You are the Christ

Mark 8:22-30.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, December 15, 2019.

We are going to look at two passages today.  The first one is about the healing of a blind man, and the second passage is about a declaration of the disciple Peter that Jesus is the Christ.

As we approach Christmas this year, let us be caught up in the wonder of this moment in the same way that we often are amazed at the birth of Jesus.  These men are being convinced that Jesus is the Anointed One that was promised through the prophets.  This declaration is not prompted by Jesus or parroted by Peter, even though Jesus asks the question.  Rather, it is a simple declaration of the heart and mind that sincerely has come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Savior of Israel, and indeed of the whole world.

May we leave this place this morning with that same heart of assurance, and that same strength of conviction to declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

A blind man is healed

In verses 22 through 26, Mark gives us the first of two specific testimonies of a blind person being healed.  This is the blind man at Bethsaida, and the other will be blind Bartimaeus in chapter 10.  Mark often speaks of Jesus healing many who were sick and infirmed in general, but then he gives specific examples of 8 kinds of ailments, including demon possession.

This story follows the same dynamics as we saw in chapter 7 in the case of the deaf man who had impaired speech.  Again, we see that the crowd (“they”) bring a blind man to Jesus and “beg” him to touch the man.  They want to see a miracle and have most likely hunted around for a case that would be spectacular to watch.  Jesus has become a novelty of fascination, much like the prophet Ezekiel had become.  They love to watch him, but their hearts are not interested in repentance, at least for most of them.  Instead of focusing on the spiritual work that he is promoting in their life, they are still feeding the desires of their flesh to see another amazing spectacle.

It is not enough to be fascinated by the works and the power of God.  We must mix what we see with faith, and walk out the transformation that the Holy Spirit is working to produce in our life.

In chapter seven with the deaf man, we are told that Jesus “took him aside from the multitude.”  Here, Jesus goes further and takes the man completely out of town.  He seems to be emphasizing that the true work of what he is doing is not about creating a spectacle.  It is about setting free an individual who has been kept captive both spiritually and physically for years.  Such a work should not be turned into a spectacle and broadcast on TV in order to raise money for “God’s work.”  It may sound and look spiritual, but it is generally following the wrong spirit.  When we commercialize God’s work to increase income, or use it as a kind of public relations gimmick in order to project a particular image to increase our organization, we are substituting the blessing of the Spirit of God for the crumbs that worldly ways provide.

Jesus also uses his spit in a similar way to the deaf man’s miracle.  In both cases, Jesus puts his spit on the affected organ, in this case the eyes.  This is not necessary for the healing, but is symbolic of the fact that the healing is coming from the properties of who Jesus is.  The healing power is not in the saliva, but rather in the power and authority of Jesus, from his very being.

Furthermore, Jesus is the Word of God who is speaking the Word of God through the physical organ of his tongue.  The spit is not just the lubricant of his ability to speak, but also a representation of the waters of life.  He washes the man’s eyes with the water of life, the word of God.  The spit and the laying on of hands would also help the man to believe that Jesus is about to heal him.

What is interesting in this case is that the man is not instantaneously healed at first.  This is the only time we see this with Jesus.  This is typically called a progressive healing because it demonstrates progress over time until the person is completely healed.  After Jesus put the spit on his eyes and places his hands upon him (most likely saying a prayer or command), he asks the man if he can see anything.  The man can tell that there are objects in front of him, but can only distinguish a person from a tree by the fact that the person moves around.  This is extremely bad eyesight. 

So, why does this one case involve a healing that is progressive.  It has nothing to do with the ability of Jesus.  I believe these healings represent two things.  The first has to do with the affect that sin has had on our natural bodies.  God is the healer of all that ails this mortal frame.  The totality of what ails us will not be fully healed until the Resurrection.  Thus, the healing of God upon our mortal life is progressive in that sense.  The second reason is that natural blindness is a clear symbol of spiritual blindness.  The spiritual work that God is doing in our life has an aspect to it that is instantaneous.  When we repent and put our faith in Jesus, we are immediately justified, set free from the penalty of sin, and can see who Jesus is.  Our spiritual eyes are open.  However, we do not see everything about Jesus with full resolution.  Thus, we talk about sanctification in which a person is progressively set free from the power of sin in their life.  We grow in seeing just how great a Savior this Jesus is and how true his leading has been for us.  Lastly, we talk about glorification or Resurrection in which we are set free from any presence of sin within us.  Then, and only then, will we see him with complete clarity.  So, the restoration of our spiritual eyesight has both an instantaneous and progressive aspect to it.

With his eyesight restored, Jesus instructs the man not to go back to town and tell everyone.  Of course, his family is going to find out.  This is not so much about secrecy, as it is about timing.  Jesus must minister for 3 ½ years because that is the Father’s will.  These instructions are about “feathering the brakes” as Jesus speeds towards his destiny at the cross, not because he is afraid.

I pray that your eyes have been spiritually opened to your need for a Savior and that Jesus is God’s answer for you.  However, I also pray that you will come to Christ daily so that he might touch you, and that you might more clearly see this world around you.  We all need this.  How tragic it is that many who have taken up the name of Christ neglect to have a personal relationship with him through reading the Word, prayer, and obeying it.  We were not saved from the penalty of sin in order to languish under its power and ability to keep us blind to freedom.  Those who follow Jesus will be progressively set free from sin’s power over their life.

Jesus is declared the Christ

It was important for Jesus that his disciples understand that he is the Christ, the Anointed One prophesied by the prophets.  It was going to be their mission to proclaim to others that he was the Christ, and that the Father commands all people everywhere to repent of their sins and put their faith in him as Savior and Lord.  The Hebrew term for Christ is Messiah and they both mean anointed.  Jesus was the long-expected one that Israel had waited many, many generations to see.

What is interesting in this story is that Jesus takes them into the area outside of Caesarea Philippi.  This city sat at the base of Mt. Hermon and was next to a place called the Grotto of Pan.  It was considered to be a gate to the underworld, or Hades.  This was also part of the area ruled by Og of Bashan who was called the last of the Rephaim, which were giants.  Today, we would call this area the Golan Heights.  This area had a very sinister and spooky reputation among religious Israelites.  To them, it was a place that was inhabited by dark spirits and under their control.  This is important in light of what Peter is going to say.

Jesus asks the question, “Who do men say that I am?”  Society always has many ideas about everything that is going on.  “He’s guilty…No, He’s innocent…No, he was only partially guilty…etc.”  So, in that time people had varied opinions about who Jesus was.  Some said he was John the Baptist back from the dead.  Of course, this is impossible and completely divorced from the facts because Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  Some said he was Elijah.  This is a little better.  The prophets had prophesied that Elijah would return and “turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children,” before the Messiah came.  However, this is falls short.  Similarly, others thought that Jesus was just another prophet in a long line of prophets.  Thus, they did not think he was the messiah.

Then Jesus asks them, “But, who do you say that I am?”  In the end it won’t matter to you what others thought about Jesus.  Most of it is in error anyways.  What really matters to you is your own understanding and faith.  Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ?  Eternity, eternity, where will you spend eternity, and what will you do with Jesus?  Will you believe the conspiracy theories about him, thereby discount him, and walk away?

In the Matthew 16 parallel account of this event, Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ just as he does in Mark.  However, in Matthew it is added that Peter declared that Jesus was the Son of the Living God.  Jesus tells Peter that he is blessed because he has come to this understanding in an important way, by the Father.  It was not revealed to him by flesh and blood, aka a person.  Jesus had not been training them to repeat the dogma that he is the Christ.  Jesus purposefully allowed the Holy Spirit to bring them to this conclusion.  It must be by the work of God the Father through His Spirit.  It had to be a work of the heart, and not an intellectual exchange taught by another human.

Yes, we do our best to persuade people to believe in Jesus.  They can’t believe if they haven’t heard.  However, we must always be sensitive to the reality that they must come to this conclusion as a work of the Holy Spirit in their heart and mind.  This is true for adults and for kids.  It would be good for parents to remind themselves of this as they seek to make their kid into an adult Christian.  Only God can save them.  So be careful in your religious instruction and role modeling.

The world is becoming a darker and darker place in which it becomes a more and more sinister place.  Will we declare our faith in Jesus as the Lord and Savior of the world?  It may be easy to do so at home, or in a church, but what about in the public square of our society?  Just as Peter let his light shine in the dark region of the Gates of Hell, so let us do today.  We must not shrink back from the Giants of Bashan and the Grottos of Pan in this world.  These spiritual powers want to intimidate you and shut you up, but Jesus declared that they would not be able to overcome that spiritual body of believers that God is transforming in this world.  Let’s be that people today, amen!

You are the Christ audio