“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths they have not known.” Isaiah 42:16
Dear Ones:
During the ministry of Jesus, there came a day when He came to the town of Bethsaida. Some friends, perhaps family members, brought a blind man to Jesus. Thank God for those blessed souls who care enough to bring others to Jesus, and who seek the Lord for His intervention in their lives. These friends would beseech the Lord to touch the blind man, trusting that he would be healed. In looking at the blind man, we discover that we do not know very much about him, only that he has specific needs, which only could be met by God, in God’s way. What is so striking at this point is to observe HOW Jesus deals with this man, so specific, and so gracious.
First, He takes the blind man by the hand, and leads him out-of-town. Now, most certainly this man has a certain knowledge of Christ, and that he trusts his friends, for he was willing to be brought to Jesus. Secondly, because of his knowledge of Christ, he allows Jesus to take him by the hand and lead him “…where he knew not,” howbeit, out of town. The man must have been a fragile individual, primarily with a fragile faith. Jesus would remove him from the town, from an atmosphere of unbelief, to deal with him alone. He then would spit on his eyes, and put his hands on his eyes. Why? It seems like a very unusual means to deal with the blind man, but there is a purpose. Will the man’s fragile faith be repulsed by Christ spitting on his eyes, or will he remain in the Lord’s presence, believing that He could heal him? It will be when Jesus puts His hands on his eyes that the man will begin to see. Faith is not strong enough yet to believe in complete healing, but by seeing something, “…men as trees walking,” he will be encouraged to believe fully. The Lord will put His hands on his eyes a second time, after which the man will see clearly.
What is the great lesson to learn here? It is that the Lord Jesus is God, and our blessed Guide. He takes us by the hand, out of the whirling morass of unbelief, to quietly deal with us, to bring us to faith. And this He will do, if we are willing to let Him lead, and trust Him to work in His way for His glory.
Dear Lord Jesus, give us grace to truly allow You, and believe You, to take us by the hand and lead us forth wherever you will. Deal with us in Your own wonderful way, to bring us to faith, a faith that “sees clearly.” Grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to believe and obey. Then, we shall see You do the wonderful thing, for Your glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad