Welcome to Bible Bytes, where we work to inspire faith one byte at a time.
In the Gosepl of Mark we find a remarkable account of Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida. This story stands out for its unique process - a gradual healing that offers profound lessons about faith, spiritual clarity, and the transformative power of Jesus. By examining this scripture, we will explore how Jesus' compassionate and deliberate actions reveal truths about God's work in our lives.Today's Scripture Selection:
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around." Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village." Mark 8: 22-26 (NASB)Key Takeaways:
- Faith is often communal, as others' prayers and actions can bring us closer to Jesus
- God's work in our lives is personal and often takes us out of our comfort zones
- Spiritual clarity and maturity may come in stages, requiring us to trust God's timing and methods
- Once healed or restored, we are called to walk in obedience and avoid returning to patterns or environments that could hinder out growth
Value 4 Value:
This podcast operates under the Value 4 Value model. We hope that we are providing value through the work we are doing, and that you would then, in turn, provide value back to us. This can come in three forms: time, talent, or treasure.
To learn more about the Value 4 Value model and how we apply it to this show, head over to our website and read up on it at https://bible-bytes.com/v4v.
Prayer Requests:
Head to our website (https://bible-bytes.com/contact) and fill out the contact form to make a prayer request or send it to us in a boost in a modern podcast app.
[00:00:29]
Unknown:
Bible bites. Bible bites. A starving faith one bite at a time. With every first, we
[00:00:53] Randy Black:
Welcome to Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith, one bite at a time. I am your host, Randy Black. In the gospel of Mark chapter 8 verses 22 through 26, we find a remarkable account of Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida. This story stands out for its unique process, a gradual healing that offers profound lessons about faith, spiritual clarity, and the transformative power of Jesus. By examining this scripture, we will explore how Jesus' compassionate and deliberate actions reveal truths about God's work in our lives. Before we dive into looking at the scripture, as we do each week, let's open up with a word of prayer.
Heavenly father, we thank you for the gift of your word, which guides us and reveals your heart. As we study the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida, open our eyes to see the spiritual truths you wish to teach us. Help us to grow in faith and in understanding, trusting in your perfect timing and your plan. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Mark chapter 8 verses 22 through 26. And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged him to touch him. Taking the man who was blind by the hand, he brought him out of the village. And after spitting in his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, do you see anything? And he looked up and said, I see people.
For I see them like trees walking around. Then again he laid his hands on his eyes and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And he sent him to his home saying, do not even enter the village. In this passage, Jesus begins by responding to the faith of those who brought the blind man to him. The community's involvement demonstrates the power of intercession as they actively sought Jesus' help on behalf of their friend. This reminds us of the importance of bringing others to Christ through prayer and through encouragement.
Jesus leads the man away from the village before performing this healing. This act of separation underscores the personal nature of the encounter. Jesus often withdrew from crowds to perform miracles, emphasizing intimacy in his interactions. By taking the man aside, Jesus shows his desire for focused and individual attention in addressing our needs. The healing itself occurs in 2 stages. After the first touch, the man's vision is partially restored. He sees people, but perceives them as in distinct shapes. With the second touch, his sight becomes clear. This gradual process is unique and invites reflection.
It illustrates how spiritual growth and understanding often unfold progressively, requiring patience and a continued trust in God. Jesus' command for the man not to return to the village may have practical and spiritual implications. It could be a directive to avoid disbelief or distraction that might hinder his new faith. It also points to the broader theme of obedience and walking in the light of Christ's work in our lives. This scripture reveals some some key takeaways for us. The first is that faith is often communal as others' prayers and actions can bring us closer to Jesus.
The blind man was brought to Jesus by those who believed in his healing power. This act of intercession shows how faith can be a shared journey where the prayers and the efforts of a community play a vital role. In our own lives, we can reflect on how others have supported us in our spiritual walk and consider how we can intercede for those who need God's touch. Faith is not meant to be isolated. It thrives in a community of believers who uplift one another. Our second key takeaway here is that God's work in our lives is personal and often takes us out of our comfort zones.
Jesus led the blind man out of the village to heal him, creating a private and focused setting. This reminds us that God's work in our lives is deeply personal. Sometimes, he may ask us to step away from familiar environments or from distractions to encounter him fully. This can be uncomfortable, but it's in these moments of separation that we experience his transformative power most profoundly. Our third takeaway is that spiritual clarity and maturity may come in stages requiring us to trust God's timing and his methods. The 2 stage healing illustrates that spiritual growth is often a process.
At first, the blind man's vision was blurry, but Jesus continued his work until the man could see clearly. Similarly, other our understanding of of God's truth may begin with partial clarity, requiring patience as he refines our vision. Trusting in God's methods and timing is essential as we grow in faith and in discernment. And our last takeaway from this scripture is that once healed or restored, we are called to walk in obedience and to avoid returning to patterns or environments that could hinder our growth. Jesus instructed the man not to return to the village, which may have represented a place of disbelief or of negative influence.
This command reminds us that spiritual transformation requires us to make deliberate choices. When God restores us, we are called to avoid circumstances that might jeopardize our progress and to walk in obedience to his guidance. By doing so, we honor the work he has done in our lives. The blind man's journey mirrors our own spiritual walk. Just as his vision was restored in stages, we too find the that understanding god's purpose and plan for our lives unfolds gradually. This process could be challenging, especially when we desire immediate answers or results. However, Jesus' actions in this passage remind us that he is intentional and compassionate in his timing.
The man's partial sight after the first touch is a metaphor for our limited spiritual perception. We may grasp glimpses of God's truth, but struggle to see the full picture. This highlights the importance of staying close to Jesus, allowing him to continue his work in us until we achieve greater clarity and understanding. Furthermore, Jesus' directive to avoid the village speaks to the need for setting boundaries and making choices that align with our spiritual growth. When God transforms us, he often calls us to leave behind old habits, environments, or relationships that could jeopardize our progress.
This passage also encourages us to be patient with ourselves and with others. Just as Jesus did not rush the healing process, we should not expect instant spiritual maturity. Growth takes time, and each step is a testament to God's grace and faithfulness. As we finish our study of the scripture, let's close that with a prayer. Lord Jesus, God, thank you for your compassionate and deliberate work in our lives. We trust in your timing and ask for patience and faith as you guide us toward spiritual clarity. Help us to walk in obedience and avoid anything that could hinder our growth in you.
May we also be faithful in bringing others to you, trusting in your power to transform. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.
[00:10:17] Unknown:
This podcast supports podcasting 2.0, so feel free to send us a boost if you are listening on a new podcast app. Find your new app now at podcasting2.org/apps. That's podcasting2.org/apps.
[00:10:33] Randy Black:
This podcast operates under the value for value model. We hope that we are providing value to you through the work we do each week in researching, preparing, scripting, recording these episodes, and that you would then in turn provide value back to us. And that can come in 3 forms, and under the value for value model, we refer to those as the 3 t's, time, talent, and treasure. Time is as simple as taking the time to listen to the episode each week, learning something from it. It could also include taking the time to share it with someone else, someone that you feel might be touched by it or could use the the insights from it to help in their walk or to even bring them to the Lord.
Talent would be offering to assist us in some way. That could be by offering to step up and provide cover art for each episode, because we do create a different cover art for every episode. It could be that you step up and you offer to provide scripture for us to look at and examine, give us ideas for a lesson that we can use. It could even be stepping up and offering to write a lesson or a script for the show, and even stepping out and recording with us and being a part of the show in person. And treasure, obviously, by its name means something that is valuable to individuals. In this case, treasure under value for value refers to something that is typically financial.
So we we do have ways for you to support us financially to help with the show, because we do have costs. It costs us for the production, for the hosting. You can do that through a couple of ways. If you're listening in a modern podcast app, and I hope you are, you should be, in a modern podcast app, you have the ability to stream Satoshis, the very, very small amounts of Bitcoin to the show as you would listen. You also have the option to send a boost or a boostogram to the show. That's an attachment of some amount of Satoshis, plus if it's a boostogram, it includes a message, to show us encouragement. You can also use that to send in prayer requests, and we'll get to those here shortly. You can also head to our website, and there's a place there where you can, go to a service called Auphonic that we use to process audio, and you can purchase credits, for Auphonic that would then help us in producing the show, or you can just simply send us support through PayPal. There's a a widget there embedded in the page you could use to do that.
If you wanna learn more about the value for value model and how we apply it to what we're doing on the show, you can head over to our website and read up on it at bible dash bytes.com/v4v. That's bible dashbytes.com/theletterv, the number 4, and the letter v. If you have a prayer request, we would hope that you would reach out and share that with us on the show, via the contact form that's on our website or through a boostogram from a modern podcast app so that we can share that with the audience, and we can work together to lift that up to the Lord as a unit. Continued prayer requests we've had for several weeks.
My dad, as he's continuing his process of of going through these cancer treatments, he went and had a mold made for the radiation treatments he's gonna have, and he'll start those treatments right after the 1st of the year. So we're hoping by end of or middle of February, we may be or yeah. Middle of February, we'll be at a point where we'll know for sure what's going on or what's happening, and that the radiation is working to to treat the cancer. I remember my mom, as she's working through this process with him, and and trying to to do the best to lift him up and support him, but the bigger thing is that they both would return to church. I know where their hearts are. I know where they they stand with the Lord, but would love to see them back in church and and worshiping together with others as part of a community as we have talked about it.
A little bit of a praise report. Our our family friend, Greg, got some pretty decent results with some proceed a biopsy procedure and stuff that went on this week. So things are looking a little better, but still not out of the woods. Still waiting for a little bit more info on that. But, we're hoping that, by by everyone praying for him, we can we can get there with the Lord and helping him. Now back to myself. As I told you before, I had a procedure done last week, and they were it was a colonoscopy, I'll be honest. And they found 7 polyps in that procedure and removed them.
7 is pretty high for someone my age. I'm 43. Will be 44 soon. 4 of those polyps through the testing and everything came back as being benign, but 3 of them were precancerous. They have been removed. However, that doesn't totally put me in the clear. So please remember me. I'll go back and have another procedure in 3 years, to check it again, but, you know, something could always happen. But I'm handing it over to the lord and asking him to please touch me, heal me, help me through the process to to make it through this okay. And remember, you know, I'm gonna throw this out there too. Remember my wife through this. I've been a little cranky and a little upset and a little, kinda shocked by everything, and I know I haven't been the best to her in that process. So, hopefully, you know, lift her up that you can that the Lord can help her to have the patience for for handling me through this situation.
As we do each week, let's close out with a prayer before we discuss what's coming up in our next episode in this series. Heavenly father, we thank you once again for the chance to come together and to learn from your word. We wanna lift up these requests, my mom and my dad, Greg, myself, my wife, Beth. You know the needs. You can help us all. You can touch us. Heal us as we need to. Provide us the guidance. Provide us the guidance that we need. Provide us the wisdom to handle these situations. We also lift up any unspoken request that our audience may have with this, for with this week, that you know those needs as well, and you can touch those individuals that might need your help, need your touch to heal or to be guided.
We know you hold all the answers to our prayers, and we trust you, and we trust your wisdom in meeting them with the answer that best fits in with your will. We work each week here on the show to share your word with others, and we hope you can continue to bless us in the ability to do that. We wanna definitely hope that in some way, we might be able to find someone out there to hear that one of these shows, one of these episodes, and that they accept your son, Jesus, as their savior, so they can spend eternity in heaven with you and with him and the rest of us who are saved.
We ask these things in the name of your son, our savior, Jesus. Amen. Our next episode will be the 26th miracle in our series on the miracles of Jesus, and that is another instance where Jesus heals a man who's blind, but this man was born blind, and Jesus heals him by, quote, unquote, spitting in his eyes. You can find that scripture, or that's that that miracle in the scripture in the gospel of John that's in chapter 9 verses 1 through 12. So join us next week for that episode here on Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith, 1 bite at a time.
[00:19:25] Unknown:
This podcast was produced at Johns Creek Studios in Milton, West Virginia. To learn more, head over to johnscreekstudios.com. Johns Creek Studios, where podcast dreams come to life.
Bible bites. Bible bites. A starving faith one bite at a time. With every first, we
[00:00:53] Randy Black:
Welcome to Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith, one bite at a time. I am your host, Randy Black. In the gospel of Mark chapter 8 verses 22 through 26, we find a remarkable account of Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida. This story stands out for its unique process, a gradual healing that offers profound lessons about faith, spiritual clarity, and the transformative power of Jesus. By examining this scripture, we will explore how Jesus' compassionate and deliberate actions reveal truths about God's work in our lives. Before we dive into looking at the scripture, as we do each week, let's open up with a word of prayer.
Heavenly father, we thank you for the gift of your word, which guides us and reveals your heart. As we study the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida, open our eyes to see the spiritual truths you wish to teach us. Help us to grow in faith and in understanding, trusting in your perfect timing and your plan. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Mark chapter 8 verses 22 through 26. And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged him to touch him. Taking the man who was blind by the hand, he brought him out of the village. And after spitting in his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, do you see anything? And he looked up and said, I see people.
For I see them like trees walking around. Then again he laid his hands on his eyes and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And he sent him to his home saying, do not even enter the village. In this passage, Jesus begins by responding to the faith of those who brought the blind man to him. The community's involvement demonstrates the power of intercession as they actively sought Jesus' help on behalf of their friend. This reminds us of the importance of bringing others to Christ through prayer and through encouragement.
Jesus leads the man away from the village before performing this healing. This act of separation underscores the personal nature of the encounter. Jesus often withdrew from crowds to perform miracles, emphasizing intimacy in his interactions. By taking the man aside, Jesus shows his desire for focused and individual attention in addressing our needs. The healing itself occurs in 2 stages. After the first touch, the man's vision is partially restored. He sees people, but perceives them as in distinct shapes. With the second touch, his sight becomes clear. This gradual process is unique and invites reflection.
It illustrates how spiritual growth and understanding often unfold progressively, requiring patience and a continued trust in God. Jesus' command for the man not to return to the village may have practical and spiritual implications. It could be a directive to avoid disbelief or distraction that might hinder his new faith. It also points to the broader theme of obedience and walking in the light of Christ's work in our lives. This scripture reveals some some key takeaways for us. The first is that faith is often communal as others' prayers and actions can bring us closer to Jesus.
The blind man was brought to Jesus by those who believed in his healing power. This act of intercession shows how faith can be a shared journey where the prayers and the efforts of a community play a vital role. In our own lives, we can reflect on how others have supported us in our spiritual walk and consider how we can intercede for those who need God's touch. Faith is not meant to be isolated. It thrives in a community of believers who uplift one another. Our second key takeaway here is that God's work in our lives is personal and often takes us out of our comfort zones.
Jesus led the blind man out of the village to heal him, creating a private and focused setting. This reminds us that God's work in our lives is deeply personal. Sometimes, he may ask us to step away from familiar environments or from distractions to encounter him fully. This can be uncomfortable, but it's in these moments of separation that we experience his transformative power most profoundly. Our third takeaway is that spiritual clarity and maturity may come in stages requiring us to trust God's timing and his methods. The 2 stage healing illustrates that spiritual growth is often a process.
At first, the blind man's vision was blurry, but Jesus continued his work until the man could see clearly. Similarly, other our understanding of of God's truth may begin with partial clarity, requiring patience as he refines our vision. Trusting in God's methods and timing is essential as we grow in faith and in discernment. And our last takeaway from this scripture is that once healed or restored, we are called to walk in obedience and to avoid returning to patterns or environments that could hinder our growth. Jesus instructed the man not to return to the village, which may have represented a place of disbelief or of negative influence.
This command reminds us that spiritual transformation requires us to make deliberate choices. When God restores us, we are called to avoid circumstances that might jeopardize our progress and to walk in obedience to his guidance. By doing so, we honor the work he has done in our lives. The blind man's journey mirrors our own spiritual walk. Just as his vision was restored in stages, we too find the that understanding god's purpose and plan for our lives unfolds gradually. This process could be challenging, especially when we desire immediate answers or results. However, Jesus' actions in this passage remind us that he is intentional and compassionate in his timing.
The man's partial sight after the first touch is a metaphor for our limited spiritual perception. We may grasp glimpses of God's truth, but struggle to see the full picture. This highlights the importance of staying close to Jesus, allowing him to continue his work in us until we achieve greater clarity and understanding. Furthermore, Jesus' directive to avoid the village speaks to the need for setting boundaries and making choices that align with our spiritual growth. When God transforms us, he often calls us to leave behind old habits, environments, or relationships that could jeopardize our progress.
This passage also encourages us to be patient with ourselves and with others. Just as Jesus did not rush the healing process, we should not expect instant spiritual maturity. Growth takes time, and each step is a testament to God's grace and faithfulness. As we finish our study of the scripture, let's close that with a prayer. Lord Jesus, God, thank you for your compassionate and deliberate work in our lives. We trust in your timing and ask for patience and faith as you guide us toward spiritual clarity. Help us to walk in obedience and avoid anything that could hinder our growth in you.
May we also be faithful in bringing others to you, trusting in your power to transform. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.
[00:10:17] Unknown:
This podcast supports podcasting 2.0, so feel free to send us a boost if you are listening on a new podcast app. Find your new app now at podcasting2.org/apps. That's podcasting2.org/apps.
[00:10:33] Randy Black:
This podcast operates under the value for value model. We hope that we are providing value to you through the work we do each week in researching, preparing, scripting, recording these episodes, and that you would then in turn provide value back to us. And that can come in 3 forms, and under the value for value model, we refer to those as the 3 t's, time, talent, and treasure. Time is as simple as taking the time to listen to the episode each week, learning something from it. It could also include taking the time to share it with someone else, someone that you feel might be touched by it or could use the the insights from it to help in their walk or to even bring them to the Lord.
Talent would be offering to assist us in some way. That could be by offering to step up and provide cover art for each episode, because we do create a different cover art for every episode. It could be that you step up and you offer to provide scripture for us to look at and examine, give us ideas for a lesson that we can use. It could even be stepping up and offering to write a lesson or a script for the show, and even stepping out and recording with us and being a part of the show in person. And treasure, obviously, by its name means something that is valuable to individuals. In this case, treasure under value for value refers to something that is typically financial.
So we we do have ways for you to support us financially to help with the show, because we do have costs. It costs us for the production, for the hosting. You can do that through a couple of ways. If you're listening in a modern podcast app, and I hope you are, you should be, in a modern podcast app, you have the ability to stream Satoshis, the very, very small amounts of Bitcoin to the show as you would listen. You also have the option to send a boost or a boostogram to the show. That's an attachment of some amount of Satoshis, plus if it's a boostogram, it includes a message, to show us encouragement. You can also use that to send in prayer requests, and we'll get to those here shortly. You can also head to our website, and there's a place there where you can, go to a service called Auphonic that we use to process audio, and you can purchase credits, for Auphonic that would then help us in producing the show, or you can just simply send us support through PayPal. There's a a widget there embedded in the page you could use to do that.
If you wanna learn more about the value for value model and how we apply it to what we're doing on the show, you can head over to our website and read up on it at bible dash bytes.com/v4v. That's bible dashbytes.com/theletterv, the number 4, and the letter v. If you have a prayer request, we would hope that you would reach out and share that with us on the show, via the contact form that's on our website or through a boostogram from a modern podcast app so that we can share that with the audience, and we can work together to lift that up to the Lord as a unit. Continued prayer requests we've had for several weeks.
My dad, as he's continuing his process of of going through these cancer treatments, he went and had a mold made for the radiation treatments he's gonna have, and he'll start those treatments right after the 1st of the year. So we're hoping by end of or middle of February, we may be or yeah. Middle of February, we'll be at a point where we'll know for sure what's going on or what's happening, and that the radiation is working to to treat the cancer. I remember my mom, as she's working through this process with him, and and trying to to do the best to lift him up and support him, but the bigger thing is that they both would return to church. I know where their hearts are. I know where they they stand with the Lord, but would love to see them back in church and and worshiping together with others as part of a community as we have talked about it.
A little bit of a praise report. Our our family friend, Greg, got some pretty decent results with some proceed a biopsy procedure and stuff that went on this week. So things are looking a little better, but still not out of the woods. Still waiting for a little bit more info on that. But, we're hoping that, by by everyone praying for him, we can we can get there with the Lord and helping him. Now back to myself. As I told you before, I had a procedure done last week, and they were it was a colonoscopy, I'll be honest. And they found 7 polyps in that procedure and removed them.
7 is pretty high for someone my age. I'm 43. Will be 44 soon. 4 of those polyps through the testing and everything came back as being benign, but 3 of them were precancerous. They have been removed. However, that doesn't totally put me in the clear. So please remember me. I'll go back and have another procedure in 3 years, to check it again, but, you know, something could always happen. But I'm handing it over to the lord and asking him to please touch me, heal me, help me through the process to to make it through this okay. And remember, you know, I'm gonna throw this out there too. Remember my wife through this. I've been a little cranky and a little upset and a little, kinda shocked by everything, and I know I haven't been the best to her in that process. So, hopefully, you know, lift her up that you can that the Lord can help her to have the patience for for handling me through this situation.
As we do each week, let's close out with a prayer before we discuss what's coming up in our next episode in this series. Heavenly father, we thank you once again for the chance to come together and to learn from your word. We wanna lift up these requests, my mom and my dad, Greg, myself, my wife, Beth. You know the needs. You can help us all. You can touch us. Heal us as we need to. Provide us the guidance. Provide us the guidance that we need. Provide us the wisdom to handle these situations. We also lift up any unspoken request that our audience may have with this, for with this week, that you know those needs as well, and you can touch those individuals that might need your help, need your touch to heal or to be guided.
We know you hold all the answers to our prayers, and we trust you, and we trust your wisdom in meeting them with the answer that best fits in with your will. We work each week here on the show to share your word with others, and we hope you can continue to bless us in the ability to do that. We wanna definitely hope that in some way, we might be able to find someone out there to hear that one of these shows, one of these episodes, and that they accept your son, Jesus, as their savior, so they can spend eternity in heaven with you and with him and the rest of us who are saved.
We ask these things in the name of your son, our savior, Jesus. Amen. Our next episode will be the 26th miracle in our series on the miracles of Jesus, and that is another instance where Jesus heals a man who's blind, but this man was born blind, and Jesus heals him by, quote, unquote, spitting in his eyes. You can find that scripture, or that's that that miracle in the scripture in the gospel of John that's in chapter 9 verses 1 through 12. So join us next week for that episode here on Bible Bites, where we work to inspire faith, 1 bite at a time.
[00:19:25] Unknown:
This podcast was produced at Johns Creek Studios in Milton, West Virginia. To learn more, head over to johnscreekstudios.com. Johns Creek Studios, where podcast dreams come to life.
