Seeing People Through the Eyes of God

[Larry.]

Mark 8:22-26 NIV

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."

I have spent considerable time studying this passage since I was saved some 3 years ago. I have never felt as though any commentary I have ever read concerning it has done it quite the justice it deserves. By and large, the concensus seems to be that a partial healing was performed by Jesus here; followed by a complete healing that finally restored the man's sight completely. I disagree with this conclusion however, and propose that in the moments preceding this man's physical healing that Christ allowed him to, just for a moment, see people as God sees them: As "trees" that either bear the fruit that He desires (see Galatians), or bear fruit that leads to death.

 

[revbrad]

Mark 8:22-26 NIV

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."

I have spent considerable time studying this passage since I was saved some 3 years ago. I have never felt as though any commentary I have ever read concerning it has done it quite the justice it deserves. By and large, the concensus seems to be that a partial healing was performed by Jesus here; followed by a complete healing that finally restored the man's sight completely. I disagree with this conclusion however, and propose that in the moments preceding this man's physical healing that Christ allowed him to, just for a moment, see people as God sees them: As "trees" that either bear the fruit that He desires (see Galatians), or bear fruit that leads to death.

interesting thought......I'll have to medetate on that

 

[amadeus2]

Then again consider how many times you or I have touched by the Lord in our times of distress or need. Consider the following words:

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Cor 13:12

We must have a vision to have the Life, which Jesus is, but to start off the vision is blurred or seen as in shadows or in very dark places. As we approach the Lord, [if we do approach the Lord], the Light is increasing and the shadows are decreasing. If we are growing, each time Jesus touches us, the Light within us is brighter while the shadows lessen...

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30

The old man is diminishing while the new man (the new born man, the born again man) is growing stronger... or, at least, that is the way it will be if we continue to ask and to seek and to knock... and Jesus continues to touch us.

How many touches do we require? How close to God do we wish to come?

While the man without any vision...?

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Prov 29:18

But when all of the "breaches" are healed and all of the shadows are gone out of our heart...

"Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound." Isa 30:26

He touched that man twice for him to see clearly. How many times will He need to touch you and me to close up all of the breaches and remove every shadow so that we can see God, Himself, face to face?

Remember how it was with Moses?

"And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." Exo 33:20

At that time it was impossible, but Jesus came so we might have Life and so that we could see ever so clearly the face of God.

 

[Larry.]

Yet Christ spoke of men (both bad and good) as trees many times in the Gospels; primarily as a means of making His teaching more relatable to the people of that time. Matthew 7:2, 15-20 NIV states:
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them"

God speaks of men (or the kingdoms of men) as trees many many times through the prophets:

Ezekiel 17:3, 22-24 NIV "All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. 'I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.'"

Again, in Luke 6:43-45 NIV, Jesus Christ speaks of trees and their fruit, only this time He takes inference further by explaining it as being allegorical of men:

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

In Luke 3:8-9 NIV, John the Baptist also makes this comparison:
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

I make this claim not as one who might try to convince you that Almighty God sees you with bark and branches, but as one who might convince you that God sees past all of these material constructs (flesh, bone, skin, wood, etc.), and sees the very soul of a man. He then goes further by teaching us how to recognize those who belong to Him. For if the tree is the soul of a man who belongs to God, then it will receive it's nourishment from His Spirit (water):

Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
"Blessed is the one. . . who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers."

I honestly could go on for days and days about this. In the case of this particular healing I think that Christ allowed this man to see men as He sees them; without the covering of flesh, yet still within a context that the man might understand it.

 

[Davy]

Hi Larry, that is a very interesting question. I once heard an explanation of this account which to me goes some way to explaining why things happened the way they did.

The account in Mark 8:22-26, (NASB) states: "And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

First of all, why did Jesus not heal the blind man there and then inside the village? What reason would Jesus have for leading him outside of the village and restoring his eyesight gradually. It is possible being blind had made this man very apprehensive and nervous of that was going on around him. Jesus may have perceived this and lead him outside to a more private aria from the hustle and bustle of the village and the crowed that was following Jesus. Once there, Jesus spat in his eyes, as the blind man wiped his eyes, his eyesight gradually started to become clear, he could see men who looked like trees. Then Jesus touched him again and his eyesight was fully restored. If this man was of a nervous disposition, the gradual healing of sight would have allowed him to become accustomed to seeing again and not be overwhelmed by piercing clear vision all at once. This shows, not only was Jesus interested in healing this blind man, but that he was also sensitive to his feeling and anxiety, and took them into consideration when healing this particular man in a kind way.

Perhaps a similar reason was behind Jesus rubbing dirt mixed with spit in another blind man's eyes, recorded in John 9:10, 11, (GW) which says: "So they asked him, "How did you receive your sight?" He replied, "The man people call Jesus mixed some spit with dirt, smeared it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash it off.' So I went there, washed it off, and received my sight."
Gradually washing this from his eyes would have allowed him to slowly perceive what was going on around him without shocking him, as I am sure, if a blind man was to receive instant sight, it would overwhelm and shock them. This way they were gradually allowed to become accustom to seeing.

I have not heard of a better explanation than this, let me know what you think of it!

 

[Francis Drake]

Hi Larry, that is a very interesting question. I once heard an explanation of this account which to me goes some way to explaining why things happened the way they did.

The account in Mark 8:22-26, (NASB) states: "And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

First of all, why did Jesus not heal the blind man there and then inside the village? What reason would Jesus have for leading him outside of the village and restoring his eyesight gradually. It is possible being blind had made this man very apprehensive and nervous of that was going on around him. Jesus may have perceived this and lead him outside to a more private aria from the hustle and bustle of the village and the crowed that was following Jesus. Once there, Jesus spat in his eyes, as the blind man wiped his eyes, his eyesight gradually started to become clear, he could see men who looked like trees. Then Jesus touched him again and his eyesight was fully restored. If this man was of a nervous disposition, the gradual healing of sight would have allowed him to become accustomed to seeing again and not be overwhelmed by piercing clear vision all at once. This shows, not only was Jesus interested in healing this blind man, but that he was also sensitive to his feeling and anxiety, and took them into consideration when healing this particular man in a kind way.

Perhaps a similar reason was behind Jesus rubbing dirt mixed with spit in another blind man's eyes, recorded in John 9:10, 11, (GW) which says: "So they asked him, "How did you receive your sight?" He replied, "The man people call Jesus mixed some spit with dirt, smeared it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash it off.' So I went there, washed it off, and received my sight."
Gradually washing this from his eyes would have allowed him to slowly perceive what was going on around him without shocking him, as I am sure, if a blind man was to receive instant sight, it would overwhelm and shock them. This way they were gradually allowed to become accustom to seeing.

I have not heard of a better explanation than this, let me know what you think of it!

Come on man, that's a nonsense interpretation of the event.
Getting raised from the dead is a far greater shock, perhaps Jesus should have called Lazarus out of the grave a bit more slowly also.
If a blind man is operated on by an eye hospital these days, you don't hear of the medics having to restore it gradually because of being worried about the shock of him having his sight restored suddenly. There may be medical reasons for slowly removing the bandages, but not emotional ones.

 

[faithfulservant]

That's an interesting thought, Larry.

After studying some of the healings the Lord did as recorded in the scriptures, I had to notice that before Jesus or an apostle healed someone they sized them up, so to speak. Where was there faith at, you know? Jesus could heal with a word, He had no need to spit, or grab someone's tongue. But, I believe many people need that kind of "placebo" effect to help their faith along. Many people were healed at a word by Jesus, and Jesus noted their faith because of that. Just some thoughts.

 

[Larry.]

I love how the Spirit of God works. I thought for a long while that I was the only person to have interpteted this text the way that I explained in my earlier post. But I was having a conversation with a Pastor friend of mine the other day, and I mentioned this Scripture to him and he described it precisely as I have always interpreted it! It fed my soul to know that there was at least one other person who saw. God bless!, and very plainly I might add, that two miracles had occured there. Anyway, just wanted to offer God some praise! Thanks to everyone who has chimed in on this study. God bless!

 

[jeffsi435]

I do like your interpretation. I had never thought of it that way before.

 

[jeremiah1five]

Mark 8:22-26 NIV

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."

I have spent considerable time studying this passage since I was saved some 3 years ago. I have never felt as though any commentary I have ever read concerning it has done it quite the justice it deserves. By and large, the concensus seems to be that a partial healing was performed by Jesus here; followed by a complete healing that finally restored the man's sight completely. I disagree with this conclusion however, and propose that in the moments preceding this man's physical healing that Christ allowed him to, just for a moment, see people as God sees them: As "trees" that either bear the fruit that He desires (see Galatians), or bear fruit that leads to death.

My advice to you....

Stay away from commentaries. They have this fatal habit of short-circuiting a Christians' thinking.