Poor Vision and the Right Doctor

 

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).

 

Not long ago I went to an ophthalmologist to check my eyes. I had a slight episode that concerned me in reference to my retina in the right eye. Going through the exam, which was thorough, I was a bit surprised that my vision was not nearly as much of a concern to the doctor as it was to me. Ultimately, we got to the issue of cataracts and I was told that I was not old enough to do anything about them. I said, “You do remember that I am 75, right?” He replied, “Really? Your eyes are much better than I would have expected. My thought then was that since I am legally blind (correctable so far) this doctor has no interest in my vision getting better. I do find my vision getting a bit worse as the months pass, so another visit to the doctor is in order, although a different doctor is in the plan.

 

Our reading today tells us of Jesus’ healing of a blind man. Jesus healed the man, but asked how well he could see. The blind man in our story today had the choice to tell Jesus the truth or to go through life seeing a blur. Because of the man’s honesty, Jesus touched him a second time and brought him from blurry vision to clear sight. I bet he was beyond overwhelmed at what he could see.

 

There are times when we have been blinded by our circumstances, our pain, or all the distractions around us. A friend may step in and invite us into a conversation with Jesus. If we accept the invitation, we may have an opportunity to be healed by Jesus. Sometimes our healing can take place progressively rather than instantaneously. Jesus walks with us. He continues to engage in the conversation, and he asks for our honesty. When we admit where we are in our circumstances, Jesus continues taking us from blurry sight to clarity. He is the right doctor!