Thanks for joining me for another devotion as we continue in the book of Mark.

Let’s begin. Read Mark 8:22-38 in your Bible. As you are reading, ask the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how as well as any repeated words or phrases. We’ll go through these together. Don’t forget to look for that verse(s) that stand out to you the most. The one that grabs your attention.

Now let’s go through these questions together.

Who? Who is speaking, who is being mentioned? I saw Jesus, people (not specific), blind man, the disciples, Peter, crowd. It was mentioned the elders, chief priest, and scribes, as well as John the Baptist and Elijah.

When? This story is a continuation from the previous verses.

Where? They went to Bethsaida and then to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.

What? What is happening in these verses? Jesus heals a man from blindness. Jesus had spit on the man’s eyes, healed him after two attempts, and sent him home. Then as Jesus went to the village he asked his disciples who the people said he was. They mentioned that some said he was John the Baptist and others said the prophet Elijah. He followed up by asking them who they thought he was. They replied the Christ, the Messiah. Then Jesus begins to tell them of his upcoming death and resurrection that included a rebuke to Peter. This is followed up with another teaching to all those who were around.

Why? Why is this being mentioned? Why is this/will be happening? For starters we have the blind man who was brought to Jesus. Once again we see the miracle working power of Jesus as he heals the man from his blindness. However, it took two attempts for the man’s complete healing. But why did it take two attempts for the man to be completely healed, especially when Jesus could do it in one attempt? We’ll come back to that question. Then there is Jesus asking the disciples about who the people say he was followed by who they thought he was. This question was not for Jesus’ benefit. He did not need man’s approval because He knew who he was and his mission. So he knew people were not going to like him. The question was just an introduction for what he was about to tell them of the upcoming events.

How? How will this be done or happen? In these passages, Jesus told them straight up what was going to happen. Remember this book is telling us of the accounts of Jesus from eyewitnesses so that we too will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

In this passage, the only repeated words/phrases I found were blind, eyes, and seeing/saw.

Before we continue any further, what verse(s) stood out to you? For me, it was verse 33b. This was when Jesus reprimanded Peter and told him “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s. (NLT)”

What does this mean? Well when it comes to Jesus, we always have to look a little deep since he spoke in parables and illustrations. I mean, we can just take the stories at face-value and move on, but what’s the fun in that? At first reading, there is the story of the blind man being healed, also known as another miracle by Jesus, followed by a conversation that Jesus had with his disciples. Looking further into these passages, there is so much more taking place.

Let me start with the blind man being healed. It was not a coincidence that when Jesus healed the man that he laid his hand upon him twice. The first time Jesus touched the man, the man could kinda see, but things were blurry. Then the second time Jesus laid his hands on the man’s eyes, the man could see everything clearly. Why did Jesus make two attempts to heal the man instead of just completely healing him the first time?

Shortly after this healing, Jesus tell the disciples of his upcoming death and resurrection, which Peter was appalled to hear. Peter could not bare the idea that Jesus would suffer and die. Peter understood that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah who was going to save them. Up to this point, everyone thought that the Messiah was a political savior. The one who would save them from their current oppressors and become their physical king here on earth. Jesus is not a political Messiah; he is a spiritual Messiah.

So what Jesus was trying to illustrate to his disciples, especially Peter, is that right now they can kind of see, but their vision is blurry because their focused is on man’s ideas and way of doing things and not God’s. Jesus was demonstrating to them, even though their sight is blurred, he will make their vision clear and show them what they should be seeing. This is why Jesus told Peter in verse 33b, “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Jesus wanted them to see God’s plan and purpose in what was to come for Jesus. Jesus came to fill in the gap for anyone who wanted access to the Father could have it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So what does this mean to me/us? Jesus does not want us to look at people, things, or situations with our human eyes, the way we think things should be done or how it takes place. But Jesus wants us to see the way he sees people, things, or situations with his Father’s eyes. God is the only one who knows all things, so why wouldn’t we want to see through His eyes. There is always a bigger picture that we cannot see. So we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us see with our heavenly Father’s eyes instead of our own. God will never do or move in a way that we think He should. He knows what is best, and we need to do our best to put aside our opinions and ideas and allow God to show us what He wants. Our only job is to trust that He knows what is best for all of us.

What verse spoke out to you and what is God trying to show you through it? Write it out in your journal. Then say a prayer and have a conversation with God about it.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, first of all, thank you for having patience with me when I do not see things the way you want me to see them. You have my best interest heart. I know I am a constant work in progress, and I am grateful for the opportunity to improve and be all that you desire for me. Holy Spirit, help me when I make wrong assumptions because my blurry vision. I desire to have your vision. Make my vision clear to see what you see. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!

Sources
Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015.