Why Did Jesus Have To Heal The Blind Man Twice

This scripture is packed with different lessons… the big lesson or question being… “Why did Jesus heal the blind man twice”.

We will answer that question while also discussing four major lessons that Jesus is teaching us about how he takes the time to love us and care for us INDIVIDUALLY.

Those 4 lessons are:

1.Seclusion

2.Personalized responses

3.Honesty

4.Revived/Restored

1. Seclusion

“HE TOOK THE BLIND MAN BY THE HAND AND LED HIM OUT OF THE VILLAGE” verse 23

Jesus took the blind man, and led him…

He walked with him...

He directed him out of the village...

Jesus secluded the blind man… and dealt with him privately... He took him out of the village, out of the place where his struggles prospered, so that he could to tend to him individually. Now I’m sure you all know that feeling when someone takes the time to listen to you. They take the time to tend to you. That’s exactly what jesus did here.

He singled the blind man out of the crowd and said, come and walk with me. Follow me. I am going to help you. We are going to discuss your situation, but most importantly I am going to heel you.

Jesus teaches us here that sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zone, out of our places of security, out of the places we THINK give us peace. Because those very places could be the areas and situations where our sins are created the most.

How many times have you felt stuck in the same place?

Stuck where you aren’t moving forward but you aren’t necessarily moving backwards either?

Stuck where you keep crying out for help. You pray every night yet you still feel that your cries are going unheard and your prayers are being overlooked. This happens because we are creatures of habit. We wake up at the same time every morning. We eat the same breakfast, drive the same route, go to the same job and complain about the same things.

The Problem… you’re stuck in the same place because you haven’t taken Gods Hand in guiding you out of that spot.. that spot you have been sitting in for weeks… months… years…

The spot that has you in a deep depression... the spot that has you feeling insecure… that spot that has you feeling broken... the spot that has you feeling worthless.

Let GOD SECLUDE YOU…

Stop praying for cake and getting upset when God gives you the ingredients and tools to make it and not the cake itself. Stop praying for a change and not using the tools he is trying to give you to MOVE FORWARD. He is trying to get you to walk with him… so he can remove you out of your comfort zone… out of your brokenness… out of your war zones so that he can heal you properly.

2. Answers to all Differently

“HE HAD SPIT ON HIS EYES AND LAID HIS HANDS ON HIM” verse 23

Out of all of the healing stories in the Bible, this is the only story where Jesus spat on the man directly then laid hands on him.

Jesus healed the Deaf man in Mark 7:33 by putting his fingers into the mans ears, then he spit and touched the mans tongue. Jesus healed a man born blind in John 9:6 by spitting on the ground, making mud with his saliva and putting it onto the mans eyes.And here… Jesus healed the blind man by spitting directly on his eyes and then laying his hands on him.

Jesus heels each of us differently. He answers to each and every one of us differently. You see the way Jesus speaks to me, may not be the way Jesus speaks to you.Look to your neighbor and realize what works for them may not work for you. STOP basing the place you are at right now in life on life of your neighbor. The blessings God has in store for you are coming your way but more importantly they are tailored JUST FOR YOU.

YOUR BREAKTHROUGH IS COMING… your answers will come…

That thing you have been praying for.. get ready for it…

That break you have been praying for… get ready for it…

That news you have been praying for.. get ready for it…

God works in mysterious ways. Stop thinking he has overlooked you. Stop thinking he is letting your prayers go unanswered. Stop thinking God is ignoring your cries, because he hasn’t. God hasn’t given you that thing that you have been praying for, that thing that you have been crying out for because you weren’t ready for it. God wasn’t ready to give it to you just yet.

You see that spot you are in in life right now… he is still preparing to move you from that spot to a better one... he is waiting to grow you…Those challenges you are experiencing in life right now are preparing you for that thing God is waiting to give you. Let god TEND to you. Tend to you personally. Tend to you differently than how he tends to others.

3. Honesty

“DO YOU SEE ANYTHING” AND HE LOOKED UP AND SAID, “I SEE MEN, BUT THEY LOOK LIKE TREES, WALKING” verse 23-24

After Jesus laid his hands on the blind man the FIRST time he asked him Do you see anything. The blind man responds “I see men but they look like trees walking”.

This is where most people become confused and begin asking “why did Jesus heal the blind man twice… why couldn’t he heal the blind man in one try.. Did Jesus make a mistake?” The answer is No...

Jesus already knew what the Blind man could see. Jesus asked the blind man “do you see anything” to see if the man would be honest or if he would answer out of excitement, as his vision was becoming clear.

Stop being afraid to admit your weaknesses to God. Stop being afraid to cry out to him in your times of need. Be honest in your talking with God. He already knows what you want. He already knows what you need and what you have.Lay your problems on the alter and admit it all to him.

The bible says come unto me… be honest about your struggles your condition…

Cry out to him in honesty pray in honesty and say..

“Jesus, I know I haven’t been walking in my faith please guide me

I know I haven’t been the best husband, wife, daughter, son aunt uncle, please help me to better support the ones I love

Lord I know I CAN DO BETTER please guide me in making the right choices

Lord I know I have been a little off balance… please help me in re defing my scale so I can walk upright in your footseps again”

4. Revived. Restored.

“HIS SIGHT WAS RESTORED, AND HE SAW EVERYTHING CLEARLY” verse 25

Jesus laid his hands on the Blind mans eyes AGAIN. And his sight was restored…

You see The Blind man… after being:

1. Secluded by Jesus

2. Treated Individually by Jesus

3. Expressing Honesty in his current condition to Jesus

Was healed… His vision was REVIVED AND RESTORED. Jesus was able to seclude the blind, getting him out of his habitat. To treat him individually. Jesus tailored his healing specifically to him and tested the blindmans faith through honesty.

He then commands the blind man to not enter the village again. He states in verse 26 “Do not even enter the village”. In other words, do not return to that place that that caused you this blindness.STOP RETURNING TO OLD HABITS THAT HAVE PROVEN TO BREAK YOU… HOLD YOU BACK… KEEP YOU STUCK IN THAT SAME SPOT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

You see Jesus was able to refocus the Blind Mans Lens when his vision was out of focus.

Now there is one more message Jesus teaches us within this passage. You see prior to Jesus healing this blind man, he is caught performing a miracle… a miracle where he Feeds a hungry crowd of 4 thousand…

Mark 8:1-21

Jesus commands his disciples to feed a large crowd of 4 thousand with seven loaves of bread. Now imagine being the disciples, you’re surrounded by a crowd of thousands, and Jesus says not only do we need to feed this crowd of hungry people, but that we will feed this crowd of hungry people, with 7 loves of bread. The disciples question Jesus saying - "where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to feed these people” — How can we feed so many people with 7 loaves of bread?

Jesus shows no fear.. he is not worried.

He commands the crowd and his disciples to sit down as they gave thanks and broke the bread amongst the people. The story then says “they ate and were satisfied” Everyone ATE.. but not only did they eat they were satisfied AND they were full.

The disciples were so skeptical of Jesus abilities that they couldn’t see how

1. Jesus could feed the crowd of 4 million with 7 loaves of bread

2. That they still have 7 loaves remaining.. after the crowd of 4 million had left.

The disciples were so skeptical of this. Skeptical within their faith, skeptical with what Jesus was trying to teach them, BLIND to his teachings, that they demanded he show them proof. The pharisees demanded Jesus to show proof oh his powers, by showing them a sign from heaven. A sign that would justify his abilities. This was their way of testing Jesus, trying to discredit Jesus.

Imagine being a child of God and having someone come to you and ask you to show them proof of your faith. “Well show me a sign of his favor for you. Show me a sign of his love for you”.

A questions which answers should be obvious. He woke me up this morning…with a roof over my head. When I woke I had running water to bathe myself… I had clean water to quench my thirst I had food to replenish my body.

But the disciples were BLIND to this…

In response, Jesus.. gives them strict orders to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod…”Jesus warned them of “Leaven or yeast” which refers to the false teachings of the Pharisees. But the disciples, being the disciples, thought he was speaking about bread. Jesus said to them “Why are you debating about having no bread…. Having eyes do you not see : do you have eyes and still cannot see”, and having ears do you not hear “… do you have ears and still cannot hear?” ? And do you not remember?”.... In more comprehensible words... he said “How can you be so blind after having being with me so long? Don’t you understand anything I’m saying?”

Jesus then answers and explains:

Mark 8:20-21

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they answered.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said

21 “Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”

You see here… when jesus broke the loves for the thousands he always had more remaining than when he started….. The Pharisees were BLIND to this They were BLIND while with Jesus… Not realizing that the answers were always right in front of them.

Jesus says how can you be so BLIND to the teachings I have been showing you all along.

You see the deeper meaning of these passages involve Jesus addressing the blindess his disciples have towards his teachings, showing us that it is possible to have eyes. Eyes of 20/20 vision. And still not have the capability of seeing clearly.

Jesus healed the blind man in stages ON PURPOSE. Jesus healed him once... then went back and completed his healing.

I put it like this. We all have blinds sports or areas where our vision... or our steps moving forward are blurry...This is all apart of spiritual Growth. Jesus wants you to experience those times so that when he heals you.. when he speaks to you.. when he makes everything make sense.. you will understand:

1. Why the wait was so important.

2. You will see the beauty in the struggle you overcame.

He is waiting for you to be honest with him and say

“lord HELP ME

LORD I AM READY TO CHANGE MY LIFE

LORD I AM READY TO SET MY PATHS STRAIGHT

LORD I AM READY TO PUT MY TRUST IN YOU

LORD I AM READY TO CURE THIS BLINDNESS I HAVE AND JOIN YOUR NETWORK”

In all that you face.. you have to remember that God will bring good out of it. Your vision may not be clear now and that’s because Jesus is still working on you. Your 2 part healing is coming.

You must remember that….

A plane doesn’t land until the runway is clear…

Jesus isn’t going to give us our blessings, He isn’t going to answer our prayers until our plane is ready to descend. Until he knows we have reached our final destination…

Until the runway is clear.

You must remember that even when the camera is out of focus, all that is needed is a simple twist and turn on the knob until the resolution has focused.

Until all blind spots are in 100% focus.