It has been a blessing to have a season of rest and refreshment for the past couple of weeks, and a blessing for our church to hear others proclaim God’s Word.

I am thankful for wonderful lay teachers like Corby Amos, and for missionaries like Joe. Hearing one of our own laymen preach is such a healthy thing for a congregation, because it shows that the gift of teaching is not limited to pastors. And hearing a missionary like Joe opens our eyes to the blindness of a world we have been tasked to win to Jesus.

Speaking of blindness, that’s our message for this Sunday. We are going to get back to our study of Mark, and I am going to preach a message entitled, “Healing Our Blindness.” Our text will be Mark 8:22-30.

As you read and pray over the text in advance, think about these things:

What parallels do you see between the physical blindness of the man in verses 22-26, and the spiritual blindness of the disciples, which Jesus has spoken of in verses 18-21?

The healing of the blind man at Bethsaida is the only one in the gospels that occurs in stages. What is the purpose for this? How does Jesus give us spiritual insight in stages?

At first the man saw, but in a blurry way. How does that parallel where the disciples currently are in their understanding?

Jesus is going to heal the man completely, taking him from no sight to blurry sight to complete sight. How does this relate to what he is doing with his disciples? How does it relate to our process of growing as disciples today?

Jesus makes it clear that it is not enough to understand the confessions of others. We must make our own confession. What kind of commitment does this involve? To understand that, read verses 31-38.

I am recharged and ready to go for this Sunday! I’ll see you at FBC. Bring your Bible and bring a friend. That brings us to one more point about the text:

Notice in verse 22 that “some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.” Why did they bring this blind man to Jesus? Obviously, it was because they loved him and believed that Jesus could heal him. Do you love your spiritually blind friends and family members? Then bring them to Jesus! Ask God to open the eyes of their hearts, share the Good News of Jesus with them, and bring them to a church where they can hear more. I know of a church just like that. Will you be a friend like that?

See you this Sunday!

Dr. Thurman Hayes, Jr.