Restoration of Sight

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:25

Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes and his sight was restored; not just barely or a little, but he saw everything clearly. God wants us to see Him clearly. He told Paul: … I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Acts 26:18

In the Garden of Eden, satan fractured human relationship with God. But God always had a plan to restore us to Him. Adam and Eve took their eyes off God, ate the forbidden fruit, and then started looking at themselves, noticing that they were not wearing clothes. We too have taken our eyes off God and look at ourselves. The world tells us that everything is about us. It is all about what we want and how we feel. We want to improve the way we look on the outside and no longer focus on the inner heart. God sent Jesus to restore our sight back to Him.

For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

Restored - (apokathistemi from apo = from + kathistemi = to set in order, appoint) means literally to restore to an earlier condition, to reinstate.

Like the blind man, we were in darkness until God opened our eyes. He is restoring us to Himself. We can know Him through the scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament. The Prophets in the Old Testament said that the Messiah would restore sight to the blind.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Isaiah 35:5

In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isaiah 29:18

Part of this miracle was the fulfillment of prophecy and proof that Jesus is the Messiah. But it also alludes to the promise that God would restore us to a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus. Before Jesus restored the blind man's sight, the Pharisees had asked for signs that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:11). The Pharisees knew the scriptures, and Jesus had performed many miracles, but they still didn't believe.

Even the disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying.

Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? Mark 8:18

God knows that we don’t understand all that He is doing, but He still loves us and wants to restore the relationship with Him that satan destroyed. Jesus led the blind man out of town.

Sometimes, God needs to lead us away from the crowd of worldly things for us to be able to see Him. Jesus had rebuked Bethsaida for its lack of faith.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:17-18

God wants our spiritual sight to be restored so that we can focus on our "glorious inheritance" with Him and not on worldly inheritances. At first, the blind man did not see clearly. Jesus did not leave him partially healed. He doesn't want us to be partially restored either. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us see clearly. But we must do our part to diligently look into His word to better see and understand Him. We shouldn't look to the world for how we should behave. We have to look into God's word. The Bible allows us to know God, but we have to study it with the Holy Spirit's help.

We will have tough times here on Earth, but don't lose faith in God. It is through faith that we can be restored to God. Full clarity comes through continual faith and a relationship with God.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

"He who has faith shall surely see; he who demands signs shall not be satisfied." -Charles Spurgeon