LOVE’S SECOND TOUCH

“He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch him. So, He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town” (Mk 8:22-26).

Jesus did many miracles. Miracles are defined as supernatural acts of God. They generally manifest instantly. The healing of the blind man in Bethsaida is the only miracle done by Jesus that happened in two steps. We know that Jesus could do instant miracles. Why did He do this one gradually? We may not know all the answers, but we can study God’s Word to find some. The first thing we must say is that Jesus did not “fail” to do the miracle. Jesus always talks and does things with the full authority of the Son of God. There was another incident when the healing was delayed. Jesus commanded the demons to leave the possessed man, but they did not leave immediately. A discussion followed. They eventually left. The demons that left the man were able to drown 2000 pigs. Here we see the power of the devil. The victory of Jesus over such a great enemy shine even brighter (Mark 5:1-13).

Before Jesus healed him, He “took the man by the hand and led him out of the town”. This is important! The town is called Bethsaida. It was located on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It was the hometown of Philip, Peter and Andrew. The name means “The house of fishing”. Most inhabitants were fishers. It was a prosperous area. Later, Jesus rebuked and cursed the town of Bethsaida because the people there were proud. They witnessed and benefited from the miracles of Jesus but still refused to repent of unbelief (Matt 11:20-22). Miracles were signposts to direct people to Jesus and to His glory. But these people rejected the Person of Jesus, as the Son of God and the only Savior of men. Jesus was rejected even in Nazareth, the town where He grew up. The people were offended at Him because of His supernatural wisdom and power. We are not told that Jesus could not do miracles, but that “He did not do mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt13:58). In this case, some men brought a blind man to Jesus. They had faith that Jesus can heal their friend. Blindness was seen as a curse from God. They believed that Jesus was the Son of God and He can remove the curse from this man. Jesus spat on the blind eyes, and He lay His hand of him. The man’s sight was restored but his vision was not clear. Then Jesus lay His hands on the man’s eyes again. This second touch restored the man’s sight to perfect vision. Then Jesus told the man not to go back to the town of Bethsaida.

Lessons:

*Physical blindness is a symbol of spiritual blindness. Jesus can heal both. The healing can happen instantly or gradually.

*The people who brought the blind man to Jesus, had faith in Jesus. Intercession is powerful!

*Jesus takes you by your hand on a journey. This is personal intimate love. Let Jesus lead you on. Faith is a journey! Faith grows! The two-step miracle shows that spiritual understanding and faith can be gradual. Be patient with God’s timing and your growing faith.

*For Jesus to take the blind man away from this town of proud and stubborn people, it means that environment can affect our faith. Be careful with the people whom you call friends. If they are unbelievers, they can quench your faith. “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1Cor 15:33). Be careful with the influence you come under, even social media. Unbelief damages your faith in Jesus!

*Just as the blind man’s sight was restored in stages, our spiritual understanding grows gradually. Be patient! Trust in the process, even when you don’t fully understand. Jesus’ ways are perfect, and He knows the best way to reveal Himself to us. This is the first step in the miracle. He transitions from blindness to sight. What he sees is real but not clear yet. The healing required a second touch from Jesus. You need persistent faith! Don’t give up even when answers to prayer are not immediate.

*When you meet God, and He blesses you, be careful. Be grateful! Worship God! Acknowledge God as the author of your blessing. It is a terrible thing to harden your heart against the Holy Spirit. Unbelief and hardness of heart may make you lose your blessing.

*Jesus asked the man: do you see anything? You must confess and cooperate with the process of faith and confession of miracles.

*Then Jesus spat the man in his eyes. Jesus humiliated him before healing him. Spitting on someone is shameful. It is humiliating. Spitting is a symbol of the Cross. People spat on Jesus. “Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matt 26:67,68). There is shame at the Cross.

*True exaltation comes after humility and obedience. After the Cross, there is the Crown! “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2). We need to exercise discipline. Look away from distractions and focus on Jesus, who is the best example of faithfulness and humility. Jesus is the Author, the initiator of Faith and the Finisher, the perfector of Faith in the believers. Every work Jesus starts in you, shall complete it to perfection (Phil 1:6). He brings mustard seed faith to maturity. Jesus endured the cross because of the Joy He saw ahead. He saw that His pain was not in vain. His sacrifice will save many. We too must have a vision of glory ahead so that we can successfully endure the trials on earth. The cross was not only painful. It was also shameful. Jesus despised the shame of the Cross. To despise means to look down upon, to disrespect. Jesus disrespected the worldly fame. He chose God’s approval over worldly honor. After His ascension, Jesus sat at the right hand of God, successfully completing the plan of salvation and has received all authority over creation.

*After the second touch, the man saw everything clearly. In Greek the word means to see details and at a distance. Spiritually, this is a transition from seeing in the flesh, from confusion, to having spiritual insight, revelation of God’s Word.

*Jesus tells the man to go to his own house. This shows that healing is to be shared with family and friends. Jesus tells the man not to go back to Bethsaida, an environment of pride and unbelief, that can make a man lose his blessings!

Jesus did not heal the same way twice. We cannot tell Jesus how to heal. We cannot predict Jesus! But one thing is clear, you need faith to receive a miracle. Often, to grant you the miracle, Jesus will separate you from family, friends, and from the crowd. Miracles are not for public entertainment. Be ready to be alone with Jesus to be blessed by Jesus. In the case of Jairus daughter Jesus sent away the mourners before He did the miracle (Mk 5:35-43). In another case, Jesus spat on a man’s tongue and separated him from the multitude (Mk7:31-35).

Faith in Christ crucified and resurrected is necessary to save and to heal. If you take your Cross daily, you will be healed. The power of God is the same but not everyone is healed in the same way. Sometimes we need emotional healing before physical healing. Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He prepares you to receive your miracles. There are gradual healings and there are gradual conversions. God may grant healing to you in strange ways. If you want a miracle, you need to humble yourself. You can’t understand all the ways of God. You must trust Jesus, even when you don’t understand Him. Miracles are signs that show the glory of Jesus (Jn 2:11).

Before Jesus healed the blind man, He had a discussion with His disciples. Even after witnessing the miracles, they were still doubting Jesus. They were still thinking and acting in the flesh. “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:17,18). Jesus never did anything without a good purpose. His miracles are signs of His glory and power and used to teach His disciples the ways of God. When the blind man was healed initially, he saw things, but it was not clear. He was a symbol of the disciples who had eyes but did not see. Jesus was telling the disciples that He will suffer, die and on the third day, He will rise from the grave. He was telling them that there is a price to pay if they want to follow Him. Apparently, they did not understand the Person and the mission of Jesus. They did not understand their part to play in following the Master. They do not see the need for Jesus to die for them. They were spiritually near-sighted. They needed a second touch from Jesus, to see His glory as Savior and Lord. Lesson: The process of spiritual or physical healing may come immediately or gradually. We must trust Jesus always!

The quote “Focus on the step in front of you, and not on the whole staircase” (Martin Luther King Jr.) reminds us to break down large, intimidating goals into smaller, manageable actions. It encourages us to stay present, embrace the process, and make steady progress rather than becoming overwhelmed by the big picture. Focusing on the next step allows us to build momentum, overcome fear, and cultivate endurance, ultimately making it easier to reach our larger goals. By taking life one step at a time, we avoid unnecessary stress and increase our chances of success, all the while, enjoying the journey itself.

Sometimes, when I am faced with a challenge, I can’t go directly to solve the problem. I need to pray for wisdom (James 1:5). That is the first step. I go to the Bible. God gives me wisdom about the problem. As I apply wisdom, the healing happens. This is also a two-step miracle. Other times God uses circumstances or brethren to speak to me. As I take their counsel as the first step of faith, not knowing the whole story, light comes and leads the way to the miracle ahead. This is my advice: pray for wisdom! Pray that God opens your eyes to see the next step! Pray for the faith to take the next step! Pray for a second touch from Jesus! Let us join the healed blind man saying: “Wow! I see!!! I see clearly! I see afar!” Worship the Lord!