A Personal Touch From God

(Mark 8:22-26)

“Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So, He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

Do Not Limit God in the Way He Chooses to Heal & Teach You

1.       The location is

A.      Bethsaida was also a place listed in Matthew 11:21, the place that Jesus condemned for their lack of faith.  This could be the reason why they led the blind man out of the town.   Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”  So, in this case, Jesus wanted to heal the blind man, and He did not want any lack of faith from others to wear off on the blind man and hinder the healing.  He tells in II Corinthians 6:17, “Come out from them and be separate.”

B.      Bethsaida, a place in Israel meaning “house of fish.” So, in relation to witnessing, every place is a place to witness, but if they will not receive you, as the Word says, in Matthew 10:14

C. “Shake the dust off of your feet.”  In other words, do not carry their rejection with you!

In relation to the world, the special place and purpose God has us in as well, focus on God and His kingdom purpose.  He told the disciples that they would become “fishers of men.”

God’s kingdom purpose should be first and foremost in our lives because this world is temporary, but heaven, or where we spend it by our own choices on earth, is eternal.  Leading people to Christ should be our main focus.

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

D.     Learning what and how we should witness is an ongoing process.  We do not learn everything all at once.  We go through different stages in our lives.  So, we can read through the Bible, and each time we can get something different out of the same passage we have read several times before.  The Lord also teaches each of us in different ways.  He may use one way to teach one person, and another person in another way. For example, God used Ezekiel to act out powerful, symbolic demonstrations of judgment and exile for the rebellious Israelites.  But He did not do that with all the prophets.

Healing and our spiritual eyesight; sometimes healing is a process, gradual.  This also represents our spiritual eyesight; our eyes being opened to understanding is sometimes a gradual process as well, learning what we need, when we need it.

E.  The Way Jesus Heals You; Don’t limit Him!—Jesus spat on the man’s eyes!  You might think, “Ooh!” But actually, it is amazing! The Son of God, put part of His self, His inner being, ON the man’s eyes!  That is up close and personal!

This is like when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, God’s Spirit on us, as His inner Spirit, His spittle on the blind man’s eyes.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

     God breathes life into each and every one of us, but in this, our Lord put Himself onto the man’s eyes!  Wouldn’t you want that? That is a true and powerful anointing from God!

 Jesus had to touch the man’s eyes 2x; this was due to the man’s heart, he lived in Bethsaida, a place without faith.  Jesus spat in some dirt and made mud in John 9:6-7 when He was in Jerusalem. He only had to do it 1x. So, in this case, it shows that Jesus had to touch the man’s eyes 2x, which was due to his heart condition; his faith.

While the man's physical blindness excluded him from full participation in the religious life of his community, Jesus' act of healing made him physically "clean" and offered the potential for spiritual transformation, regardless of his prior moral standing. 

There are various things that can make a person “unclean.”

Including:

• Infectious skin diseases (often translated as "leprosy").

• Bodily discharges, such as menstruation or seminal emissions.

• Touching a dead body.

• Giving birth. 

• 
  

Physical deformities or conditions like blindness, while not explicitly listed in the same category as a "leper," often marginalized individuals socially and religiously, making them outcasts who were generally considered ritually "unclean". 

Spiritual Uncleanness (Sin)

Spiritual uncleanness, in contrast, referred to a state of moral defilement resulting from sin. Jesus often emphasized that true defilement comes not from external physical conditions or dietary laws, but from the sinful thoughts and intentions of the heart.

(Mark 7:14-23)

“When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, 'Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So, He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

So, sometimes, the things we need healed, or the miracles we need, are indeed due to sin in our lives that we need to repent from. Ongoing issues without healing?  Then go to God in prayer and ask Him if it is indeed to sin.  If so, then humble yourself, admit, repent, and make any necessary changes. If it is a sin, refusing will not make it right; it will just cause your issue to continue.  The choice is yours.

The way Jesus healed him highlights His power to redeem the "cursed" and transform the spiritually "unclean," showing healing comes from God, not a ritual.  We should not limit the Lord in how He heals us or when He heals us; we should not put a time limit on God. 

By His death on the cross, that is proof enough of His overwhelming love, and we should never doubt Him, but trust Him in ALL situations, regardless of how bad or how long we have suffered from it.

Just trust HIM! Satan causes doubt; he tries to tempt you and feed you lies, so you get angry with God and stop following Him.  Satan did not die for you, so DO NOT FALL FOR HIS TACTICS!  TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT!

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

This is the greatest showing of God’s love. Why would you not trust Him?