INTRODUCTION: This week our lesson suggests that Jesus understood
our need to be touched. I read all of the texts in the gospels
that mention Jesus and touching. There are surprisingly few of
them; ten to be exact. Some are a repetition of the same story,
and
one deals with proof of Jesus' resurrection. That leaves us six
independent texts on touching. Let me divide among you four of
the
texts and we will read all of them. The last two I will read
and
we will discuss. Please read:
Matthew 9:21
Matthew 14:36
Mark 3:10
Mark 10:13
I. WHOSE TOUCH?
A. Before we get into our story of healing
this week, turn
with me to Luke 6:17-19. I think
this gives us a good summary
of the tenor of those texts that you read
that deal with Jesus
and healing through touch. Read.
1. Who is generally doing the touching in these texts?
a. Why?
2. Do you
think these texts generally illustrate our need
to be touched?
(No! While touching is no doubt a good
thing to
do to others (just not in the office if you are
a male),
if you actually read the gospel texts on
touching
(as we did), they show that the people felt a
very strong
desire to touch Jesus. The authors of our
lesson have
reversed the general discussion in the
gospels
about touching. We will, however, look at a
story where
Jesus touched "us.")
3. Tell me
why Jesus would let "power" go from Him to
heal people?
a. Do we need to be touched by Jesus or do we need
to touch Him?
b. Is it more important for us to touch others or
teach them how to touch Christ?
(1) Are these mutually exclusive goals?
II. TOUCHING THE BLIND:THE MISFIRE?
A. Let's get into our healing story for
this week and our last
text on touching. Turn with me to Mark
8:22-25. Read.
1. Does this
story start out like our other texts on
touching?
Does it involve a person who wants to touch
Jesus? (Not
exactly. Instead of people rushing to touch
Jesus, they
beg Jesus to touch a blind man.)
a. Do you think the fact that the man is blind has
anything to do with this unusual detail? (Yes.)
2. Notice
that Jesus touched him for a long time without
him being
healed. He (v.23) led him outside the village
"by the
hand."
a. How could Jesus touch this fellow for so long
without healing him?
b. How did these other people (for example our text
in Luke 6) simply touch Jesus and receive healing?
(This was obviously a controllable power. People
were not just being healed whenever they touched
Jesus. Jesus (or someone from the Godhead) was
apparently making a decision on His power "going
out.")
B. Let me read to you vv. 23-24 again.
1. Is this
a failed miracle?
2. A partial miracle?
3. Did Jesus or the man lack faith?
4. Is this
fellow just not used to seeing people, so that
is why he
thinks they look like "walking trees?" Anyone
here we
might mistake for a tree?
5. If you
were blind, and now you could see people, but
not very
clearly, would you be satisfied?
a. Was Jesus satisfied with partial sight?
C. Notice that Jesus first spit in his
face and then touched
him. What did Jesus do differently in
v.25?
1. Is this
a case of Jesus lacking the right
technique?
2. Was the spitting a mistake?
a. Do you think that people normally enjoyed being
spit on in those days? (No. It was an insult then
just as it is now. See Matthew 26:67.)
3. Is this
some sort of lesson to us? If you spit on
people when
you help them, things won't go exactly right?
D. Let's see if we can unravel this mystery
by looking at the
context of our story. Let's back up a
few verses and read Mark
8:14-21. The story just before this
is the feeding of the
four thousand from seven loaves and a
few fish. Now read.
1. The disciples
thought that Jesus was talking about
bread. (v.16)
Was He?
a. Did the disciples lack bread?
b. What about the one loaf in the boat? (v.14)
c. Was Jesus the "one loaf in the boat?" (Jesus had
just gotten through creating bread. See vv. 4-8,
19-20. Bread was no problem with Jesus around.)
2. Why did
the disciples misunderstand when Jesus spoke
of (v.15)
"the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod?"
(They had
not yet clearly focussed on the meaning of His
teaching.
As a result, they did not "see" and did not
understand.
(vv.17, 21))
3. What do
you think Jesus meant by the "yeast of the
Pharisees
and Herod?" Can you "see" what Jesus means? (In
v.11 the
Pharisees "demand a sign" from Jesus. In Luke
23:8 we
learn that Herod wanted a "sign" (some miracle)
from Jesus
too.)
E. Is that the "yeast?" A desire to see
signs? Or is there a
deeper problem? (Let's compare some verses.)
1. Do you
think that v.17 and v.23 have any relationship
to each
other? (The disciples are not blind, but they
cannot "see"
clearly. The man who used to be blind also
cannot yet
"see" clearly.)
a. Is it the same kind of blindness? (No. Spiritual
blindness for the disciples versus actual
blindness.)
2. What did
it take for the blind man to see clearly? (A
second touch
by Jesus.)
3. What would it take for the disciples to see clearly?
4. Herod
and the Pharisees said that it would take a
miracle
for them to see clearly. Were they right after
all?
F. Let's read on. Read Mark 8:27-29.
Do you think this has
anything to do with what we have just
discussed?
1. What possible
reason could Herod and the Pharisees
have for
wanting a sign from Jesus? (It had to do with
who He was.
They were suggesting that He was not the
Christ,
and they would not believe He was the Christ,
unless He
did a "performance miracle" for them.)
2. Give me
one reason why the disciples should not be
worried
about bread? (They had the "one loaf" with them
in the boat.
If they believed Jesus was God, they would
never have
to worry about bread. That is why Jesus
reviewed
His "bread miracles" for them. (vv.18-21))
G. Now do you think it was some sort of
error that Jesus did
not give the blind man perfect sight the
first time?
1. Was this miracle of restoring sight the end in itself?
2. Or was
it a means to an end? (It was a means to an
end. Jesus
wanted the disciples to see that continued
contact
with Him was required for them to "see" the
message
of who He was.)
3. Did the
Pharisees and Herod believe that the miracles
were an
end in themselves? (Yes. They did not want to
know Jesus.
They wanted to see a miracle.)
4. Remember
last week that Jesus said to the humpback
woman that
she was "free from [her] infirmity" (Luke
13:12) BEFORE
He straightened her back? Remember two
weeks ago
that the paralyzed guy was told that his sins
were forgiven
BEFORE he was healed (Mark 2:5). Why do
you think
Jesus talked about sin before physical healing?
(Because
the real issue is who Jesus is. It is primarily
an issue
of breaking the bonds of sin and not just a
healing
or miracle now.)
5. Was giving
the blind man sight secondary to teaching
a spiritual
lesson? (Yes!)
6. Is that
true for you when you come to Jesus to be
healed?
a. When you ask Him to heal someone you love?
b. Should we realize that the spiritual lesson, the
advancement of the Kingdom comes first?
c. Is this the true meaning of being a servant, that
we put our personal interests second to the
advancement of the kingdom? If we have a
"terminal" illness, can we say, "Whether I live or
die, I am satisfied with the outcome which most
advances the Kingdom of God?" Is true restoration
an issue that goes beyond healing?
III. NEXT WEEK: "HEALING THE SPIRIT" We will continue our
discussion of the true goal of healing. Study!