A Second Touch

Mark 8:25

"Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly."


Observation:
“Can you see anything?” asked Jesus to the man. This question is deeper that what it seems. Notice than few verses before Jesus rebukes his disciples for having eyes to see and ears to hear but being unable to see that He is the Christ, the Messiah. As Mark writes his version of the gospel, he intentionally puts the story of the blind man right after as an illustration of what Jesus does to those who cannot see clearly.
After the first touch, the blind man reported that he could see men like trees. Then the second touch came. After that the blind man was able to see clearly. The same way was with the disciples. The saw in Jesus nothing but a shadow of who He really was. They saw Him multiplying food, walking on the sea, healing people, casting demons out, and having communion with the Father. But still they couldn’t see clearly who He was. As the blind man needed a second touch, the disciples also had need for a deeper experience with God that would allow them to see clearly who He really was.

Application:
Why a second touch? Is not there enough power in the first one? The fact that the blind man needed a second touch doesn’t mean at all that Jesus was incapable to heal him with one touch. It means that after the initial work of Jesus in our lives we need to allow the Lord to continue. He will come and ask us, “Can you see anything?” And if our response is negative, he will gently touch us again in order for us to regain focus and see clearly what he does around us. He is faithful to finish the good work He started in us.
I’m pretty sure that are areas in our lives where Jesus already started a good work and we see nothing but blurry shadows. This is especially true in our struggle with sin. We continue falling on the same spot not because God is incapable to set us free, but because we need a constant touch of the Master over our lives until we are able to see clearly and avoid the familiar pitfalls. So if we find ourselves with blurry vision somewhere in our lives, instead of getting frustrated we must be willing to voice our condition with humility. We need to be ok recognizing that we need another touch of Jesus. Is very humbling to understand, accept and deal with our blindness, but at the end we will see Jesus clearly. We should not be afraid to recognize that sometimes we are slow to see His work and hear His voice. The beauty about our Lord is that He is always patient and faithful to do whatever it takes for us to see with clarity His presence in our lives.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please touch me as many times is necessary in order to see your work in my life and my surroundings. Let me have eyes to see and ears to hear the wonders of your love. Cause everything in me to be humble and to recognize that there are places where I need several touches of your mighty hand. Please allow me to never give up on me and to trust you in the way you deal with me. AMEN!