More than One Way to See

More than One Way to See (Mark 8:11-26)

“You have eyes – can’t you see?” (Mark 8:18)

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Today in my walk with Jesus I learned that there is more than one way to be blind. There is the obvious way to be blind – to be physically unable to see, that is. And Jesus addressed this kind of blindness by healing a man who couldn’t see. Jesus literally made the man able to see things again. It was amazing!

There is also a blindness of the heart, an inability to understand or discern important spiritual truths. For example, earlier in the same day that Jesus had made the blind man see again, he accused us of our own blindness, because we couldn’t understand what he was talking about when he said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees.” We thought Jesus was referring to the fact that we didn’t have but one loaf of bread with us. After just having fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread (not to mention the other time when he fed 5,000 people with just five loaves), Jesus was incredulous that we would be concerned about not having enough bread. “You have eyes – can’t you see?,” he said, astounded at the blindness of our hearts. “You still don’t understand, do you?” We later realized that Jesus’ remark about the yeast of the Pharisees was a warning against the tendency of unbelief to take root and spread so easily.

Just as there are more ways than one to be blind, there are also more ways than one to be able to see. There is the kind of seeing that our eyes provide for our bodies, and there is a seeing of the heart. We can physically see things with our eyes, but at the same time we can miss the truth of what we see. I realize that it is the second kind of seeing – the ability to discern and understand the truth of who Jesus is – that is critical in my walk with Jesus. What good does it do any of us if we see the kinds of things that Jesus does, and hear the things he says, but we are clueless as to their meaning? What good does it do any of us if we can’t apply what Jesus does and says to our own everyday lives?

Every miracle of Jesus points to something beyond the miracle itself. Every word that Jesus speaks is full of meaning. There is more to Jesus than meets the eye. Way more.

Open my eyes, dear Jesus. Not just the eyes on my face, but even more importantly, open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you – really see you. I want your words and your actions to take root and grow within me, that I may begin to comprehend the immeasurable truth of who you are, and so I may be more and more faithful as I walk with you. Open my eyes, Jesus. Help me to see. Amen.