1. Intro
1.1. Jesus did strange things in his ministry that shocks us like cold water on a winter morning. If you don't ever feel shocked when you read the bible you either aren't reading the bible or you're filtering it.
1.2. Among the top things that seem strange and shcoking to me is that once Jesus has died and rose from the grave, He didn't remain to prove the truth. He didn't come to Pilate and say "why?" or to the Pharisees and say "Good try" or to the crowd and say "Let's try this one more time." Clearly if no one understood that he must suffer for the sins of the world before he suffered, died and resurrected --- surely his word, with is resurrected presence would have made a difference. That makes sense to me, but that was not God's plan.
1.3. God's plan was for Jesus to return to heaven, for the Spirit to come, and for the work of evangelizing - proclaiming the good news - to the band of 12, now 11, then 12 again and then 13 with Paul.
2. context
2.1. Flow
2.2. Whot then is this 4:41
2.2.1. Spoken by disciples
2.2.2. Answered by the second sea event - It is I - allusion to God
2.3. answer: Messiah - but for gentiles an djews (5:1-20)
2.4. sea
2.4.1. Sea calming
2.4.2. Sea walking
2.4.3. Sea Conversation
3. review
3.1. test him (8:11)
4. Main idea
4.1. two stage healing
4.1.1. A looking back of Jesus working with desiciples
4.1.2. A looking forward to Peter
4.1.3. A split of mark's book
4.1.3.1. Stage 1 Who is Jesus? Messiah
4.1.3.2. Stage 2 _ What is Jesus about? Suffering
4.1.4. in 6:45 tried to reach Bethsaida, but didn't make it, went to gennersert. But ehre make it.
4.1.4.1. Jesus goes out of his way tot show the disciples that he is there for the peopel fo the west as much as the peope of the east of the lake (gentile and jew)
4.2. Disciples are different than pharisees because while pharisees request a sign "to test him" the disciples are asking questions "who is this"
4.2.1. They don't get it, but there's patience. Tye're trying. They see, but it's dimly.
4.2.2. THe pharisees don't see, they don't get, they understand nothing of Jesus.
4.2.2.1. ONly satan and pharisees explicitly test jesus in Mark 1:13, 8:11, 10:2, 12:15
4.3. After arriving by boat in Bethsaida, Jesus and the disciples are met by people requesting the healing of a blind man. This miracle and the miracle of healing of the deaf-mute in 7: 31-37 are similar to one another and are the only two miracles in Mark that are omitted by Matthew and Luke. Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4539-4541). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
4.4. Seein gis the idea here
4.4.1. 9 instances and 8 different greek words are used between 22-25
4.4.2. Why? TO counteract the clear indication sof blindness of hte disicples in the stories leading up to this.
4.5. uniqute abou this miracle
4.5.1. only miracle besides the mut that is uniquley markan
4.5.2. only miracle period that is in two stages
4.5.3. (1) Jesus' question if his action has been effective ("Do you see anything?"); (2) the explicit reference to only partial healing ("I can actually see people, but they look to me like trees-only they're walking!"); William L. Lane. The Gospel according to Mark: The English Text With Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Kindle Locations 2949-2950). Kindle Edition.
4.5.4. 3) It is the only time Jesus actually spit on anyone. That last point needs to be clarified a bit. In Mark 7:31-37 Jesus healed a deaf man with a speech impediment by putting his fingers into the man’s ears, then spitting on his fingers and touching the man’s tongue. And when Jesus healed the man born blind in John 9, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and then put the mud on the man’s eyes and they were healed. But this text is notable because it is the only time Jesus ever literally spit on anyone. That alone should make you stop and think, “What’s going on here?”
4.6. **** MAIN POINT
4.6.1. The first "healing touch" for them will come on the road to Caesarea Philippi (8: 27ff.) when Peter declares that Jesus is Messiah. The disciples will be no longer blind, but their vision will remain imperfect and blurred, for they do not understand the meaning of Messiahship. Only at the cross and resurrection will they, like the man at Bethsaida, see "everything clearly" (v. 25). Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4592-4594). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
4.6.2. All the Bible commentators remark on this because there is nothing else like it in the gospels. We know that everything Jesus did, he did for a purpose. He never did “random” miracles or simply performed miracles for no reason at all. So there must be some purpose in the two-stage healing of this blind man. But the text merely relates the story. It doesn’t explain the deeper meaning. And that brings us back to the question, “What’s going on here?” In order to get down to the root of the matter, let’s ask a few questions.
5. Connection
5.1. At least on the surface it looks like Jesus says, “Be healed. Did it work?” The man answers, “No.” “All right, try it again. Be healed.” That’s what it looks like. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
5.2. Why does mark place thsi here?
5.2.1. To see teh disciples
5.2.2. And in seeing the discples to see ourselves
5.2.3. Thsi is them.. this is them.. oh.. waith, this is us, this is me ...
5.2.3.1. Think of it ... a 1st scentery reader ... roman religion, investigating... great ..jewish God .. just liek a greek God, a Roman god, a pantheon of Gods ...
5.2.3.2. But mark wans tthem to see --- you don't see
5.2.3.3. If you go to an addict and say, “You’re addicted to a substance; you’re addicted to alcohol,” what will the addict say? The addict will say, “Well, I drink, but I’m not controlled by it. I can handle it. I can stop if I want. I’m not that bad off.” The paradox of alcoholism, as you know, is that not until you say, “I’m out of control,” do you become less out of control. Not until you say, “I’m powerless over my problems, and I’m helpless,” do you begin to get some power. Not until you say, “I am blind, and I’m in denial,” do you actually see your true situation. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
5.2.3.4. John 8
5.3. Lloyd joines- miracles are parables (qutoe from Keller)
5.3.1. review the context in mark
6. Topic
6.1. Do you See Anything?
6.1.1. How bad is it?
6.1.2. What can't we see?
6.1.3. What hope do we have?
7. outline
7.1. CMMUNITY - Jesus saves us frm blindness thrugh community
7.2. Jesus gives personally of himself
7.3. HONESTY
7.4. STAGES - Jesus wrks over a process of time
8. Illustrations
8.1. Quotes
8.1.1. You called, You cried, You shattered my deafness, You sparkled, You blazed, You drove away my blindness, You shed Your fragrance, and I drew in my breath, and I pant for You Augustine
9. 22
9.1. Bethsaida
9.1.1. 22 The boat journey mentioned in 8: 13-14 brings Jesus and the disciples to Bethsaida. Located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, Bethsaida lay immediately to the east of the outflow of the Jordan into the lake. Like several towns surrounding the lake, Bethsaida, meaning "house of the fisher," derived its name from its chief industry. It lay in Gaulanitis in the tetrarchy of Philip, just east of the Galilee border. Along with Caesarea Philippi, Bethsaida-Julias had been built by Philip and named after Caesar Augustus's daughter, Julia. Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4544-4548). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
9.1.2. NOt a great response there - Matt 11:21 / Luke 10;13 - Woe to you Bethsaida
9.2. Secondly, we’re healed in community. I love verse 22, and you should love it, too. At least, I hope you will 60 seconds from now. “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.” Do you think this blind man could’ve ever found Jesus on his own? Of course not. He couldn’t see. Friends of his who could see Jesus brought this man to Jesus. You may say, “It doesn’t say they’re friends.” Oh yes, they are, because they begged him to touch him. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
10. 23
10.1. laying hands on him
10.1.1. in Mark
10.1.1.1. More of htis than any other gospel
10.1.1.2. All but one instance has to do with helaing
10.1.1.2.1. The only instance of laying on of hands as a blessing is the blessing of the children in 10: 13.26 Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Location 4565). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
10.1.2. Instances
10.1.2.1. In some instances the infirm and troubled seek to touch Jesus (3: 10; 5: 27-31; 6: 56), Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Location 4563). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
10.1.2.2. and in others Jesus extends a healing touch to them (1: 41; 7: 33; 8: 22). Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4563-4564). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
10.1.2.3. Sometimes healing is accompanied by the actual laying on of Jesus' (5: 23; 7: 32; 8: 23, 25) or the disciples' hands (6: 5; 16: 18). Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4564-4565). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
10.1.3. why?
10.1.3.1. in OT - The two primary purposes of laying on of hands in the Old Covenant were to transfer either animals or persons from the profane to the sacred by consecrating them to God. When Jesus lays hands on people the effect is rather the opposite, however, for the profane is no longer elevated to the sacred, as in the OT, but rather by bestowing God's holy and healing presence on ordinary, common, and even sinful people, Jesus brings the sacred to the profane. Edwards Jr., James R. (2009-10-05). The Gospel according to Mark (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Kindle Locations 4566-4569). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.
10.1.3.2. Here as in the spit there si a conveyance - the healing is attached to Jesus
10.2. do you see anything
10.2.1. like "do you still not see?" (8:17)
10.2.2. Stuck between points
10.2.3. Be honest
10.2.3.1. If the man hadn’t admitted he still didn’t see aright, maybe Jesus would have never touched him again. Dr. Lloyd-Jones basically says, “Interesting. What if Jesus had said, ‘Do you see aright?’ and the man said, ‘Of course, I do. What are you talking about? Yes, everything is just fine.’ He would have walked around the rest of his life cutting down people and talking to trunks.” He had holy dissatisfaction. He admitted it still didn’t work. It’s a little bit of a dicey thing to say to the Savior of the world, “I’m not sure your touch worked here.” Instead of saying, “Well, maybe it was my fault. Maybe my blindness is so bad even Jesus can’t heal it.” He said, “No, I don’t see aright. Please.” And Jesus touched him again. What Dr. Lloyd-Jones is just saying is be dissatisfied with your level of spiritual sight and it will be all right. Go to him and say, “I don’t see aright.” Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
10.2.3.2. be unsatisffied - I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how long you’ve been a Christian. I don’t care what you think you know. Unless you are like Jacob sometimes and you go and say, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Unless you have a holy dissatisfaction that your level of experience and your level of spiritual sight and your level of the experience of God’s love and your level of the experience of God’s holiness … Unless you are dissatisfied and saying to Jesus, “No, I still don’t see aright,” you’re not going to keep growing. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
10.2.3.3. You’re not capable of being dissatisfied with your sight unless God has already begun to clear it somewhat. You’re not capable of wanting his love or even feeling like you don’t have his love unless he was already giving you some. By taking too much credit, by forgetting the fact spiritual sight is all a gift, you’re robbing him of glory and yourself of a lot of joy. Stop it. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
10.2.4. How easy to pretned here!
11. 25
11.1. laid hsi hands on his eyes again
11.2. three responses
11.2.1. he opened his eyes
11.2.2. his sight was restored
11.2.3. he saw everythign clearly
11.3. Healing is promised for messiah
11.3.1. (Ps. 146:8; Isa. 29:18; 35:5). William L. Lane. The Gospel according to Mark: The English Text With Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Kindle Location 2961). Kindle Edition.
12. Point
12.1. Everyone is blind
12.1.1. Religious leaders
12.1.2. Crowds
12.1.3. Disciples
12.1.4. But it does not reflect ancient traditional dualism which says the world is divided into the good people and the bad people. There are the good people here, and they see the truth, love the truth, and do it. There are the bad people, and they resist the truth. They’re blind, and they’re awful. The Bible doesn’t say anything like that. You know where dualism leads. It can lead to a kind of injustice and even genocide. The Bible doesn’t go there. The Bible says everybody is blind. The disciples of Jesus and the religious leaders. The friends of Jesus and the enemies of Jesus. The blue-collar people and the white-collar people. The insiders and the outsiders. The moral and the immoral. Everybody. Nobody can get it. They’re all spiritually blind. It’s that pervasive. That’s amazing. That’s an amazing statement. It’s incredibly equitable, as a matter of fact, but it’s an amazing statement. That’s the breadth of spiritual blindness. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
12.2. Seeing spritiual is a gift
12.2.1. Meeting Jesus and having your life changed with Jesus is not like adopting a religion. Adopting a religion is something you can do in your own power, summoning up what you already know you can do and should do. There are plenty of people walking around like this. They say, “I really need to live a better life. It would be good if I could pray. It would be good if I could connect to a god. It would be good if I was more spiritual. Okay, I will be. So I’ll find a religion I like, and I’ll adopt it. I’ll start to do the observances, and I’ll do the practices.” That’s adopting a religion. That is not the way your life is changed by meeting Jesus Christ. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
12.2.2. There’s nobody who has ever met Jesus Christ and had Jesus change his or her life who doesn’t look back and say, “I thought I knew those things, but I didn’t really see them. How could I have been so blind? I heard that a hundred times, or I read that, or I thought that, or I thought I believed that, and then it became real, and it changed. I was blind.” If that’s not happening to you, you’re not finding Jesus. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
12.3. This gift grows over time through the ongoing power of Jesus
12.3.1. Gospel for life!
12.3.2. Even when our spiritual sight is cleared up enough to see who Jesus is and to have a relationship with him, our sight is still not cleared up enough to actually live the life we should be living. Therefore, spiritual sight does not clear up like that. It’s so deep, and it clings to us so much. If that’s the case, it’s that pervasive in its breadth and depth, before moving on to the next points, I want to think practically about this. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
13. How to be healed
13.1. Be helaed in stanges
13.1.1. Some like Paul - so clear, so definiteily
13.1.2. Some like peter - where is he healed? when
13.1.2.1. At the following?
13.1.2.2. At the confession?
13.1.2.2.1. But then he rebukes JEsus
13.1.2.3. At the we left all?
13.1.2.3.1. But then he renounces Jesus
13.1.2.4. At the empty tomb?
13.1.2.4.1. But then he's back to fishing and we get this picture that he doing what he did before Jesus came.
13.1.2.5. At the ascension?
13.1.2.5.1. maybe ... cause then pentcost comes...
13.1.2.6. Such a progression!
13.1.3. *** Think waht this means to Mark himself!
13.1.3.1. He left
13.1.3.2. But he is useful to me!
13.2. Be healed in community
13.2.1. Great words from Keller
13.2.2. If you come to Redeemer every week, and you feel great somehow because of the music and the message, and you don’t have friends to process this with, to work it in, to work it out, to think it out, to apply it, you’re not going to get the benefit of it. Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
13.3. Be helaed in confidence
14. Conclusion
14.1. I see men as trees, walking
14.1.1. Not always clear, I need the continual touch
14.1.2. ex. How do i disciple my children?
14.1.3. Ex. How do grow my marirage
14.1.4. Ex. How do I pastor?
14.1.4.1. From the hear
14.1.4.1.1. This whole process is strange work to me.
14.1.4.1.2. 3 years ... each week --- wondering how long we'll last
14.1.4.1.3. Lord's prayer - come and pray, spiritual renewal!
14.2. We see, why? Because he was plunged into darkness
14.2.1. Luci Shaw, in her wonderful little poem, “Mary’s Song” … In the song, she imagines Mary pregnant with Jesus and thinking about the baby in her womb. The end of the poem goes like this: … blind in my womb to know my darkness ended, brought to this birth for me to be new-born, and for him to see me mended, I must see him torn. To see our blindness ended, he has to be plunged into darkness. And he did it for us. Does that move you? Do you realize your value to him? Do you realize what he gave up for you? As it moves you, doesn’t it make you want to be holy? Doesn’t it make you want to stop sweating the small stuff, stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop worrying about who is criticizing you, stop worrying about whether you’ve put on weight, stop worrying about these stupid things? Doesn’t it make you want to say, “I want to do something about what’s wrong in the world; I want to sacrifice for others; I want to live for him”? Do you feel yourself moving in that direction? Why? Because your sight is clearing. Spiritual sight does not get cleared by some kind of abstract truth. You read the thing, suddenly something happens, and the light bulb goes on. No. It’s the truth of the gospel. It’s the truth of what he did on the cross. It’s knowing he was plunged into darkness that will bring light to your heart, and to the degree it does it begins to clear it up. Do you see? You have to have the confidence. By looking at what he did to cure your spiritual blindness, to give yourself to him and say, “I don’t see aright. Show me what you want me to see. Even though it may be things I’m afraid to see, show me. I trust you,” you can pray the prayer, Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
14.3. Wha tto do
14.3.1. Dont claim too soon that your blindness is over
14.3.2. Dont' give up when you are not instantly transformed
14.3.3. Be honest - do you see anything!
14.4. "The Magician's Nephew": Spiritual Blindness Average Rating: [see ratings/reviews] Jesus is clear that it is dangerous to close one's ears, eyes, and heart to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. In The Magician's Nephew, a novel from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series, Narnia is created when Aslan—the lion who represents Jesus—sings it into being. The creation song reveals Aslan's majesty and glory. It is a grand "call to worship!" But there is one, Uncle Andrew, who refuses to hear it, and the consequences are staggering. When the great moment came and the beast spoke, he missed the whole point for a rather interesting reason. When the lion had first begun singing, long ago when it was still quite dark, he had realized that the noise was a song. And he had disliked the song very much. It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel. Then, when the sun rose and he saw that the singer was a lion ("only a lion," as he said to himself) he tried his hardest to make himself believe that it wasn't singing and never had been singing—only roaring as any lion might in a zoo in our own world. "Of course it can't really have been singing," he thought, "I must have imagined it. I've been letting my nerves get out of order. Who ever heard of a lion singing?" And the longer and more beautifully the lion sang, the harder Uncle Andrew tried to make himself believe that he could hear nothing but roaring. Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. Uncle Andrew did. He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan's song. Soon he couldn't have heard anything else even if he had wanted to. And when at last the lion spoke and said, "Narnia awake," he didn't hear any words: he heard only a snarl. And when the beasts spoke in answer, he heard only barkings, growlings, bayings, and howlings.
15. 24
15.1. I see people
15.2. But they look like trees, walking
15.3. Summary
15.3.1. It is possible to have eyes and yet not see very clearly.
15.3.1.1. if you have glasses you know this . You see bu tnot clearly. You're not blind. No t in the true sense
15.3.1.2. ILL: Driving at night, SF .. hard time seeing
15.3.2. Jesus is bringing this man to hnesty .. and to show the disicples this was needed! To show his readers this was needed!