A Strange Way of Healing

Last month, I relapsed. What I thought would end as beautiful memories of the zoo and park with my family turned out to be days of pain and pressure. I overdid it, and I relapsed.

You may be wondering how that can be. What happened to being healed?

Trust me, I was asking God the same thing.

I knew I couldn’t doubt what God had promised, but was I expected to ignore the way I was feeling? There was certainly no doubt there when it came to the stiff inflammation building in my back. There was no ignoring the pressure pushing on my eyes and tightening my neck. How could I honestly say I was healed when I felt this way?

But knowing the power in words, I didn’t want to speak up. I didn’t want to give it place. I chose to continue standing on the promise that I was healed no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

Inside though, I felt like a yo-yo, constantly being dipped back and forth into healing and sickness. I had questions for God, specifically how was I was supposed to be a testimony to people of what He could do if I looked like a hypocrite?

So, I decided to do what I usually do when I have a question for God. I went to where He speaks – His Word.

Quite randomly, I chose to delve back into an old reading plan I had begun called Jehovah Rapha, the God Who Heals by Mary J. Nelson, and it couldn’t have been a more timely word. As full disclosure, I will not take all of the credit for this message because some of the inspiration did come from this lesson plan. But I do feel the need to elaborate more on it as well as share my own take on this same story. In the end, all that matters is that God gets the glory.

The Story of the Blind Man at Bethsaida

In Mark 8:22-26, a blind man approached Jesus, begging to be touched by Him. Certainly, I could relate with this begging for healing.

But Jesus didn’t heal this man on the spot. Instead, He took the man by the hand and led him out of town. Note the benefits of stepping away from the world and getting this alone time with Jesus.

Then, Jesus actually spit on his eyes and laid hands on him.

Pause. Because I know what you’re thinking. Gross. Now, keep in mind things were different back then. Things like saliva and blood were often viewed as having healing properties. It might not have been viewed as disturbing as much as medicinal. It also might have shown Jesus’ role as having healing authority just like a physician would have had authority to do something like that. On the other side of things, perhaps Jesus using his own saliva to heal could have been symbolic or foreshadowing of Jesus using His own blood to bring ultimate healing.

Anyway. After laying hands on the blind man with his own spit, Jesus asked the man if he saw anything. Now, of course Jesus already knew this answer. But hasn’t Jesus always had the tendency to ask questions, to make us think?

The man looked up and answered that he saw men, but they looked like trees walking.

So he saw – but not fully. He wasn’t blind anymore – but He wasn’t exactly healed either. So what on earth was this?

This was healing.

And this is where we are so often left disappointed. This was where I was, where I am, this stage of being healed. This middle ground of ‘what am I?’ This questioning of, ‘did Jesus really do anything?’

Now, notice the scripture doesn’t say anything about the man questioning Jesus or reacting to this moment negatively. It doesn’t say he responded in panic or doubt. I think we should learn from this man’s example. After all, James 1:6 tells us that he who doubts is like a wave tossed around in the sea.

This verse also shows us that it’s ok to speak up. It is ok to tell the truth. The man didn’t hide the fact that things were still blurry. He didn’t thank Jesus and walk away with a half-done testimony. He was honest.

Jesus laid hands on him a second time and made him look up. This time the man was healed and fully restored.

Perhaps I’m reading too far into things, but it is interesting how the man looked up and was not fully healed, but when Jesus made him look up, he was. Could this be saying that we are not to try to walk this healing journey on our own but to instead rely solely on Jesus?

“And he saw everything clearly.”

As strange as this short story sounds at first read, it shows us a great deal in how Jesus heals. Overall, Jesus never heals in the same way twice. No one’s journey of healing looks the same.

It also shows us that healing can come in stages. It isn’t always immediate, and as the saying goes, it isn’t always linear.

Finally, it shows us that we don’t always see the full picture as God does. So in no way should we ever doubt His promises, what He is doing, or what He can do.

Thankfully, in the end, we don’t have to wait for Jesus to spit and lay hands on us because He already purchased our healing at the cross. Even if we don’t fully see it yet, trust that we are healed by the blood of Jesus.