Untitled Sermon (3)

Spitting on Blindness

Mark 8:22-26 (NIV) 22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" 24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."

John 21:25 (NIV) 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

There are 33 specific miracles of Christ, which are recording in the four Gospels. Systematic theology would place them in four categories. They are:

(1) the ruling of nature

(2) the restoring of health

(3) the removing of demons

(4) the raising of the dead.

This morning I want to examine the healing of the blind man as found in Mark 8:22-26.

Christ healed many blind people during His earthly ministry. Four of those miraculous healings are recorded in detail in the Gospels.

It should be noted that Jesus never relied on a formula for healing. Sometimes:

Ø He commanded

Ø He touched the one in need

Ø He was touched by someone in need

Ø He spit

If Jesus would have healed or delivered with a consistent formula we would constantly try to reproduce that formula today.

This should remind us that it is never about formula but all about God.

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

Bethsaida was located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The name "Bethsaida" means "place of fish" which indicates it was located near an area of good fishing on the Galilee.

The people of the city of Bethsaida never really wanted to embrace Jesus. In fact Jesus pronounced judgment for their unbelief.

Matthew 11:21-22 (NIV) 21 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

Please note that the birth of this miracle is connected with people, “who don’t have a need bringing someone who does have a need to Christ”.

This is the mandate for all believers we are all called to be involved in some way in bringing the needy to Jesus Christ.

The response of Jesus is very surprising.

23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.

QUESTION: Why would Jesus walk the blind man outside the city?

God separates us from the crowd because He often does His best work on and in us when we are alone with Him.

At the end of most Sunday Morning services we like to invite people to the altar. It’s not uncommon to have 15 or 30 people gathered around the altar. This can be a rewarding prayer time and then I will formula dismiss the service. Sadly, when I do some people at the altar believe they to have been official dismissed. I always rejoice when one or two people remain at the altar while others shuffle out of the auditorium, because I know God often does His best work when were alone with Him!

This scene of Jesus taking the blind man by his hand and leading outside the city shows compassion from Christ and confidence by the blind man in Christ.

The blind man puts on display what real confidence in Christ. He will ask no questions:

Ø Where we going

Ø How long will it take

Ø What will happen when we get there

Would to God we have such confidence in Christ!

Would to God we simply grip the hand of Jesus and rely on Him to lead us step by step.

I love what follows – Jesus does something totally unexpected!

Has God ever done something for you that you just didn’t have a clue what was going to happen? I hope so.

A. God told a pair of old folks in their 90’s that they were going to have their first child – surprise

B. God told a coward by the name of Gideon that he had been chosen to lead the armies of Israel to victory – surprise

C. God told Samuel to anoint the youngest and runt of Jesse’s family to be king - surprise

I love when God surprises us!

No one was more surprised at what Jesus was doing than the blind man. Once outside the city Jesus places both hands at the back of the blind man’s head – (The blind man must of thought this must be where I get that special touch of his that brings healing. Instead he has a familiar but unwelcomed sound; it stars in the back of Jesus’s throat (make that sound of a good old fashion goober).

And Jesus proceeds to spit in each eye! Surprise

I don’t care how you examine spitting in the Bible, it is a great insult to spit on someone or to be spit upon.

· Anyone under the law who was spit upon had to wash themselves and their clothes and was considered unclean until the evening. (Leviticus 15:8)

· Other scriptures deal with the insult of being spit upon. (Numbers 12:14, Deuteronomy 25:9)

· Jesus was spit upon as a great insult before He was crucified. (Matthew 27:30)

Question: Why Would Jesus Spit In The Man’s Eyes?

1. First – Jesus is steering us away from a formula for healing.

2. This story of the blind man has been taught by many ministers who try to tell us the spit of Jesus was different--that somehow His spit was not a curse or insult, but a blessing. “This was creative spit. Jesus’
spit will heal you.” They miss the point of the miracle and the insult Jesus was giving. Jesus did not spit on the blind man; He spit on the blindness. This was the ultimate insult to sickness and disease. If Jesus could speak to sickness and rebuke it, then apparently sickness can hear. (Luke 4:39) If sickness and disease can hear, it can also be insulted.

I want Jesus to insult cancer

I want Jesus to insult tumors

I want Jesus to insult broken marriages

I want Jesus to insult broken lives

I want Jesus to insult addictions

When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"

This is strange language coming from Jesus. In fact this is the only place in the Gospels that Jesus ask if the person He has prayed for is healed.

24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

Was Jesus’ healing incomplete or insufficient to restore the man’s eyesight completely the first time? We can hardly believe that such could ever be the case.

Rather, it seems that Jesus was revealing two important truths to us:

1. Healing can be progressive

2. Sometimes we have to pray more than once

Question: Does repeated prayer for a need show lack of faith?

This important question has been pondered many times throughout church history. As a matter of fact, theologian John Calvin was dealing with the exact same question when he preached these wise words almost 500 years ago: "We must repeat the same supplications not twice or three times only, but as often as we have a need, a hundred and a thousand times. … We must never weary in waiting for God's help."

We pray every Wednesday for the prayer needs in the basket.

Some of you have been for a family member to come to Christ for years.

“We must repeat the same supplications not twice or three times only, but as often as we have a need, a hundred and a thousand times. … We must never weary in waiting for God's help."

Mark 8:25 (NIV) 25 Once moreJesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

I love the phrase “once more”…

Your flesh would like to stop seeking God for your need. The enemy will whisper a lie that God has no desire to help you or He would have already.

Once more you bring your need to God

Once more you bring your broken marriage to God

Once more you bring your problem with addiction to God

Once more you bring you unsaved love one to God