Mark viii. 23 — 25. And 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 upon him, he asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up : and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
THIS miracle has many circumstances common to others. On other occasions our Lord manifested similar condescension and compassion : on other occasions also he both shewed his abhorrence of ostentation, and his displeasure at the obstinate
unbelief of men, by performing his miracles in private, and forbidding the persons who were cured to make them known. But the gradual manner in which he effected this cure is peculiar to this single miracle ; we shall therefore fix our attention more particularly on that, and deduce from it some profitable observations.
I. Persons may be under the hand of Christ, and yet
have but very imperfect views of spiritual things — [This man had experienced somewhat of the power and grace of Christ. Yet he could not distinguish men from trees, except by their motion. Thus are many, of whom there is reason to hope well, extremely dark and indistinct in their views. They know very little of their own depravity, or of Christ's excellency, or of the nature of the spiritual warfare. Thus the Apostles themselves saw not the necessity of Christ's death a, or the spiritual nature of his kingdom15. Even after Christ's resurrection they could not conceive for what ends he was risen0. Nor, for several years after the day of Pentecost, did they understand their entire freedom from the Mosaic law, or the purpose of God to make the Gentiles partakers of his salvation d. We may well expect therefore to find some amongst oui'selves, who, notwithstanding they are dear to Christ, still have " the veil in some measure upon their heart."]
Nor should this at all appear strange unto us. For,
II. Though our Lord could heal our blindness in an
instant, yet he chooses rather to do it by the repeated use of the same means —
[Our Lord, if it had pleased him, could have healed the man without touching him at all ; or have cured him instantly by the first touch. He needed not, like Elisha, to repeat the use of the same means, because he had not power in himself to render the first use of them effectual e. But he saw fit to repeat the imposition of his hand in order to exercise the faith and patience of the blind man. Thus could he instantaneously enlighten our minds. He who commanded light to shine out of darkness, could with the same ease shine into our hearts with meridian splendour f. But this is not his usual mode of proceeding in any part of his works. He perfected not the
a Matt. xvi. 22. b Luke ix. 54. c Acts i. G.
d Peter needed repeated visions to overcome his prejudices ; nor did any tiling but a conviction of God's particular interposition pre- vent the whole college of Apostles from censuring Peter for preaching to Cornelius and his friends : Acts x. 28. and Acts xi. 17, 18.
e 2 Kings iv. 33—35. f 2 Cor. iv. G.
1431.] THE BLIND MAN HEALED. Gl
creation but in six successive days of labour. The vegetable, the animal, and the rational creation rise to maturity by degrees. Thus in the new creation of the soul he gradually informs and renews it. He makes use of his preached Gospel to open the eyes of the blind. Inadequate as these means are (even as the mere touch of a finger) he has appointed them for this end. He orders also the means to be continually used, as long as there remains the smallest imperfection in our sight. And he is pleased to render them conducive to the end proposed. He " leads us gradually into all truth g," and enables us at last to comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of his unsearchable love'1.]