Main Reading –  (Mark 8:22-26)

Some people brought a blind man to Jesus believing that He can give him sight. The first thing Jesus did was, ‘He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village’ – a place where he had spent his life. This doesn’t mean that He could not perform a miracle in his village or in other words this doesn’t meant that He can not perform the miracle in the way we live.  That village may be a place that has been condemned by God. Similarly Jesus leads us out from our sins to make us whole. After He brought him out of the village Jesus spate on his eyes and touched his eyes. Then he asked the man whether he could see. The man answered that he could see people but they look like trees walking around. Once we came out from the old state the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins and we become capable of seeing the light.

After Jesus cleanses us from our sins He would like to know that what we see. Here the man answered that he could see men walking like trees. Metaphorically it conveyed that he could see lifeless, people void of feelings and emotion. In other words he was the only human and in his sight others were not resembling human. This is called a “partial sight” or “partial salvation”. Full of selfish views.  In today’s church we can find many people like this.  Jesus is categorically warning these people to correct themselves first.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” – Matthew 7:3

In Genesis we can find a man with partial salvation. (Gen 13:12-13) Lot selected his dwelling place amongst the unrighteous people. Where is our dwelling place? We might think our surroundings don’t affect us, but it does. He had derived satisfaction by seeing others inequities and scaled himself as a righteous person in comparison. (Gen 19:1-11) Moreover he had spent his time sitting in city’s prominent place watching all evils. This had become his routine.  He might have shared his experiences with his family members. Lot, being the nephew of Abraham got the grace from God but instead of leaning on God he was totally dependent on circumstances.

We are having God ‘s grace as we have Jesus as our elder brother. Then on whom are we leaning? Lot’s lifestyle was tuned to the circumstances in which he lived. Yet he posed himself as a righteous person. (2 Tim:3:5) One day Lot, father of two unmarried daughters, saw two handsome men and had invited them to his house without knowing that they had been sent by God to rescue his family members. If we conform ourselves to this world we can not discern God ‘s will. He brought them to his house and served them dinner. Now the whole villagers demanded Lot to send out these two foreigners to derive pleasure. But Lot told the crowd that he can not spare these two men as they were sheltered under his roof. Instead of them he had offered his two unmarried daughters. He was ready to send his daughters out just to earn a good name. He was unable to realize that the daughters too are under his shelter. To ascertain his righteousness he was ready to destroy his own daughters’ life.

Lot saw his daughters as walking trees – lifeless and feeling less people. When the blind man answered Jesus explaining his condition Jesus touched him once again. The  blind man started seeing everything clearly. May that touch of Jesus Christ make us whole and we’ll be able to see clearly the need of every human. Jesus told the man not to enter that village again. If we think that we are able to see clearly then let us not enter again in to the area of our sins. May God give us strength to firmly stand on His word. Jesus keep me nearer to thee and make me whole.