Walking Trees

 

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” (Mark 8:22-26 ESV).

 

By the time you have read today’s devotional I hope to have completed my check-up with the ophthalmologist. Several months ago I began to have some flashes of light and a brown “spider web” floater in my right eye. I went to a retina specialist and have been seeing him regularly as he checks for any further separation of the gel on my retina. It actually sounds much worse than it is. My first visit I was given an eye chart exam. I love it when they ask me to “read the last line you can see clearly.” I’m usually silent for a moment just to be a smart-aleck. They will follow the awkward pause of silence with something like, “Whenever you’re ready…” And, I answer immediately, “There’s not a line I can see clearly. I have memorized the first line though. It’s an ‘E’.” Most of the time they laugh.

 

If you have ever had a vision test, you also recall being asked to read the smallest line that you can see clearly on an eye chart. Then you may have received eyedrops and additional tests to determine the best optics for you. When you look through a series of lenses, you tell the doctor which ones are blurry or clear, and adjustments are made to achieve the right focus. The results will determine whether or not you need corrective lenses. But if you are not honest about what you see, you are not helping the doctor or yourself.

 

When Jesus walked along the street into Bethsaida, he was interrupted by the friends of a man who was blind, asking Jesus to heal him. Jesus spat and put his hands on the man’s eyes. He asked the man what he could see. The man’s response was honest, and he talked about seeing people that looked like walking trees. There was vision, but it was not yet clear. Jesus touched the man a second time, and his ­vision became clear.

There are times when we do not see clearly, even though we know Jesus is making changes for us. Sometimes we stumble along with blurred ­vision. That is usually because we have little or no patience with the work of grace in our lives. We do need to follow Jesus carefully; but, we also need to ask him to continue working in our situations so that we too can see clearly. He will give us that clarity.