ODJ: between touches
Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly (v.25).
READ: Mark 8:22-25
During the time scholars refer to as His “year of opposition,” Jesus and His disciples traveled through the village of Bethsaida. By then, His reputation as a healer had spread throughout the region of Galilee.
Some of the local villagers approached Jesus and begged Him to heal one of their friends who was blind (Mark 8:22). Jesus graciously led the man outside the village by the hand. There, out of the public eye, He restored the man’s sight—but not immediately.
At first, Jesus spit on the man’s eyes and touched him. Then He asked the man if he could see (v.23). The man said he was starting to see, but his vision was still blurry. So again, Jesus touched the man’s eyes, and amazingly this time “he could see everything clearly” (v.25).
Have you ever wondered why this healing required two touches? Jesus could have healed the man completely with His first touch, so why did He have to touch Him again? I can assure you it wasn’t due to a lack of faith on the man’s part or a lack of efficiency on the part of our Lord. He knew exactly what He was doing.
Jesus often communicated a deeper spiritual meaning through His miracles. By healing in stages, rather than immediately, Jesus may have been revealing the fact that His followers live between His touches. While our relationship with God is instantly restored when we first encounter Jesus, becoming all that we are in Him is a lifelong process.
Jesus has worked in our lives in some amazing ways, but there is more renewal to come. We are all on a journey of restoration. Some are farther along than others, but none of us are fully restored. We all live between His touches. —Jeff Olson
What work of renewal has Jesus been doing in your life? How does living between His touches affect your view of the Christian life?
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December 6, 2009
READ: Matthew 12:11-21
In His name Gentiles will trust. —Matthew 12:21
During the season of Advent on the church calendar, Christians around the world light candles. The first candle symbolizes hope. The prophet Isaiah said that all nations will place their hope or trust in Christ, God’s Chosen One (Isa. 42:1-4; Matt. 12:21).
We think of Advent from the perspective of earthbound creatures who know nothing but this life. We rejoice that Jesus came to visit us on this beautiful planet that He made especially for us. But it’s important to remember that Jesus came from a better place. He is first and foremost from heaven, a place more beautiful than we can imagine.
Whenever I think about Jesus coming to earth, I also consider that He had to leave heaven to get here. For Him, earth was hostile territory. Coming here was a dangerous venture (Matt. 12:14). Yet He came. Our just and compassionate God made Himself vulnerable to human injustice. The Creator of the universe put on the garment of flesh and came to experience firsthand what life here is really like.
Jesus tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9) so that we can taste His goodness (1 Peter 2:3). He left the splendor of heaven to bring us to glory (Heb. 2:10). He gave His own life to give us hope for eternal life. — Julie Ackerman Link
God broke into human history to offer us the gift of eternal life.
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