blind man took a step of faith before he could see. And lastly, Jesus commands the healed man to take a final unexpected step.

The final step of a secure healer

26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Jesus’ motives are pure. He doesn’t need the attention or fame. He cares for the individual. This is an important reminder for you during your teenage years. Some of you want attention more than you actually want God’s healing touch. Would you want him to help you even if no one knew about it?

The man receives healing and it started with a step before he could see.

Sometimes God calls you to take a step of faith before you see how it can become a reality. What step is he calling you to take?

Will you let Jesus take you by the hand and lead you to a new place, even though you can’t see?