He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
—Mark 8:24
When Jesus is at Bethsaida, a blind man is brought to Him. He and the man walk outside the village. Jesus spits on the man’s eyes and touches him. Then He asks, “Do you see anything?” (Mark 8:23)
The man exclaims that while he can see people, they look like trees walking around. His vision isn’t perfect as objects are distorted.
Jesus again touches the man’s eyes, and his sight is fully restored. He can see the world around him in vibrant colors and objects are sharp, easy to discern.
There are many miracles that Jesus performed while living on earth. He healed multiple people of many different maladies. He’d certainly healed many of the blind, restoring their sight.
But this incident stands out because the blind man’s healing isn’t instant. For many, as soon as they touched his cloak or He uttered the word, healing was done. Why then did Jesus not immediately give this man sight?
Perhaps the partial vision was given at first to strengthen the man’s faith. Jesus wanted not just to give the man physical sight but spiritual sight too.
It’s disappointing when you or a loved one is suffering from an illness, and it seems there are little or no improvements. You know the power of God, so why hasn’t He provided a mighty miracle?
It could be that like this blind man; God longs to grow your faith. It’s easy to believe in God’s healing when you receive a miracle. But sometimes, God allows healing to be a gradual process because He longs to strengthen you both physically and spiritually.
God, whether healing is instant or delayed, help me to rest in Your arms. I trust what You’re doing. Your ways are always better than my own. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
