The Eyes of the Blind

One who opens the eyes of the blind

My mother-in-law is going blind

Hubby’s mom has AMD – and she is going blind. She has to get injections in BOTH eyes regularly to halt the progression of the disease. It’s an issue many in her family have dealt with, so she wasn’t exactly surprised when it started. BUT she also didn’t mention it for the first 6 months she noticed the problem. SIX MONTHS!

When she finally mentioned it, we went into overdrive to prevent her from becoming completely blind like many in her family had.

”Blind” was more common

More people became blind in Jesus’ region for several reasons:

dust and sand + wind = eye damage
sand heated by sun and blasted into eyes
perpetual glare of light reflected off the sand
contrast of heat and cold sea air and dew at nite while sleeping on rooftops
smallpox

So, today we’ll examine 3 examples of Jesus healing the blind — two which warrant a closer look than Jesus’ typical miracles.

Open the eyes of the blind

Isaiah 29.18 and 35.5 say, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened.” This is, of course, a dramatic prophecy both because of the vast number of blind individuals in the area and the lack of medical knowledge/technology to accomplish this healing by human intervention. But, as we know, nothing is impossible for the Son of God.

Two blind men asked for mercy and for Christ to restore their sight (Matt 9.27-31). They even refer to Jesus as the “Son of David” – a royal title reserved for the expected Messiah.

Jesus questioned them. “Do you BELIEVE I can?” This is a question of faith – His requirement for the cure.

Jesus touched them. Why? Perhaps it was His way of expressing compassion. Others that He healed could SEE the love on His face, but these blind men could not. So He connected with them through touch.

Healing here was immediate and complete with His touch. But Jesus warned them STERNLY, “See that no one knows about this.”

Sadly, they were not obedient to the One they called “Lord.” Verse 31 tells us they went and spread the news about Him all over the region. Why not tell others? You see, Jesus didn’t want the people to follow solely based on His healing, but because of the FAITH in Him as Messiah. Their disobedience illustrates they were MORALLY blind.

Friends lead the blind

Mark 8.22-26 tells of some people who brought a fling man to Jesus and begged Him to touch this man. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then He spat on the man’s eyes and touched him. Jesus then asked if he could see anything.

He could see people that looked like walking trees. So Jesus touched his eyes again. Only then could he see things clearly. Jesus sent him home, to not even to back into town.

Okay, while we may think it’s totally gross to spit on someone, it was a common remedy at the time. And because Jesus removed him from the crowd, the first thing the blind man saw was Jesus!

Why did it take a process?

Some commentaries say it was because of a lack of faith. Remember, the MAN didn’t ask for healing. “Others” – not even described as his friends or family – brought him to Jesus and begged for healing for him.

Other commentaries say it’s the only one of Jesus’ miracles that wasn’t instantaneous because He wanted to illustrate to us that God sometimes works little by little.

Either way, the blind man could see and was ALSO told not to tell anyone. Another request for spiritual discipline.

The man BORN BLIND

The blind man who caused the biggest stir was the one BORN blind. Never had someone born blind been healed. And Isaiah foretold about this in 35.5, “Then will the eyes of the blind by opened…” and 42.7, “…to open eyes that are blind…”

This man sat on the steps to the temple. People walked past him all the time. No sight, no job prospects, so he was forced to beg. And Jesus noticed him because he had no friends to bring him for healing.

The disciples asked whose sins caused the blindness – his or his parents’ sins. It was a common Jewish belief that sins – or even the mom’s thoughts – could transfer to the baby. Plus God’s law showed them that suffering was because of sin.

But Jesus explained that man’s exception: be was born blind so that God’s works could be displayed through him! And Jesus healed him to do just that. He spit in the clay/dirt and made mud. Then He put it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. His obedience led to his healing.

His healing was immediate and complete, plus, having never seen ANYTHING in his life, he needed no training. AND Jesus did NOT tell this man to stay quiet.

Trouble

The “We Know Best” guys – AKA Pharisees, questioned him and his parents. He reported there was a man – a prophet from God – Son of God. So the leaders kicked him out of the synagogue. He was warned, but was compelled to tell the truth. With the leaders refusal to accept the truth, he was expelled as a liar.

What this means for me:

Sometimes I am blind to the road I’m on. I don’t always make the right decisions, and it puts me on a road away from God’s will for my life. And the Word clearly tells me that hate can blind us, too. Hate and bitterness. Gotta watch out for those… 1 John 2.11, “But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
I always need to take care of my own failing before judging someone else. Christ asked, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?” And “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Luke 6.39 & 42b).”
The remedy is Jesus. In John 8.12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Prayer can open our eyes. Elisha prayed for his servant to see what he could see (read about that here), and God granted his request. We should pray that God will open our eyes to the work we need to do for His Kingdom.