OUR Lord on one occasion performed a miracle in two parts. The scene was Bethsaida; its record is found in Mark 8:22-2622And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23And 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. 24And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. (Mark 8:22‑26), the other Evangelists being silent as to it. A blind man being brought to Him, the Saviour led him out of the town, and spat upon his eyes; then, putting His hands upon him, He inquired if he saw anything. The man replied: “I see men as trees walking.”, The Great Healer touched him a second time, after which he looked up and saw all things clearly. He was then dismissed to his home.
The line pursued by our Lord in this instance was very singular, and its lessons are of an unusual kind. The partial sight of this man represented the spiritual condition of the disciples while the Saviour was with them. They but dimly perceived the true character of His gracious mission. They sincerely believed that He was the long-expected Messiah, Who should sit upon David’s throne; but that He must needs suffer and be made an offering for sin had no place whatever in their thoughts. They clearly understood that such a chapter as Psa. 72, with its kingdom-glories, had reference to Him, but it never dawned upon them that Isa. 53, with its predictions of suffering and shame, must also find its fulfillment in Him. His post-resurrection conversation on the way to Emmaus cleared away many difficulties for those to whom it was addressed: “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:2626Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Luke 24:26)). His visit to Jerusalem later in the same day dissipated the perplexities of others. “He, opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them: ‘Thus it is written, and thus it behooved the Christ to suffer; and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations’” (Luke 24:45-4745Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45‑47)). Henceforward these men were mighty witnesses to a crucified Saviour, while looking and waiting for His return from heaven as a glorious King.
Many true-hearted believers to-day are as imperfect in their spiritual vision as the disciples of long ago. So to speak, they “see men as trees walking.” Very few things are clear to them. For example, many fear that though they are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus they may ultimately find themselves rejected, failing to understand that there is no condemnation for those whom divine grace has identified with Christ. They are apprehensive that the gift of the Holy Spirit may be withdrawn from them, not perceiving that this priceless bestowal is due to the Saviour’s blood, which makes it secure forever. They imagine that every time the Christian fails he needs a fresh cleansing in the atoning blood, their faith not having grasped that the Christian is judicially clean forever, needing nothing for daily failures but the water of the Word of God. They are fearful concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus lest they should then be left behind, not having learned that our translation to glory is the fruit of sovereign grace alone, which can never fail. Oh, that all these would go aside once more with the Saviour and get another touch from His blessed hand, as the poor man of Bethsaida. They would then read spiritual things in God’s own light, and their joy would be full forever.