“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”
Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.- Mark 10:52
In the bible, Jesus performed a number of miracles, some of which were instances of him healing individuals who were blind. Coming from a family with eye conditions and various visual impairments, I became interested in these narratives of Jesus healing the blind. Were they narratives to show how we need to help others the way Jesus does? Were they stories to tell how powerful Jesus was in performing miracles? Were they metaphors on how Jesus is able to open our eyes to truth, light, and world? With the volume of passages on healing those who are blind, I do believe that there are many lessons to be learned from these stories of restoring vision.
One of the passages I focus on is in Mark 10. In this story, a man who was blind yelled for Jesus's help to heal him. Others in the crowd rebuked him rather than helping him, yet Jesus heard his request for help, stopped, and asked others to call the begging man to him. Upon meeting the man, Jesus asked what He can do for him. This interaction fascinates me. First, Jesus asked that the man be called to Him. It required the person requiring the help to find and walk to Jesus. Next, Jesus, who may have already known what the man who was blind may have wanted, made no assumptions and asked for the beggar to verbalize what He can do for him. The man who was blind responds, "Rabbi, I want to see" (Mark 10:51). It makes me realize the power and importance in prayer and verbalizing to God what we are asking His help for. It requires that we go to Him.
Most important lesson comes in Jesus's response. He did not say that He has healed the man who was begging. Rather, He highlights to the man that it is his faith that has healed him. This story is a continuation of lessons Jesus is trying to impart. Earlier in the book of Mark, when the disciples began to doubt whether they will have enough food to eat, Jesus questioned, "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?"
Having faith, we can truly see. Having faith, our requests made known to God can be fulfilled. We only have to believe, and go to Him.
Reflection: Imagine the experience of the man who was blind before Jesus gave him his sight. What would his life have been like? Aside from gaining vision, how has the life of this man who was blind changed?
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See for yourself, how faith can play a role in healing and how the story of Jesus's gift of sight can be more than just a historical record of a miracle. To accompany your quiet time with this week's bible verse, consider worshiping with our Christian music channels on Christian Calm Radio.