Day 13
STRANGE Monday, March 1, 2021
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 8:22b-26)
Devotional:
This is a strange little story. To begin with, we see Jesus taking a blind man outside the village to heal him—and then forbidding him to go back into the village afterward. Why? We don’t know. Then there’s the healing itself. Why spit on the man’s eyes? I looked at a dozen sources, and they had a dozen guesses. None of them rang true.
And then there’s the two-part healing—Jesus stops in the middle of it to consult His “patient,” and then finishes the miracle. I can’t think of another time when Jesus does this. Why?
I don’t know. But the whole thing is similar to episodes in my life where, even though I was trying to follow God as best I could, things went strange. “Why, Lord?” I asked, as God allowed us to be childless— as the church fell into division—as we got laid off from our missionary work and had to scramble to keep bread on the table.
Maybe that’s the point—that God is saying, “Shhhhh—that’s not your business,” and instead directing us to keep our eyes on the main event. Which is Jesus, helping and healing and saving—even in unusual ways!—even, finally, saving us through a shameful death on the cross. That’s enough. My questions can wait for later.
And then there’s the two-part healing—Jesus stops in the middle of it to consult His “patient,” and then finishes the miracle. I can’t think of another time when Jesus does this. Why?
I don’t know. But the whole thing is similar to episodes in my life where, even though I was trying to follow God as best I could, things went strange. “Why, Lord?” I asked, as God allowed us to be childless— as the church fell into division—as we got laid off from our missionary work and had to scramble to keep bread on the table.
Maybe that’s the point—that God is saying, “Shhhhh—that’s not your business,” and instead directing us to keep our eyes on the main event. Which is Jesus, helping and healing and saving—even in unusual ways!—even, finally, saving us through a shameful death on the cross. That’s enough. My questions can wait for later.
Prayer: |
Lord, when I don’t understand what You’re doing, help me to trust You anyway. Amen.
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Reflect &
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