In this sermon, Pastor Babij finishes examining the marks of spiritual blindness as detailed by Jesus in the gospel of Mark. The fifth mark of spiritual blindness is simply not understanding spiritual truth. Pastor Babij explains how, especially in our day of increasing secularization and mockery of the Bible, Christians must seek to grow in their knowledge of spiritual truth.
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Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8. And we’re continuing to look at what Jesus is talking about concerning spiritual blindness and some of the things that help that and contribute to that because even Jesus’ own disciples doesn’t they don’t always get it right away.
It takes time for the spirit of God even to work on us to uh grow us and mature us in doctrine and in truth and in Christlikeness in practical things. And so it’s not any different than for the original disciples. And so we’re going to see that more this morning and some of the things that may hinder that forward movement.
So, we’re going to be looking at John chapter, excuse me, Mark chapter 16.
What am I? I’m all mixed up today. Mark chapter 8 verse 16- 26. And we’re going to look at spiritual blindness at times we just don’t see it.
Let’s pray. Father, this morning as I do open up the word of God and as we do so see some things in it, I pray Lord that you would impress upon our own hearts and minds of the marks that really show that there hasn’t been forward movement in understanding and in believing and in clearing up our dull minds. So I pray Lord as we even evaluate ourselves that we would become more aware of some of the things that could prevent our spiritual maturity and growth, things that actually hinder us from growing moving forward and and becoming stronger in our faith and more resolved in what the truth actually says that it makes us strong. It makes us uh people who cannot be moved by every wind of teaching that is out there. So Lord, make us not only disciples who want to learn, but make us disciples who are discerning and are strong and can proclaim the message of Jesus Christ uh in this time and in our life. And I pray this in your name. Amen. So, we’re going to be looking at beginning in verse number 16 of the Gospel of Mark. And I’ve been already saying that uh the Gospel of Mark kind of pulls back the layers of our hearts uh and identifies some of the marks of spiritual blindness. And of course, increased knowledge of God’s word helps us grow out of the dull perception that we all have of ourselves and especially that we have of God and Jesus Christ. And the Lord wants us to see more clearly who he is and what he has done. Now, of course, remember the disciples are at a little bit of a disadvantage than we are because they don’t have the full message yet. uh they’re getting it and they’re understanding it. We have the full message. So, we are uh without excuse when it comes to understanding because we have the full word of God. So, the disciples were slow learners in scripture. Uh and but remember, so are we. Gradually we move out of a dull understanding of spiritual matters to a clearer understanding of what the Lord is actually teaching us in the word of God. In other words, spiritual maturity comes with an increased knowledge and understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And so we have seen several marks of spiritual blindness.
one being uh God’s people who are not moved with compassion for others are in in a state of spiritual blindness and that of course the antidote for that would be to increase in maturity uh with a heartfelt compassion for people uh who have spiritual physical and emotional needs and then secondly that the there’s blindness that is apparent when uh people don’t remember how God has provided for them and has abundantly blessed them not only in the physical realm but in the spiritual realm. And of course the antidote for that would be to increase growth in uh Christian maturity by trusting God that he supplies for his children’s need all the time. And then of course the children then turn around and express their trust uh by a regular and a prayerful and a thankful acknowledgment of his presence and of his daily supply every day. And then of course spiritual blindness is also evident when people are not grieved by the evil of unbelief in their own generation. They’re not even affected by it. And of course an increased growth in Christian maturity is revealed when your heart is grieved by what you see.
And because it understands the sign of Jesus’ death and on the cross and resurrection from the dead are sufficient to deliver people from the slavery of sin and its condemnation. And I was saying last time that people walk away from Jesus then for the same reasons they walk away from him now. It is not because of lack of evidence and it’s not because of lack of knowledge.
It is because they do not like the implication of Jesus teaching. They simply aren’t willing to submit to God as the one who gives them every breath that they draw. They don’t trust that Jesus has their best in mind.
They know that if they follow Jesus, things would have to change in their life. And there are some things they are not willing or prepared to change.
So they walk away still blind, still in unbelief. And all that they need to simply do is to trust in Jesus to repent and believe in the only sacrifice that can save them. Sacrifice of Christ on the cross. That led me to a fourth uh mark of spiritual blindness and that’s when uh people do not notice the dangerous influences in organized religion and politics and of course we looked at that from last week that Jesus took his disciples and they were going on another trip in in a boat and they did not bring sufficient supplies. So in verse number 14 it says, “And they had forgotten Mark 8:14 to take bread and did not did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them.” In verse number 14, and Jesus rebukes them because the disciples are merely talking about earthly materialistic things.
In other words, their perspective on spiritual things is warped. Their hearing is dull and their spiritual eyesight is completely dim. The disciples had not really learned from the feeding of the multitudes and the sea adventures they have been on with Jesus about who Jesus actually is. And so their hearts are still hard. And then Jesus of course warns them about their own culture and the religious influence that culture has on them and also the political influence that time and culture has on them as it does in all generations. So Jesus warns them about two groups of people and usually people who are dull of hearing and understanding uh are so for several reasons. Well, if you look at verse number 15, it says, “And he was giving orders to them saying, watch out, beware of the leavenven of the Pharisees and the leavenven of Herod.” So Jesus is saying don’t look upon their teaching or their lifestyle with favor or something to be exemplified. Instead look away from it.
Don’t be influenced by these two groups.
So J Jesus raises a a spiritual issue.
He warns them to take notice of the dangerous influences in organized religion and organized politics which are often saturated with legalistic teaching and hypocrisy systems that often keep people deaf and dumb and spiritually blinded to what is really true. And of course, neither of those systems lead to repentance towards God and faith in Christ Jesus. Neither do they lead to a life of holiness and godliness. They don’t lead there. So Jesus points out, watch out for the leavenan or the yeast of these two groups. And remember, yeast was can be used in a positive way or a negative way. In a positive way, yeast is used to cause dough to rise. All right. Well, in positively it can be used to uh give us a picture of growth and advancement. But here it’s used in a negative way. It’s used to indicate the spreading of evil and corruption often symbolized in the evil influences of these two groups and often of course symbolizing the evil influence of sin itself. The Pharisees I have already mentioned that it was their doctrine that was levaven that was full of evil and full of unbelief. It’s mentioned in Luke and it’s mentioned in Matthew about their teaching. And then also it said beware of the Pharisees which is their hypocrisy that they were teaching one thing and doing another thing. They were not their what their doing was was not matched up with what their teaching was.
And so they were hypocrites. So false teaching and hypocritical behavior go hand in hand. They’re always there. And of course Herod his levan was the influence of his immoral life. I covered that last time. his sensual life, his corrupt conduct, uh his disregard for the common grace of God and the law of God that is already in the heart. So his lifestyle was not to be exemplified at all. So if these dangerous influences were not identified and checked, they would just continue to spread as they do. false teaching leading to further unbelief leading to further hypocritical behavior leading to ungodliness and leading to of course the continued state of spiritual blindness.
As I mentioned last week, those two groups, Herod and the Pharisees, the religious leaders and the political leaders got together for one specific task. They did agree on something and that was they conspired to put Jesus to death and they were both there cheering that event on and yet they didn’t know that in Jesus Christ has wrapped up all wisdom, knowledge and understanding. So isn’t it interesting how that takes place sometimes that uh religious leaders and politicians get together to fight against their mutual interests.
Well, the one thing that we do know that the Pharisees and the religious leaders were concerned about the out externals.
Uh the religious leaders were concerned about the ceremonial things. But neither group was concerned about the matters of the heart, the matters that the things that really matter. In other words, the politicians are are mostly concerned about image and power and wealth and influence and pleasing certain groups of people. They’re not concerned about God, his plan, his plan of salvation, his kingdom. They’re not concerned about people’s souls. They’re not concerned about those things.
So, religious organizations and political organizations will not save anyone. Neither do they help people get saved. Only Jesus can save you. Only Jesus can save anyone. So, see, Christianity’s essential message stands in sharp contrast to all these belief systems.
Christ claimed a relationship with God that excluded the possibility of salvation by any other way. Jesus said himself, “I am the way. I am the truth.
I am the life. No one comes to the father but through me.” That’s pretty clear. See, so Christianity is Christ. His life, his death, his physical resurrection for sinners is Christianity’s foundation. We cannot move from that foundation. If we do, the whole building crumbles. So all other religions are essentially humanistic. All of them.
It’s just sinful man’s attempt to reach God through their own efforts. It’s the Tower of Babel all over again, over and over again. Let’s build a tower to reach God. How are we going to do that? Well, people have religious systems. And believe me, there’s thousands of religious systems. Thousands. And if you if there’s not one there suits you, make your own up. That’s what happens. That’s why they’re there. And so that’s going to continually happen in the realm of religion, in the realm of politics as we go on. So in Christianity, God reaches down to sinful people and provides for them a perfect righteousness through the death of his son on the cross. That means biblical Christianity is exclusive.
To view Christianity as basically the same as other religions is to miss the main message. When Jesus said, “For God so loved the world,” or the gospel of John tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life makes the gospel exclusive.” There’s only one way to be made right with God and that’s through and because of Jesus Christ. So on this fourth point, the antidote would be increased growth in Christian maturity is revealed by a heart that understands the teaching and hypocrisy of religious and political leaders do not lead to repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, but instead permeates soci society with evil unbelief and multip multiplying corruption. You’re not going to find any spiritual help in those areas. And many of you testify that and give testimony to that very fact that God delivered you from a system to the truth. He delivered you from a mindset to the truth. He delivered you from a philosophy to the truth. That’s what he did. And that truth is found and wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Now that brings me to a fifth mark of spiritual blindness and it’s simply this found in verse number 16 onward. It’s that spiritual blindness is evident when God’s people fail to come to understand evident spiritual truth. All right? In other words, if there’s no growth, there’s no health.
And so Jesus has to diagnose his disciples own hearts. In other words, the disciples do not get where Jesus is going with his warning concerning the yeast of the political realm and the yeast of the religious realm. When he said, “Watch out. Beware of the leavenven of the Pharisees and the levven of Herod. Jesus is saying don’t look upon their teaching or lifestyle with favor. Instead, look away from it. Don’t be influenced by these two groups. So, the evil and unbelief of the religious and political leaders had permeated the thinking of the day. like leavenan permeates bread and makes it rise. But in one way it was good, in the other way it was evil. The very fact that the disciples are still squabbling over the insufficient provisions and are still worrying about the mundane shows that they are failing to get it. Because right in the middle middle of Jesus warning them about these dangers, look what they say in verse number 16. And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. Jesus says, “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the leavenan that is in society that is preventing you from maturing, preventing you, keeping you from going forward.” in understanding truth. See, they were in danger of falling victim to the wicked unbelief of Herod and of the Pharisees. These influences and influences like them are very powerful in any culture. In fact, my daughter Rebecca was telling me up at winter camp when I was up there in 30 degree below zero weather, uh she was telling me that one young high school girl uh was showing progress in her desire to learn more about Christ.
Then the Christmas holidays came and after the Christmas holiday she came up to my daughter and says,”I no longer believe the Bible and I no longer believe Jesus Christ is the only way.” And G and Rebecca asked her, “What made you change your mind so quickly?” And she shared her brother had come back from his first semester at college and he is now convinced that Christianity is a big farce. He doesn’t believe Christianity is true. and after talking with him, neither do I. That’s all it took. But you know what? That happens all the time. The Bible is ridiculed by so many so-called intellectuals today because their pride and arrogance has blinded them to the truth. The Apostle Paul already said of these people professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools.
So pseudointellectualism is so common on campuses these days. However, it is a myth of modern education that a truly intelligent person will not believe the Bible. It’s a myth. Actually, many very intelligent people have viewed the Bible as not only essential to faith, but also as the very foundation of all knowledge, not just some knowledge. Most of the early colleges in America were founded on that very principle. We have Princeton, we have Harvard, we have Yale to just to name a few had the Bible at the center of their curriculum. In fact, the Harvard laws in the beginning stated this. Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life and therefore lay Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. That’s in Harvard University’s original statements and that was the same with Yale and Princeton. But all of them, all of them have gone south. They have given it up. They are all become humanistic institutions. That’s it. Why is that? Well, because our culture is permeated with unbelief.
Some of the greatest intellects of history have found the Christian world view to be completely reasonable.
Augustine Rembrandt Pascal, John Wecliffe, Johan Sebastian Bach, Carl F. Henry who was the president uh and professor of Trinity University, CS Lewis and many more saw no contradiction between thinking and believing.
The revelation that comes to us from God is the only thing that makes sense out of life. What’s found in scripture is the only thing that makes sense out of what happened. Where did sin come from?
Right? Where do we go when we die? How do we how how can we be be made right with God? See, the the issues of the heart are answered in the word of God and are answered by God.
So that means a person does not have to commit intellectual suicide in order to believe the Bible. This is one of the lies college students hear when they go off to college and university all the time. And my point being this that these are there are many influences that are very powerful and all backed by Satan and his puppets. And for what reason? To keep people in unbelief. To keep them from the truth.
To keep them from the message of the gospel. So for this reason, it is paramount that we advance our own understanding of truth and grow in our wisdom and knowledge of Lord of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is paramount. And that is going to be the cure for all spiritual blindness and all advanced spiritual maturity is to know Christ, to love Christ, to find out more of what he’s done. Just mentioning some of that, I was reading a book by Albert Mohler, who is the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. And um he wrote a book called We Cannot Be Silent. And it’s a book addressed to the responsibility of the church to speak truth to those in society even if they don’t want to hear it and most likely they don’t want to hear it. In his chapter on the secularization of the western of western world view he quotes from Carl F.
Henry, who said this, and I quote, “If earthly leaders eagerly preempt the role of the divine and obscure the living God of scriptural revelation, the alternatives are clear.
Either return to the God of the Bible or we perish in the pit of lawlessness.” And that is exactly the result. When God is not in the picture, when God is no longer in the fabric of society, that’s all we have left. anarchy and lawlessness. And do you not see that happening in the world? Do you not see that’s where it’s heading? Who’s going to stop that? Well, I tell you what, the only thing that’s holding it back from leashing out to its maximum is the church itself.
Is the truth itself. Mhler said and I quote also regrettably Henry’s warning has gone unheeded and the path of the American culture has become more and more secularized. Now secular means or refers to the absence of any binding divine authority or belief. That’s what secular means.
Secularization is a sociological process where societies become less theistic as they become more modern. As societies move into conditions of deeper and more progressive modernity, they move away from the binding force of religious belief, especially theistic belief in particular. So Al Mohler then mentioned a book written by a Canadian philosopher called Charles Taylor who portrayed the story of Western society’s transition into secularism in his book called the secular age. Taylor described this. He said this, “The preodern age,” he describes the preodern age as a time when it was impossible not to believe the truth of the Bible. It was a time such as that. All that changed of course with the arrival of modernity, of course, with all the science that came with that. So he also said that in the modern age a secular alternative to Christian theism emerged and it became possible not to believe. But during that time theism was still intellectually and culturally viable. But as Taylor noted, those days are behind us. In our own post-modern age, it is now considered impossible to believe.
You get that? That’s what happened. That’s where we live right now.
So Taylor really pinpointed this unbelief as a lack of cognitive commitment to a self-existent self-revealing God. That secularization is not about rejecting all religion. It is not. In fact, even in a hyper secularized American society, Americans often consider themselves to be religious and spiritual.
See, secularization, according to Taylor, and I agree with him, is about the rejection of a belief in a personal God who actually holds and exerts authority over people. See, do do you see that the church cannot abdigate its responsibility not to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to stay equipped to be able to tell the truth to a post-modern age?
We cannot give and lay aside and push aside the word of God. See, our culture is growing more and more resistant to God, a God, any God who would specially speak to us with words such as, “Thou shalt or thou shalt not.” See, Christians are labeled intellectual outlaws because we appeal to a personal creator and a divine authority and to a book called the Bible.
So you shall really it’s still the the job of the church uh to take the truth to the world. We’re the only ones who are going to do it. Religion is not going to do that.
Systems politicians are not going to do that. It must be the church. It’s what Peter said in 1 Peter 2. It says, “You’re a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. For what reason?
So that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” That’s what we ought to do. So, so the God of the Bible has sent his church into the world to tell the truth about himself, about his laws and commands, about his grace and his love.
and most importantly about the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the only thing that could save your soul. So saying all that brings me back to my text in verse number 17 of the gospel of Mark. See his disciples failed to understand and failed to perceive. And this is where Jesus diagnoses their heart. Look at verse 17.
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?” And then he says this, “And do you not remember?” All right. So Jesus really his questions are piercing and they are diagnostic that his disciples fail to see and fail to hear all the time they have been with Jesus probably up to two years already they’ve been with Jesus and they still don’t get the full understanding. So Jesus’ diagnosis resonates really from the Old Testament prophets like in Jeremiah where he said to them in the Old Testament, “Oh, hear this foolish and senseless people who have eyes but do not see and ears who do not hear.” And then he goes on to say, “But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart. They have turned aside and departed.” Now saying that, the disciples had not succumbed to unbelief like the Pharisees and Herod, at least not yet. And that’s what Jesus warning is. If you continue to follow them, if you continue to be engaged in the political system, you will not understand.
So the trouble was in the central force of their being which revealed Jesus’ question to his disciples in verse 17. Do you have a hardened heart? Just like back in Mark chapter 6 and verse 52. They had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves but their heart was hardened.
See the trouble was in their heart. the center of the emotional and the spiritual life that influences their will. Their hardened heart though, as I explained back then, was not unbelief, but it was more the unresponsiveness of their limitless or or littleness of faith. They they had not gained insight.
They they had not understood fully what was going on. Now let me just bring to your attention the difference between unbelief and the dullness of their mind and heart. Unbelief the sin of unbelief is the denial of the gloriousness and the excellency of the person of Christ.
The un the unbeliever will not allow that he is glorious that he is the only way. He refuses to acknowledge to bring uh acknowledge that Jesus is the son of God. They like displaying Jesus as a cheat or an aposture because really unbelief refuses to ascent to the truth of God’s word uh and makes in the end makes Jesus out to be a liar. But unbelief and by unbelief Christ is obstinately refused and rejected and such treatment of Christ glory will have its eternal effects. The disciples are instead not in the state of unbelief but in the state of a dull mind and a dull heart. And so the disciples should have understood more than they did. And if you notice as I mentioned already in John chapter 6 verse 52 and they had not gained again insight from the incident of the loaves but their heart was hardened.
They had not grasped the significance of the miracles of Jesus multiplying the fish and the loaves. They had not learned in that miracle who Jesus was. Instead of trusting, they were terrifying. They were very slow to understand. They were dull of mind and heart. They were slow on the uptake. So what they lacked in their heart was the understanding that expects Jesus to act as God.
And simply put, the disciples were not ready to grasp a fuller, truer understanding of Jesus and his uniqueness. But this is all heading somewhere very significant to the gospel of Mark. That spiritual understanding is not coming quickly for his disciples.
However, Jesus expects all his disciples to use their thinking and reasoning powers to understand spiritual realities. They are not just to sit on their douffs. They are actually to use their brains and minds to to evaluate and calculate what’s going on, what Jesus is actually saying, what’s what’s being done before their eyes.
Not only were the disciples intellectual and reasoning powers set aside, also their dullmindedness couldn’t even remember recent events. Well, what do I mean by that?
Look at verse number 18. At the end, it says this in Mark chapter 8. It says simply this. And do you not remember?
See, so what does a good teacher like Jesus Christ do to a bunch of thickheaded disciples?
who are not getting it. What does he do?
You know what he does? If they forgot something, you know what he does? He reminds them. That’s what he does. And that’s exactly what’s going on in scripture. Look at what Jesus does. He He’s a good teacher. So, he repeats past events to push his disciples to grasp who he is. Look what it says in verse number 19 through 21. It says in verse number 19, it says, ‘When he, he says, ‘ And do you not remember, verse 18, when I broke the five loaves for the 5000, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up? They said to him, 12. So, so in other words, after Jesus fed and satisfied 5,000 plus, they took up 12 baskets and were that were actually left over. So Jesus fed them and took care of them and all the baskets were taken up full. But then that wasn’t enough. Look at verse number 20. He says, “And when I broke the seven for the 4,000, how many baskets full of broken pieces did I pick up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” So after Jesus fed and satisfied 4,000 plus and seven baskets were left over, then the conclusion is that Jesus fed them and took care of them and the all the baskets were taken up full. Now did they understand and gain insight of Jesus’ uniqueness from this?
No, they didn’t. So well the the question that Jesus poses to them tells us this in verse 21 and he was saying to them do you not yet understand? In other words all this time guys I have been with you teaching you showing you miracles casting out demons healing the sick and you have not gained understanding yet. Why is it why is it that the disciples failed to understand? Well, if you trace it back to the enormous influence the Pharisees and Judaism had on their mind, it brought confusing patterns in their thinking. If we let those kind of things exist in our mind without evaluate them with evaluating them with truth then we are left to a confused mind. See the first would be the reason why the Pharisees asked for a sign was they thought of the Messiah in terms of wonders and conquests and miraculous happenings and nationalistic triumphs and political supremacy.
See, that’s how they view the Messiah and that’s what they were communicating to the disciples about the Messiah. But that’s not who the Messiah Messiah is or what he came to do. And then of course, Herod tried to build up happiness through the gaining of power and the gaining of wealth and influence and prestige and all those things.
So, so far to the political realm and to the religious realm, Jesus had failed to produce evidence to show his kingdom was one of power and greatness and on the victories of that powerful kingdom could win over their enemies. He failed to show them that Messiah meant to them one anointed as a king which it does and a king was one to them who had political power and authority over his enemies. So the disciples were still spiritually blind to the way Jesus is going to bring about the fullness of the kingdom and how he’s going to bring about how you actually enter that kingdom. See that’s what the political and religious realm did not get. And so this thinking was permeating and in the mind of the disciples. They did not make the connection that just as God’s people were miraculously fed in the wilderness with mana from heaven for 40 years that Jesus is God’s means of provision.
God’s provisions are satisfying and good and complete while the levan of the religious and political leaders are unsatisfying, evil and incomplete, providing no true understanding about God, God’s plan or specifically in this case about who Jesus Christ is. And if a person is governed by that thinking and the spirit of wisdom takes of human wisdom alone takes hold, they will remain in blindness. They will not see the truth. In fact, some very pointed scriptures bring this out in the in the the book of 1 Corinthians that we’re going to be studying uh next round in home groups where it says this.
Remember, listen what it says in 1 Corinthians 1:21. For since the wisdom of God, since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well pleased through the fullness of the of the message priest to save those who believe. And then in 1 Corinthians chapter 2:6 it says, “Yet we do not speak wisdom among those who are mature. A wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away, but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory.” And then he says this, the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood. For if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So the religious and the political leaders looked at Jesus and assessed Jesus by what mere men considered great.
control and power and dominance and prestige and wealth and influence. Jesus showed himself to be someone that they would not recognize. And if they did recognize it, even in a little sense, they would not have it. In other words, the atmosphere of unbelief prevailed. the political and the religious realm of that day of I would say every generation and in our generation. It is not changed a bit. An atmosphere of unbelief in this postmodern age fuels the attitudes of striving for self- advancement and self-gratification.
The chief pursuits in life are driven by the desire for money, the desire for power, the desire for pleasure, the desire for the good life. However, the word of God warns us that a pursuit of the fleeting pleasures and treasures of this world are like chasing after the wind.
And in fact, Jesus added even a more sobering aspect in his quest in this particular quest when he said right here in the Gospel of Mark, which I’m going going to get get there when I do get there. He said, “Not only will you lose all these things at death, but you will lose your soul.” And right here in the gospel when Jesus is talking about real disciplehip and real what what it really means to follow Christ, he asks his disciples a question. Look at in Mark chapter 8. Look at verse 36. And here’s the question. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit forfeit his soul? See, he’s bringing it again more specifically into the spiritual realm realm. Is it the material things that are important or it is the spiritual matters of the heart that are important? See, what’s important? It it’s the Lord himself that must bring that to our attention. In other words, why waste your life on things that could in the end cost your soul? Don’t do that. That’s not what a Christ disciple is. Christ is teaching his true disciples that the way of true greatness is to become a servant, a servant to others like he was displaying before them. See, the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are poor in spirit and that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. So what does he remind his disciples to next as a good teacher? Well, look at verse number 22. He reminds them simply of this. He says, “And they came to Betheda and they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored him to touch him.” Now, you say, “What does that have to do with all this?” It has everything to do with it because Jesus is putting before the disciples a big illustration. But let me back up for a minute just to say this. What Jesus does here is shows himself as an ultimate servant. When he fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, what was it to do? To show himself as a servant, as someone who’s humbled himself amongst humanity. See, all one has to do is check out what the Old Testament prophets had already said about the coming Messiah.
In fact, when the disciples went to John the Baptist and John the Baptist said to the disciples, he asked them a question.
John the Baptist is in prison. The disciples come to him and this is what John asked them. John sent them to the Lord saying, “Are you the expected one or do we look for someone else?” See, John is saying, “Listen, I’m I’m going to get ready to die here. I just want to know, is Jesus the one?” And what was the answer the disciples gave in Luke 7:21? And at that very time, he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits. And he gave sight to many who were blind. And he answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised up. The poor have the gospel preached to them. In other words, he’s saying just tell them that the suffering one is going to be a servant in his first coming. Remind him of that because that’s exactly what it says in Isaiah the prophet. So, he understood that and he was satisfied with that answer. But see, the religious realm and the political realm was not satisfied with that answer. And don’t forget that because Jesus is ministering in the context of sub the substantial misunderstanding and constant conflicting messianic expectations. He avoids his identity the Messiah all through the gospels or all through the gospel of Mark until he makes clear his understanding of his messianic office himself. His redemptive mission was inseparately connected with his death and resurrection as we see in Mark chapter 10 which is the key verse of Mark verse 45. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life, a ransom for many.
So, see this this next event we we see here in this text shows the prophetic proof of the Messiah’s presence, but it also shows how blind people are to the hand of God. The miracle which we are about to encounter is very unique and it’s unique because it is a miracle that is gradually done. Usually Jesus’ miracles happen suddenly and completely like that. So there is an important spiritual truth that comes into light which provides hope and encouragement for Christ’s disciples. Now let’s look at the miracle itself very quickly. Jesus and his disciples now traveled over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In verse number 22, it says, “And when they came to Bethada, they brought a blind man to him and intreated him to touch him.” Again, Jesus of course dealt with this special needs man in a very tender and considerate way. What does he do first?
Well, he spares the man’s feeling. In verse number 23 it says, “In talking and taking the blind man by the hand, he brought him out of the village.” See, Jesus out of care for the man takes him from the crowds and deals with him privately. So what does Jesus do? He spares his feelings. He shields him from the circus atmosphere of the crowd. And Jesus gives him a div gives him his divine attention and treats him as an individual.
All right. And then what does he do in verse number 23?
Jesus used appropriate gestures for the man’s handicapped. In other words, he he used touch and he used speech to communicate with him. Now, how does Jesus do it? He does it in at least two or three ways.
In verse number 23, if you notice, it says he touched him. It says, “And after spitting on his eyes and laying his hands upon him, so he touched them once.” It was a physical touch, so to encourage the man that something was being performed upon him for good. But then he does something else. He communicates to the man. His ears were working all right. And so he spoke and asked him and asked him, “Do you see anything?” Once Jesus touched his eyes, he’s asked him. That’s of course be a logical question. Do you see anything? But remember this. This is only a half-healed blind man. So what is his perspective in verse number 24?
Notice he says, he says, I looked up and says, I see men for I see them like trees walking around. In other words, he’s not seeing clearly. Well, who is Jesus really talking about here too? He’s so this is like an illustration for his disciples.
Well, you guys spiritually you’re not seeing clearly either, right? So, he gradually is healing this man as an illustration for his disciples. It’s it’s an actual event that’s taking place for sure. All right. So, the man was not yet seeing clearly, but had a dull perception of people moving about.
It’s like, you know, when you have glasses and you take them off at night, all right, everybody’s blur. It’s like trees moving around, you know, and uh that’s what happens. Or you try to drive without your glasses on at night. All right, everything’s blurry. Everything kind of meshes together. You don’t see clearly. So, he was gradually being healed, but given hope that his sight was returning. So, he had a partial understanding. That’s where the disciples were. They had a partial understanding. But I want you to notice what else Jesus does. He touches him a second time in verse 25. It says, “And again he laid his hands upon his eyes and then notice what it says. He looked intently.” That means his eyes were open and was restored. That means his sight was restored at that moment. And then it says, “And they began to see everything.” And here is the operative word. What is it?
Clearly. All right. He began to see everything clearly. Now, this is a in a sense also a promise to the disciples that they will come to a clear understanding of the message and the mission of Messiah. They will come because in the next few verses, you’re going to find Jesus is going to ask him a question. who do people say that I am?
And they’re going to give three answers to them, right? All of them are wrong.
And if you if you stayed there, you would be wrong and eternally damned. And then Peter comes up and says, he says, “Well, well, who do you who do my disciples say that I am?” And then Peter with his big mouth says, “Well, you’re you’re the you’re the Christ. You’re the Messiah.” Right? And then, of course, right after that, Jesus says, “Well, I’m going to the cross. I’m going to be suffer. I’m going to die.
I’m going to be beaten. I’m going to uh go to the grave. And on the third day, I’m going to rise from the dead. Get from the dead. And what does Peter do?
He pulls him aside and says, “You know what? You don’t have to do that. Don’t worry. You don’t you don’t have to go that route. We’ll figure this out.” Right? And Jesus again rebukes him and says, “Get behind me, Satan.” Because see, that is Satan’s mode of operation to keep people in spiritual blindness to keep them from seeing who Jesus really is. That’s what he does. And he does it well and he does it often and he does it, matter of fact, he does it daily. So our job is to make sure we’re growing in the truth.
In fact, you know, the in the important spiritual truth here in in this text is that no person sees all God’s truth all at once. Spiritual growth is gradual, but it is consistent and it’s forward moving. You’re building upon what you understand God’s teaching you more and more and more and more. And as you’re growing in that truth, you’re becoming stronger and you are seeing clearly what God has done. So you are become a person that can’t be convinced otherwise. And you know why that is?
Because the discoveries of the richness of Christ are inexhaustible.
If you and I lived a thousand years, if we lived a million years, we would still have to go on growing in grace and learning more and more about the infinite wonder and beauty of Jesus Christ. We actually need an eternity to know Jesus as he is known. And that’s why we’ll spending eternity with him because we’ll continue without all these obstacles, without all these, you know, trip wires and potholes that we have in this life. We’ll have all those removed and we’ll be able to see clearly and understand as the Lord teaches us more about who he is. So, see what is our job to do? Our job is to make sure that we are moving forward and growing out of spiritual blindness and dull-mindedness and especially make sure that we’re not in unbelief because a state of unbelief is unbelief is damnation. Right? If you don’t believe you you will be damned. That’s the bottom line. And I did mention a couple weeks ago some of the things you and I could do to make sure that we’re moving forward. The first thing is to go often to the place where God has revealed himself most clearly. And that’s in the Bible, right? The more we know it and read it, the more it will take us into the presence of God. We have a lot to learn. The Bible is a big book. There’s a lot of history and things to learn and theology to learn in the book. Let’s get at it and let’s stay at it. Don’t let anything pull you away from it. Put the Lord first in that. And then secondly, you have to acknowledge his present with that he’s with you and he is talking with you. All right? And of course, that is prayer. Ignore him in prayer and he’ll seem distant to you. Talk with him often and he will almost always be closer to you.
So as we pray, we trust in the loving and living God to respond to us in ways that that are fitting the ways that we ought to think.
Not the way that the world wants us to think or some religious system wants us to think or some politician wants us to think, but the way things really are.
And that’s what the Bible does. And then thirdly, seek him in the manifestations of his presence.
on a on a regular basis that and one way to do that is in congregational worship going to worship with God’s people part of the means of grace and going to the temple of God where his presence abide in his people that is part of it and then of course continually affirm the truth that he is present with you that he is ever with you I am with you and I will never leave you or forsake you that God is working controlling guiding our life for his good purposes and our eternal good. And then of course we have to continually trust that the Holy Spirit will grow you in truth and he will but he won’t do it apart from truth. He will do do it with the truth.
And then one last thing to strive to present yourself a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed because you’re rightly dividing the word of truth. All right. you you’re knowing your Bible. You’re knowing what it says.
You’re knowing theology. And you’re not willing to give that up for anything.
And when that happens, you will begin to see more and more clearly God’s full plan of salvation and what he’s doing.
And believe me, when you begin to understand that thing, there’s no going back. There’s no going back. So in other words, at times we just don’t see it, but it is time to see it. Today is the day to see it because when you do, you will become Christ’s faithful disciple. And that’s what we’re going to pick up next time. Let’s pray. Lord, this morning I do thank you, Lord, for this section of scripture.
There so much contained in it, Lord. Yet the message is plain and simple. Lord, you do not want your disciples to be stuck in a mindset that is dull spiritually and that does not see what they ought to see. So I pray Lord with that in mind, I pray this morning each one of us would make a commitment the beginning of this year to give ourselves over to the hearing to the studying to the ever being exposed to the word of God. So the word of God and the truth of the word of God can sanctify us and bring us into a another level of spiritual knowledge that we are growing in our understanding of our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray Lord as we grow there, increase our joy and increase our peace and increase our soundness of mind and our understanding of not only what we’re to do here while we live here, but the great promises you have about when we pass from this world into the very presence of God. How delightful and glorious that is going to be. And I pray Lord every day we would we would live and function with that on our mind. So Lord make us faithful disciples who are truly learners. And I pray this in your name. Amen.