Why the Delay?
“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 ought. 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.”
There are many marvelous miracles recorded in the Bible, but this one—in my mind—stands out among the others. It’s...well, different. When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she was immediately healed. When others sought healing, Jesus spoke, and without delay, they were healed. On other occasions, a gentle touch of the Master was all it took to drive away the illness or the demons. But on this occasion, it seems as if Jesus’ first attempt at healing was unsuccessful. Notice, I said it seems that way, but I don’t believe that at all.
Jesus is perfect in all His ways. There isn’t anything He can’t do. So, why is it—do you think—that his first touch didn’t wholly heal this blind man? Jesus spit on him (which sounds rather gross, but hey, who am I to question the Almighty?), put His hands on him, and asked the blind man if he could see. I can imagine the disappointment in the man’s voice as he answered, “Well, I see dark shapes, like that of trees, but that’s about all.” Surely, he had heard of Jesus’ healing power. I’m confident he had heard the stories from former blind men who had been touched by Jesus and been restored to perfect health. Had I been this man, I know I would have been disappointed. After all, I would have had high expectations.
But for some reason, Jesus didn’t heal as He had before. He took a little longer and worked a little harder. He made the miracle a process rather than an instantaneous event. I can’t explain it, but I can certainly see the value in such a story. Could it be that, through it, the Lord is reminding us that some things happen quickly while others take time? Some healing happens before the first doctor’s appointment, while others only occur when that person passes from this life into the land of ultimate healing. Some problems are resolved within a few moments, while others take years. Some prayers are answered before we finish speaking them, while others leave us wondering if they’ll ever be answered.
Yes, I believe Jesus used this occasion to remind us that His ways are not our ways, and His timing is not our timing. I don’t know about you, but I needed that reminder this morning. Jason and I have the desire to be on the mission field in Wales by the spring of next year. That has been our goal since the beginning of our mission journey back in late 2018. But with all this coronavirus mess and the resulting lack of meetings, that goal seems less likely. We want to get back on the road, so we can finish raising our support. We long to be in Wales as soon as possible, and we can’t think of any logical reason the Lord would delay us. After all, He’s the One who called us to begin with.
But, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a reason. He has a plan, and none of these distractions and delays have caught Him by surprise. He knows exactly what He’s doing, and when the time is right (by His clock, not ours), He’ll open up the doors for us and move us closer to our mission field.
In the meantime, He’s asking us to do the same thing he asked of the blind man—look up! Look up and see what God is doing. Look up and see the work He has for us to do right here, right now. Look up and see those who need to hear about this miracle-working Savior. Don’t look down in frustration or disappointment. Don’t look around in envy or disapproval. Don’t look inward in defeat or self-pity. Look up and trust God!