They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

• Mark 8:22-26

“It was crowded and filthy and miserable in that room built for two hundred, where seven hundred of us lived. Although it was a terrible place, there were several things for which I was thankful.
“One reason for gratitude was that twice a day Betsie or I could gather the prisoners around us for a short Bible message. At first I did it only on Sundays, but when I saw that so many people died or were killed from one Sunday to the next, I decided to risk it every day in the area where I knitted socks.
“Several of my fellow prisoners came to the Lord and accepted Jesus as Savior. …
“I often talked about the fact that when we pray, the Lord hears. … Though we may not understand immediately, one day we will-whether it is later in life, or perhaps, when we are in heaven.
“I shared the story of a blind man in the Bible whom Jesus healed. After He healed him, Jesus asked the man, ‘Can you see?’
“The man answered, ‘I see men like trees walking.’ Jesus touched his eyes again, and the man said, ‘Now I can see clearly’ (see Mark 8:22-26). …

“There is an ocean of God’s love waiting to be discovered when we draw close to Jesus. He never teases us with a blessing and then withdraws His hand. When He touches our lives, He offers us the joys of getting to know Him and the way He operates.
“If you feel like the blind man in this story, grateful for a glimpse of truth but hungry for more, tell the Lord. He loves you so much and wants to help you see the truth with unhindered vision. He wants to give you a revelation of His love, faithfulness, wisdom and power. He wants to envelop you in His truth so you will be free.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place

“An ocean of God’s love is waiting to be discovered when I get close to Jesus.”

• Corrie ten Boom, Highlighted Quote

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I will be looking at a devotion that is said to be written by Corrie ten Boom.  Really, this devotion is like several that I had read.  They come from the writings of that person.  Thus, the prayers at the end may be the editor’s addition to what Corrie ten Boom actually wrote.

Each of these posts will include the suggested verses to read, a quote from the writing that came from a Corrie ten Boom book (five in all according to the copyright page, but no chapter in the book is given the specific book of origin).  I will also include the highlighted quote, similar to an internet quotation, and I will end with the quoted prayer for that devotion.

Discussion

Corrie ten Boom remembers her time in the concentration camp, and she relates that story with a story she told there.  Can you see?

I have always thought this miracle strange.

First, Jesus has to redo the miracle.  The blind man goes from seeing things in a fuzzy way and then seeing things clearly.

Second, the man must not have been born blind.  He tells Jesus that he sees men walking around, but they look like trees.  If he had been born blind, how would he know what a tree or man looked like?

Third, now that the man can see, he needs to be productive, get a job.  He is older than most young men looking for work.  Everything that he sees is new to him.  As Jesus asks the man by the pool, “Do you want to be healed?”  The man by the pool complains about no one being there to help him into the pool.  He never directly answers the question.  Did this man want the aftermath of being healed?

But I could add a fourth, I go through this every morning.  Sometimes I awaken with “foreign body sensation”.  It feels like I have an eyelash in my eye.  Sometimes, I have a burning sensation.  Sometimes, I am blessed with no pain of any kind.  But always, I cannot focus for at least thirty minutes. Sometimes, it is closer to an hour.  So, I know all about men looking like trees…

Okay, I could recognize men and trees, but reading a reasonably large font, and the 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 0 all looking alike is kind of hard to deal with.    And for my usual screen view, I have increased the view in the word processor to 130% of normal to be my new normal all day.

But what Jesus said about those who have ears for them to hear, we could say the same about this former blind man.  Sure, you can see, but can you see well enough to read?  That is if he knew how to read.

And Jesus knew His listeners had ears.  He would know that they could not hear Him ask the question if they had no ears.

Jesus and Tante Corrie are talking about the understanding we get at the spiritual level.  And it does not come all at once.  I think the greatest amount of understanding at one moment was immediately upon salvation, but with each additional Bible study, with more prayer, and indeed with more living life, the understanding has continued to grow.

We must leave ourselves open to that growth.  We should never be satisfied with where we are.  We will never be just like Jesus.  But we should never be satisfied with that argument.  We can always learn more.

Closing Prayer

“Father, I’m so thankful for the gift of knowing You. Your ways are perfect, and Your wisdom far exceeds the wisdom of man. Holy Spirit, teach me. Unveil my eyes so that I may behold the greatest joy of knowing You. Let the ocean of Your love wash over me, so I will receive sight, as the blind man did. I want to see the truths You’ve ordained for me to understand more clearly.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place (prayer for Day 26, Can You See?)

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.