Walking Trees
Walking trees are an unusual thing to see, don’t you think? Brian shares the story of a blind man healed by Jesus who saw walking trees!
A Blind Man is Healed
In the gospel of Mark we read,
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. (ESV)
Mark 8:22-25
On this trip to Jerusalem, Jesus wants to take away the disciples’ blindness about his mission. Three different times Jesus tells them that he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and rise again from the dead. They don’t notice that last part, the good part – rising from the dead. Jesus’ suffering and dying blinds them to what Jesus is saying. But Jesus can heal they eyes of their spirit, the way he heals the blind man.
Unable to Understand Jesus
Before this, people could not seem to understand Jesus. Now he speaks clearly, so that their picture of Jesus comes into focus, sort of like the man’s vision in our passage, from “trees walking” to 20-20 vision. When Jesus actually does die on a Friday, everybody seems blind to the wonderful thing that Jesus is doing on the cross. Three days later, when Jesus rises from the dead, the disciples finally “get it” and their eyes open. John 2:22 says,
“When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”
John 2:22
An Immediate Miracle?
Jesus not only touches the man’s hand, he grabs it and holds on. People expect an immediate miracle. Jesus has healed before in the blink of an eye – pardon the pun. As Jesus leads the man quietly away from the crowd, the suspense builds up. The man has no idea that the person holding his hand is the same One who holds up the whole universe.
Then Jesus does something shocking and unpleasant. Jesus sprays the diseased eyes with his own spit and then his tough, carpenter’s hands rub the spit in, or he may have applied some of his spit to the man’s eyes with his fingers. Either way, it looks kind of ugly.
The Beauty of Jesus
But really, the whole thing is beautiful. Other people would never touch the blind man like this. They probably could not even look directly into those cloudy eyes. Judas turns a beautiful thing – a kiss – into a disgusting thing. Jesus changes ugliness and spit into something beautiful and amazing.
Isaiah captured this in Isaiah 61:3
“The Lord has anointed me … to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.” Jesus can turn the ashes in your life into something beautiful. He can transform your sadness into gladness. He can fill a heavy heart with praise to Jesus for dying for you.
Isaiah 61:3
What is the Gospel?
How can that happen? Jesus says:
“Repent and believe in the gospel.”
(Mark 1:15)
What is “the gospel”, the good news? Here is what the Bible calls the gospel:
“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; he was buried; he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:3-4).
Turn from your sin and follow Jesus, believing he can forgive your sins because he died on the cross, for you. You can do that today, even right now, as we pray. (Close in prayer.)
Are there opportunities for cross-cultural ministry where you live? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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