In the Word

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to In the Word with Michele Telfer. Thanks for joining us for this in-depth study of God’s Word, the Bible. For more of Michele’s free resources, visit her website at intheword.com. And now, Michele.

Michele Telfer: Father, thank you so much for bringing us together as you have. I pray, as always, that you’d speak to our hearts in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

The miracles we study in this lesson all center around people whose blindness was healed by the Lord. Because their stories are very different from one another, they each have something unique to tell us. Like the wedding in Cana, each one reveals specific aspects of God’s plan for the salvation of humankind. I believe that they will all speak deeply to our lives today and encourage us in our walk with the Lord.

Let's begin with John's account in John chapter 9 of a man who had been born blind. Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed himself with the words “I am,” saying, “I am the bread of life, the way, the truth and the life, the door to the sheep and the good shepherd, the true vine, and I am the resurrection and the life.”

The use of the phrase “I am” was an intentional reminder to the Jewish people of what God had said about himself to Moses at the burning bush so many years before. There, God revealed himself to Moses as “I am who I am.” That name of God became so holy that no Jewish person would even speak it. So, it was daring for Jesus to describe himself using the “I am” name of God.

In John chapter 8, while teaching in the temple courts in Jerusalem, Jesus made one of those “I am” statements. He declared to the crowd, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Then he came upon a man who had been walking in darkness his entire life. This man had been blind from birth. He had never been able to see.

We know from the text that people looked down on this sightless man. Many even wondered what he or his parents had done for him to be born that way. But Jesus cautioned his disciples against that kind of thinking, declaring, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

This man's condition, dreadful as it was, was not a surprise to God. His blindness presented a wonderful opportunity for the works of the Lord to be revealed in him. The same is true for us. Though we do not have control over the circumstances we are born into, we have been created to demonstrate God's glory in our lives. None of us are beyond the grace and purpose of the Lord. He can and will show himself in each of us.

Jesus then repeated his statement, saying, “I am the light of the world.” He reminded his disciples that they needed to walk in that light while they could. Verse six says, “After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the pool of Siloam.’ (This word means ‘sent’.) So the man went and washed and came home seeing.”

There is much to talk about in just these few verses. Jesus spat in the dirt to make mud, which he then placed on the blind man’s eyes. What came out of Christ's mouth was applied to the man's unseeing eyes, and then he sent him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The pool of Siloam was the source of living water for the temple in Jerusalem.

Remember what we learned last lesson about living water? It was bubbling up from an underground spring. It was a symbol for God's people of the kind of life only the spirit of God can give. When the man obeyed Christ's command, the miracle was complete. He was able to see for the very first time.

Jesus did on that day what no one in all of history had ever been able to do. Blind people had been known to have their sight restored before, but this was different. This man had been born without it. In fact, some Bible scholars wonder if he even had eyes at all. This really was a miracle of creation, something only God, the great I am, could do.

Like the miracle Christ performed at the wedding in Cana, this miracle of the one born blind receiving sight is about far more than the Lord's kindness to help. It points to a spiritual truth that is relevant for you and me even today. We too need a miracle only Christ can provide if we are to see and know true life in God’s kingdom.

The Bible says that we are all born into sin and are all lost in darkness that invades every part of our being. Like this man who was born blind, we cannot heal our lack of spiritual insight. Only God can do that. The cure is still the same. Like this man, we must come to Jesus. The word that comes out of his mouth, when applied by his hand, will give us sight as we obey what he commands.

Unlike Christ's first miracle, this one was done in the vicinity of the temple and was very public. John later explains that it also took place on the Sabbath, something that was sure to attract the attention of the religious leaders. As soon as the man returned home from the pool of Siloam, his shocked neighbors actually took him to the Pharisees for their opinion.

The teachers of the law were angry that their Sabbath laws had been broken. They pressed the man for information about who it was that had healed him. The poor man really did not know because the Lord had not been at the pool when his eyes had finally opened. All he knew was his testimony: “One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see.”

His words upset the religious leaders so greatly that they began to hurl insults at him and eventually threw him out of the synagogue. This effectively meant that from that moment on, he would no longer be counted as one of God's people in their eyes. Can you imagine how distressing that was for him? Even his family would have been too afraid to reach out to him now.

He must have felt so confused. How could it be that gaining his sight meant losing everything else? He must have felt terribly alone. But he was not alone. Look at verse 35. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. I love that Christ immediately searched for the man when he heard what had happened.

It seems obvious that when Jesus found him, the man had no idea who he was talking to. So the Lord asks him if he believes in the Son of Man, which was another title for the long-awaited Messiah, the anointed one of God. Realizing that it must have been that long-awaited one who had healed him, the man asked Jesus to show him who it was. When Jesus revealed himself as the very one, the man believed and worshiped him.

His physical eyes had been opened, but more than that, his spiritual eyes had been opened as well. Now he knew to whom he belonged. Like him, we may not be able to articulate all that happened to us when we first turned to the Lord. We know that everything has been made new, but we do not always have the words to explain it, and that is okay. We can let our changed lives do the speaking for us.

But the other lesson from this miracle is that sometimes there may be a cost for us in following the Lord, just as there was for our blind friend. Not everyone will welcome the changes the Lord brings in our lives, and some who may have been very close to us will separate themselves. We need to be prepared for that.

Christ will not leave us uncertain and alone. He will seek us out, helping us to know him more as the one who is entirely worthy of our trust and worship. A touch from Christ will not only transform us; it will change the direction of our lives as well, as we learn from the next account recorded for us in Mark chapter 10.

Day after day, blind Bartimaeus sat begging just outside the city of Jericho on the road that went toward Jerusalem. He had chosen the perfect spot to seek help. Only the very wealthy had homes in Jericho, and they were probably more likely to feel charitable toward someone less fortunate than themselves.

When a beggar asked for money, they did not ask people to give them a gift. Rather, they asked that they give to God. There was really no better time for doing that than when the wealthy were on their way to worship in Jerusalem. Then, one day, Jesus happened to pass through Jericho on his way to the temple.

It was common in the Middle East for large crowds to surround any important person who was going from place to place. The people would walk along with them, pressing in to hear what was being said. It was no different on that day, as Mark describes in verse 46.

As Jesus and his disciples together with a large crowd were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Mark tells us that the name Bartimaeus meant that he was the son of Timaeus. But that name could also be translated as “son of filth” in the Aramaic language, suggesting the contempt that was showered upon him as he sat there every day. I am sure that Bartimaeus had heard the remarkable news about the miracles Jesus had been doing.

He may even have heard about the most recent miracle in Jerusalem when Jesus had healed a man who had been born blind from birth. So, when Bartimaeus learned that it was Jesus passing by, he began to shout out for Jesus, Son of David, to have mercy on him. We begin to understand this man's remarkable faith from the very first words he uttered.

He called Jesus “Son of David,” which was a title for the Messiah, acknowledging that Jesus was the one from King David’s family whom God had promised to send to bring deliverance to his people. Despite the crowd’s scornful attempts to silence him, he continued to shout out until Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. I love the picture that Mark creates here. It is certainly one that we must not miss.

In those days, blind people were actually identified by the type of outer garment or cloak that they wore. But as soon as the crowd called Bartimaeus forward, he immediately threw his cloak aside and jumped to his feet. He was not going to be identified that way any longer. He knew that Christ would heal him.

It seems strange then that Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Surely it was obvious to everyone that a blind beggar wanted to receive his sight. But I think Jesus did this for a reason. He was really asking if Bartimaeus was willing to leave everything and accept all the changes that Christ would bring. Did he really want a new life?

It is entirely possible that Bartimaeus knew no other life than begging. To walk away from all that he had become accustomed to, little as it was, would be an enormous step of faith. But it was a step of faith that Bartimaeus was willing to take. “Rabbi, I want to see,” he responded. “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Bartimaeus could have asked for money or for food, but he knew his real need. He needed to be whole. He wanted to see. Notice, Bartimaeus had not done anything to earn Christ's favor. He simply expressed his deep need to Jesus, trusting that Jesus not only had the power of God to heal but that Jesus was willing to heal him.

He believed that Jesus was the Son of David, the Messiah, and he believed that Christ would show him mercy. Jesus said to him, “Your faith has healed you.” Jesus was stressing how faith is the basis of our interactions with God. This is the truth of Hebrews 11 verse 6: that without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Bartimaeus earnestly sought the Lord, believing that he not only could but would help him. He was rewarded for his faith. His sight was restored. We are called to have just that same kind of faith today. But if you are like me, you might be wondering if our lives demonstrate that kind of trust in God. Is it possible that our lack of belief sometimes limits him?

To encourage us, let's look at our final miraculous healing today. It is recorded in Mark chapter 8, verse 22 to 26. Mark writes, “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 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?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’”

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. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don't even go into the village.” The town of Bethsaida was located in the far north of the country near where the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee.

Bethsaida means “house of fish,” and it was an important fishing community in that part of Israel. John chapter 1, verse 44 mentions that it was also the birthplace of three of Jesus' disciples: Philip, Peter, and Andrew. Jesus actually performed many miracles there over the course of his ministry.

It really wasn't a surprise that this blind man's friends knew that they could bring him to the Lord for healing. What is surprising is that, in stark contrast to Bartimaeus, there is no indication that this blind man showed any faith of his own. In fact, he seems almost hesitant, and there is no record of him making any request of Jesus at all.

Rather, it was his friends who begged the Lord to touch him. I love that though this man seemed to have no personal expectation of finding the Lord's favor, Jesus was not put off by the man's uncertainty. He immediately took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.

Jesus isolated the man in order to heal him, and I think that's often true for us too. God has often done his greatest work in my heart when I've been drawn away from the crowd to be with him alone. I find it interesting that though the Lord attracted great crowds wherever he went, he never lost sight of the desperate individuals who made up those crowds.

He noticed them and lovingly chose to help them, even when it took him away from the seemingly larger ministry going on. For his part, the blind man allowed Jesus to lead him, though I don't suppose he had much choice. He was literally in Christ's hand at that moment.

Once they were alone, Jesus applied saliva to the man's eyes and then put his hands on him. I have often wondered why Jesus would repeatedly put saliva on the eyes of the blind, and I've come to think that it was perhaps as an aid to faith. After all, they could not see what was happening to them.

The Lord did this tangible thing to help them believe that something extraordinary was going to happen. After Jesus touched the blind man, he asked if he was able to see anything. Obviously, this man had once been able to see before going blind because he replied that he could only make out what he presumed were people, but he said they looked rather like trees walking around.

Christ laid his hands on the man once more. When he opened his eyes again, he could see clearly. His sight had been fully restored. Jesus sent him home, telling him not to go back to the village, apparently to keep news of the miracle from spreading.

I think the question on all of our minds is: Why did this miracle not happen as quickly as the first two that we looked at today? Why did it seem to take time for this healing to take place? Matthew chapter 9, verse 29 to 30 records another occasion in which Jesus touched the eyes of two blind men. There he told them, “According to your faith, let it be done to you,” and their sight was restored.

Does that example mean that this blind man healed more slowly because he believed more slowly? I do not really think so. Our faith, or lack of it, does not limit Jesus. But sometimes he goes at our pace. I like to think of it this way.

I have a grandson, but because he is still a toddler, his legs are short and he cannot keep up with me. So when we walk together, I am happy to slow down to keep step with his small ones. I go slowly because he goes slowly. I think that often Jesus does the same for us.

The work that he does in our hearts and our lives sometimes takes a while to accomplish. Not because he is unable to do things in an instant, but because a slower process is all that we can handle at the time. If you suspect that might be what is going on in your walk with the Lord right now, can I just encourage you to trust him?

Like this unnamed blind man, we do not always know where the Lord might be taking us. But at times like that, we need to remember that he has taken hold of our hand. We need to remember God's promise through his prophet in Isaiah 42 verse 16: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do. I will not forsake them.”

The Spirit does what he wills. But when we come to Jesus in faith, we are made whole, and we are given eyes to see him in all his majesty. May God bless you.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to In the Word with Michele Telfer. Join us next week as we continue our study from God’s Word, the Bible. Michele’s teachings are available on all major podcast platforms, also on her website at intheword.com and through the In the Word by Michele Telfer app. Please consider supporting this ministry with a donation through the app or at intheword.com, helping us reach more people with the truth of Jesus Christ.