Read: Mark 8:22-26
Jesus had a divine appointment in Bethsaida, which is
interesting because the man with whom He had this divine appointment wasn’t
even from that village. But it is where his friends had brought him. Jesus knew
where he was and what he needed. In just a few verses, we have one of
the more unique miracles in the Gospels.
The very first thing Jesus did was take him by the hand and
lead him outside of the village – away from the always gathering crowd – away
from even his faith-filled friends who brought him to Jesus. This was just about the two of them. It was
personal and intimate. That personal and
intimate went even deeper when Jesus put spit on his eyes.
Jesus didn’t simply say “You are healed” – He could have. He didn’t merely touch him and his sight
restored – He could have. And instead of
complete and instant healing – that Jesus could have given - the man’s sight
was only partially restored. Jesus asked
him, “What do you see?” His response was
“I see men. They look like trees walking.”
He knew they were people, but didn’t quite look like he expected. But he
could see. He had gone from blind to
better.
Blind to better was better. There may be an explanation as to why the men
looked like walking trees. It wasn’t uncommon for charcoal makers to go out and
gather large amounts of branches, then carry them on their backs to the kiln in
the village. It made sense. It justified enough. Knowing this, he may have been
content with better.
But Jesus isn’t satisfied with better when He has
best. He touched the man’s eyes again
and they were fully restored. He could see clearly. Blind to better is better, but better to
best is best. It was by going through
the process that the man was able to not only receive but also grasp best. He
could tell the difference between not seeing at all, seeing with justified vagueness, and truly seeing with clarity.
Jesus always has best for us. He knows when we need to
go through a step-by-step process in order to grasp the extent of His
best. At each stage of the process, it
is easy to settle for better. Compared to where we began, this is great. We might be tempted to settle, but Jesus
isn’t. He not only has best for us, He wants best for us. We have to trust the
process. When with eyes of faith we can
see clearly, we will recognize we have been given His best.
Read through Mark 8:22-26 again. Do you see the
grace? Grace in the encounter. Grace in
the intimacy. Grace in the process. Grace in the final result. After fully restoring the man’s sight, Jesus
told him to go home. “Don’t even enter into the village.” Because it wasn’t about Jesus’ glory – a
testimony to the crowd within of who Jesus was and what He could do. It wasn’t about an affirmation of his
friends’ faith who brought Him to Jesus. It was all about him. It was all about grace. Grace is always God’s best.
Making it
personal
Does it frustrate you (or worse shake your faith) when
you come to Jesus believing He can completely and instantly meet your need, but
He chooses instead to work through a process?
Looking back through the process, do you see the
fingerprints of grace? What are you
learning about yourself and your God in the process?
How have you been tempted to settle for better?
What role does trust play in your willingness to let
Jesus set the pace of grace?
In Malachi 3:10NIV Jesus says, “Test Me in
this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates
of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have room enough for it.” The
context is tithing, which is all about trust and obedience. Applying this to your situation, what does it
mean to you to “Test Me in this” – test Him in your trusting, in your
obedience, in your going through the process and not settling for better when
He has best for you?
Do you truly believe your God has His best for you?
He knows where you are and what you need. Do you realize He has a divine appointment
with you right where you are?