Well, let us turn once again
to God's Word, and turn into the chapter we read in Mark,
the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 8. And I'll read the
portion from verse 22 through 26. In Mark 8, from verse 22
through 26. And he cometh to Bethsaida, And they bring a blind man unto
him, and besought him to touch him. 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. and he sent him away to his house
saying neither go into the town nor tell it to any in the town
considering then this particular incident in the life the ministry
of the Lord Jesus the miracle that he is performing upon this
blind man who initially says I see men as trees walking but
then says subsequently how he sees all things clearly and as we look at the portion
I want to deal really with two basic points this morning first
of all to say something with regards to the purpose, the prophetic
purpose of this particular miracle, and then in the second place
to look at the spiritual significance of what the Lord is doing. There is something significant
in the Lord's conduct with regards to this particular individual. But first of all, when I term
the prophetic purpose, the purpose of the miracle, We know that
miracles performed by the Lord Jesus are indeed mighty works.
Back in chapter 6 we're told how he went out from thence and
came into his own country and his disciples followed him and
when the Sabbath day was come he began to teach in the synagogue
many hearing him were astonished saying from whence hath this
man these things and what wisdom is this which is given unto him
that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands." They're
impressed not only by his words but also by his works, mighty
works. Remember our We're told aren't
we in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 4 that the apostles were able
to perform signs and miracles and mighty works and gifts of
the Holy Ghost. Well certainly that was true
with regards to the Lord Jesus if it was true also of his disciples. And we know that these miracles
literally are signs. That's the word that's used throughout
John's Gospel in reference to the miracles, more literally.
We should, when we find the word miracle in John, remember that
it is a sign. It is a an event, an incident
that is directing to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
here in the chapter that we read, we see how the Pharisees are
seeking after signs. Verse 11, The Pharisees came
forth and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from
heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit
and said, Why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say
unto you, there shall no sign be given unto this generation.
We know on another occasion, maybe it's the same incident
really, back in Matthew chapter 12, he speaks of them having
nothing more than the sign of the prophet Jonah. And as Jonah
was three days in the fish's belly, so the Son of Man would
be three days in the bowels of the earth. Even the Son of Man
is going to die, and He will have a real experience of death.
And His body will be laid in the tomb for some three days,
but He'll rise again. There is the great miracle, the
great sign. How these events then, these
mighty works, their signs pointing us always to the Lord Jesus,
and we see Him as that one who is so compassionate in all his
dealings with the people. Even at the beginning of this
chapter, verse 2, I have compassion on the multitude, says Christ,
because they have now been with me three days and have nothing
to eat. Well, the signs then should direct
us to the wonder of the person. of the Lord Jesus, the sort of
man he was, the sort of things that he would do. In speaking in the house of Cornelius,
remember how on that occasion Peter speaks of how God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and he went about doing
good, healing those who were oppressed of the devil because
God was with him. He is a man then who is full
of great compassion and feeling for the people. This is why he
performs these miracles. When he sees the multitudes he
will time and again have compassion upon them and minister to them. And now in all of this we see
really the reality of his human nature. in his person as man
he sympathizes in all their afflictions he is one who is afflicted he
feels for men such a high priest became us who is holy and harmless
and undefiled and separate from sinners but how he becomes of
how he suited to us The bruised reed shall he not break? Smoking
flack shall he not quench? He's so tender and so kind. And here we see how immediately
he ministers to their real need. He sees the multitudes and they've
had nothing to eat and what does he do? He performs another miracle.
Just previously in chapter 6 we see him feeding
the 5,000. But here we see him again, now
feeding the 4,000. Two separate events, but Christ
showing something of his kindness and his tenderness, his compassion
to the needs of the people. Here then we see the significance
of the miracles. We're not to dwell so much on
what the Lord is doing in the miracle, but the person who is
performing the miracle. The miracle is pointing to him,
pointing to him in his office as that one who is truly the
Christ of God. And even following this particular
event, we have the record, Mark's account, of what happened there
at Caesarea Philippi, when the Lord asks the disciples what
is being said by the people concerning His person. Whom do they say
that I am? And it's not that the Lord is
ignorant, He's going to draw out His disciples. Because He
goes on to ask, Whom say ye that I am? And it is Peter, isn't
it, who answers and says, Thou art the Christ. Thou art the
Christ. They recognized Him. They recognize
that this is that one who is promised in the Old Testament
Scriptures, the Messiah. There were those in Israel who
were looking and longing for his blessed appearance. John, of course, was the forerunner,
but even John himself at times, it seems, was filled with doubts. He seems to be uncertain. Remember
how John sends His own disciples to the Lord to inquire if He
really is the Promised One. There in Matthew chapter 11 verse 2, When John had heard
in the prison the works of Christ, and observed his hearing of the
works, the miracles, he sends two of his disciples, and to
ask, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again
those things which ye do hear and see, the blind receive their
sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them,
and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. He is the Christ, and this is
the point and purpose of the miracles. they all point to this
particular man and his offices. He is that one who is truly the
Lord's prophet. When we see him in Luke 7, raising
the widow of Nain's son, what is it that the people say as
they witness that miracle? We read out there came a fear
on all and they glorified God saying that a great prophet is
risen among us. Or they see him now in his office,
he's a prophet, this man, as he performs that remarkable miracle
and gives life to a dead man. When that man who was a ruler
of the Jews, Nicodemus, comes to the Lord, what does he say?
There in John 3, Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come
from God, for no man can do those miracles that thou doest except
God be with him thou art a teacher the Lord's office then he set
before us as that one who is the Lord's prophet the fulfillment
of the prophetic office here is the prophetic purpose then
of all these mighty works that the Lord is doing it's not so much his works it's
his words He is declaring the Word of God. Never man spake
like this man, said those who were sent to catch him by the
Pharisees. And after the Sermon on the Mount,
remember what we're told at the end of Matthew chapter 7, when
he had ended all these sayings, the people were astonished at
his doctrine. They were astonished at his teaching,
because he taught them with authority. and not as the scribes. He is the Lord's prophet but
more than that. As we read through the Gospels
we see him as that one who is clearly the Lord's priest. As
the Christ he is prophet, as the Christ he is also priest
and we have the record, don't we? We have the record in all
the Gospels. concerning the great purpose
of His coming, His obedience, His unto death, even the death
of the cross. And so in Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John we have some detail with regards to the manner of
His dying. And the great truth of substitutionary
atonement so clearly set before us. That death was a judicial
death. He must endure all the mockery,
of what was not really a trial and yet that's what it was supposed
to be. Only the authority, the Roman
authority had that right to sentence a man to death and he was sentenced
to death by the Romans. He suffered under Pontius Pilate.
It was clearly judicial, it was a sacrifice that he was making.
But as a priest he not only makes the great sacrifice. We also
have the record of that remarkable prayer in John 17 which we call
his high priestly prayer. As a priest he doesn't just sacrifice,
he prays. And now of course having accomplished
his great priestly work upon the earth, having finished the
transgression and made an end of sin and made reconciliation
for iniquity, and having brought in an everlasting righteousness,
he's in heaven. And there he ever lives to make
intercession. He is the Christ. As Peter says,
I want the Christ. He's a prophet. He is a priest, but he's also
a king. And he says to Pontius Pilate,
my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight. His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. And this is where the Jews stumbled. They expected the Christ, their
promised Messiah, when he came to be one who would be a great
warrior, who would deliver them from all the yoke of Rome. That's
how so many of them thought. They thought in worldly, carnal
terms. But his kingdom is not of this
world. He says, doesn't He Himself there in Luke 17, the Kingdom
of God is within you. God's Kingdom doesn't come with
observation. It doesn't come with outward
show. The Kingdom of God is within you. It's what God does in the
souls of man. Well, the miracles then are all
directing us to the wonder of this person. He is. the Christ. But more than that, more than
that, He is also the Son of God. And of course, in Matthew's accounts
of Christ there at Caesarea Philippi, the statement is somewhat more
full. Matthew 16.16, Peter actually says, I am the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. Christ is the Son of the Father,
in truth and in love, the only begotten of the Father, who is
full of grace and truth. And even there, at the raising
of the widow of Nain's son, they don't just recognize him as a
great prophet. They say, a great prophet, yes,
but they also go on to say, God has visited. When they witness
that miracle, the rising of a dead man, they say, God hath visited
His people. Oh, the wonder, you see, of the
work that the Lord Jesus Christ is doing. He is God. God manifests
in the flesh. And what do the miracles do?
They reveal something of His glory. Even the very first miracle
of all, recorded there in the second chapter, of John the beginning
of miracles which Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested
forth his glory it says he manifested forth his glory and his disciples
believed on him and so we see him as one who
is in the miracles declaring his deity He's not just the Christ,
it's not just his offices as the promised Messiah, prophet,
priest and king, but this is very God. And do we not see it? Here in this Gospel, in what
we're told in that second chapter concerning the healing of the
paralyzed man, do you remember how his friends carry him to
where Christ is there in chapter 2? at verse 3 and the following
verses they bring him on a stretcher as it were and
they could not come nigh because of the great crowd, the great
press of people they uncovered the roof where he was and then
they let him down in his bed and when Jesus saw their faith
he says unto the sick of the palsy son thy sins are forgiven
And we're told there were certain of the scribes sitting there,
and reasoning in their hearts, Why does this man thus speak
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
only? And immediately when Jesus perceived
in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto
them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Where is it easier
to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, Arise and take up thy bed and walk, but that ye may
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins? He said to the sick of the palsy,
I say unto thee, Arise and take up thy bed and go thy way into
thine house, and immediately immediately we're told he rose
up took up the bed and went forth before them all in so much that
they were all amazed and glorified God saying we never saw it on
this fashion in that miracle it is clear he is demonstrating
his deity he is God he is God the miracles then how significant
they are, how they point to this person, and the wonder of who
this man is. Oh, he is a man, a real man,
he has compassion upon the multitudes. He's touched in his human soul. And yet, this one who is a man
is also true Almighty God. And in his ministry, how He's
not only concerned to minister to the physical needs of the
people but also to their spiritual needs. And so I want to turn
in the second place to the spiritual significance of this particular
miracle that we're concerned with this morning. What the Lord
is doing here in this portion that we read Verse 22, He cometh
to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought
him to touch him. 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. I see men as trees walking. That's the first thing. But there
are two things that I want us really to consider with regards
to the significance of these things. And the first is the
great danger of rejecting Christ and his ministry. The great danger
of rejecting Christ and his ministry. What do we read here with regards
to the way in which he deals with this man? Well, he took
the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. He cometh to Bethsaida. So he's
in Bethsaida, he's in the town and they bring the man to him
but he takes the blind man by the hand and leads him out of
the town. Now why would the Lord do such
a thing? Well this was one of those cities
that the Lord had so upbraided. Because it's there, it's on the
shores of the Sea of Galilee, it's that area where the Lord
was so much centering His ministry. He performed many miracles there,
in that region. But he'd pronounced a terrible
curse upon those cities. Back in Matthew's account, in
Matthew chapter 11, and look at the language that we find
there at verse 20 following. Then began he to upride the cities
wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented
not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Well
unto thee Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done
in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment
than for you. And then he goes on to speak
also of Capernaum, where he had also done mighty works. and he
said it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment than for the earth. But we're thinking in
particular of the place called Bethsaida. It was one of those
cities where the Lord had done so many of his mighty works. It was the same also, wasn't
it, with regards to Nazareth, the very place where he was brought
up. and mention is made of Nazareth
also here in chapter 6 of this Gospel, Mark's Gospel verse 4
Jesus said unto them a prophet is not without honour but in
his own country and among his own kin and in his own house
and he could there do no mighty work say that he laid his hands
upon a few sick folk and healed them and he marveled because
of their unbelief and he went round about the villages teaching. There are these places where
the Lord is ministering and yet is not able as it were to do
great and mighty works. Now what do we need to notice
here? There's no deficiency in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is God and he has all authority from God as he is exercising
this ministry. Why is it that the Lord speaks
in this fashion of these places? The reason why he cannot do the
works is because they are a people under terrible judgment. Even when the Lord has healed
this man, and he has perfect sight now, he saw every man clearly. What does the Lord then do, verse
26? He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town,
nor tell it to any in the town. There is something significant
about the town of Bethsaida. There is judgment upon the place.
we know that there is such a thing as judicial blindness the blindness
that comes upon the Pharisees and how the Lord speaks solemnly
to them with regards to the man born blind in John chapter 9
this man that they were so ready to cast out of the synagogue
excommunicate him, cut him off but the Lord finds him and ask
Him those searching questions, thus they believe on the Son
of God. Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus
said, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with
them. And what does a man say, Lord,
I believe? And he worshipped Him. Or the man that they had cast
out, or the Lord goes and seeks that man, and that man is wonderfully
saved. But then the Lord adds these
words at the end of John 9, For judgment am I coming to this
world, that they which see not might see, and that they which
see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which
were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind
also? Jesus said unto them, If you
were blind, you should have no sin. But now ye say, We see. Therefore your sin remaineth."
They're full of themselves. They're full of their religion.
But it's not a real religion. It's a man-made religion. And
they are under judicial blindness. Their eyes are blinded. They're
unable to see who this man is, who is performing such remarkable
deeds, such great and mighty works, miracles. Again, look at the language that
we have there in the 12th chapter of John's Gospel, where we see
that these things are all a fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.
There in John 12 at verse 37, we read, Though he had done so
many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. that
the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake,
Lord you have believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the
Lord, to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For anyone
to believe the report, for anyone to believe the preaching of the
gospel, the Lord must make bare his arm. But then we are told
they could not believe because Esaias said again He hath blinded
their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see
with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted,
and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when
he saw His glory, and spake of Him." How clear John is, what
Isaiah saw there in chapter 6 of his prophecy was Christ. When he had that vision of the
throne of God, it was the Lamb in the midst of the throne. That's
quite clear. These things said Isaiah when
he saw his glory and spake of him. But what is that word that
the Lord spoke? Blinded eyes, hardened hearts,
lest they should see, lest they should understand. There is such
a thing as a judicial blindness. How solemn it is then to hear
of Christ to hear the reading of his word, the preaching of
his gospel, and yet to believe not. And we need to examine ourselves,
lest the Lord should visit such a terrible thing upon us. The danger then of rejecting
the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is what these people
were doing. But what we see in this miracle
is also instructive, surely it's significant. because we see something
of different degrees in the way in which the Lord deals with
a man. Verse 23, He takes him by the
hand, leads him out of the town, and when it split on his eyes,
he put his hands upon him and asked if he saw wrought, and
he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking. How are we to understand that?
Is it just half a miracle? Remember there's no deficiency
in Christ's power. Surely he could have immediately
given this man perfect sight. But initially the man just sees
trees, walking trees. He doesn't see men clearly. But
then, verse 25, after he put his hands again upon his eyes
and made him look up, He was restored and saw every man clearly. Why are there different stages
in the restoring of his sight? Is there not some spiritual lesson,
some important spiritual lesson that we might learn from this
particular instance when the Lord first awakens the sinner
and the sinner begins to see, does he see everything as clearly
as he ought? Well I want, as we come to a
conclusion this morning, to say something about the difference
between conversion and regeneration. The latter, regeneration or the
new birth, the new birth is of course something that is instantaneous. It is one complete, one undivided
act of the Holy Ghost as He first takes possession of the soul
of a man. In the language of Isaiah chapter
66 and verse 8 the spiritual child is born at once. He is
born at once. The birth is immediate and it
is immediately perfect. And so there is immediately the
existence of every spiritual faculty now in the soul of that
man. He's born, born of the spirit. And by degrees there will be
the exercise of all those faculties. But straightway the man is one
who sees what he is and where he is. The man not only is able
to see, he's able to hear, he's able to taste, he's able to smile,
he's able to feel, and he now feels himself to be in a sad
condition. He's God-condemned, he's scripture-condemned,
he's self-condemned, because there's some spiritual life in
him. You see, all this travail of soul that has come upon him
doesn't precede his heavenly birth but follows on as the effect
of that birth. The reason why he now tastes
the bitterness of sin and his guilt and feels at times to be
at a distance from God and wants to be near to God is because
he has spiritual life in his soul, a thing that previously
he knew nothing at all of. And so what he's got doing, well
God turns a man to destruction and then says return you children
of men or the sinner must look to the Lord Jesus Christ alone
looking on to Jesus looking away on to Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith there has to be that spiritual life before any
of these things can be a reality in the soul of that man. But
in conversion of course, and this is the difference, whereas
the regeneration, the new birth is instant, conversion is that
that is by degrees. By degrees that newborn sinner
comes to the light. We're going to sing just now
that hymn of Joseph Hart. 747, faith and repentance all
must find. But yet we daily see they differ
in their time and kind, duration and degree. There's a certain progression
these things are worked out then in the soul
of that sinner who's been quickened. Some have a most profound conviction
of sin at the very outset, at the beginning. You can read the
experiences of a man like John Bunyan, grace abounding, to the
chief of sinners. What a deep work, or William
Huntington's The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by Prayer. How profound
is the work at the beginning, the real conviction of sin. But
with others, the depth of conviction sometimes follows later some have a real beginning but
it's not a very deep beginning we might say but then they begin
to struggle later when they're confronted with the great doctrines
of the sovereign grace of God because they're so humbling these
truths And the Lord has to reveal these truths to his people. William Gadsby says, we just
sang the words in that second hymn, we must not learn God's
truth as schoolboys learn their task. We don't learn these things
in a mechanical way, we don't learn them by rote. The Lord
has to deal with us, but there has to be that spiritual life
within us. And it's important that we recognize
the difference between regeneration, the new birth, and conversion. And here we have, as it were,
an example of that. This is something that comes
upon this man, as it were, by degrees. Initially he sees men
as trees walking, but then the Lord goes on, the Lord is perfecting
his work. this is what the Lord does with
all of his people we have to grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the words of second
Peter there is such a truth as growth in grace and I want to
conclude again this morning by reading those words I think the
last time I preached which was a couple of weeks ago I referred to that article of
our faith Article 35 in the Gospel Standard Articles. We believe
that there are various degrees of faith, as little faith and
great faith, that when a man is quickened by the Blessed Spirit,
he has faith given him to know and feel he is a sinner against
God, and that without a Saviour he must sink in black despair.
And we further believe that such a man will be made to cry for
mercy, to mourn over and on account of his sins, and being made to
feel that he has no righteousness of his own, to hunger and thirst
after Christ's righteousness, being led on by the Spirit until
in the full assurance of faith he has the Spirit's witness in
his heart that his sins are forever put away. But that the faith
is the same in nature as is imparted in his first awakening
though now grown to the full assurance thereof. There must
be that spiritual life in us. But then we will see these things
only by degrees. We won't see everything at once. One is the new life. the quickening
in the soul, the new birth. But the other then is that conversion
which will follow after. There are then degrees of faith.
But all faith is of the operation of God. All faith is of the operation
of God and is the result of that new birth, new life. From Him
we must receive. Before foreseeing we rightly
grieve. May the Lord then be pleased
to bless His truth to us and to do His own gracious work in
every soul. Amen.