Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So 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 on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” (Mark 8:22-24)
Regardless of His methods (Mark 7:33), Jesus always heals our spiritual condition, as well as our physical condition. One interesting observation is that the first image the man saw was men like trees, walking. That takes us back to the Garden of Eden "trees", The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:8-9) Were these "trees" actual trees or spiritual beings?
Adam and Eve were commaned by God, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) But Eve does not obey, and has a dialogue with the serpent, possibly the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and he asks her, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)
Well, we know that Eve and then Adam "ate", So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6) But what did they actually eat? God uses a phrase in Hosea, You have eaten the fruit of lies,... (Hosea 10:13) God explains through the prophet Ezekiel that the "serpent" was not a talking snake, but that Satan “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God;... You were the anointed cherub who covers;..." (Ezekiel 28:11-19) Remember Satan is called by many names, which describe his attritubes and character: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" (Isaiah 14:12-21) ...the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan,... (Revelations 20:2) Eve was fooled by his appearance, because he was perfect in beauty, full of wisdom.
Aren't we the same way today? We make so many of our decisions, who we believe, who we like, who we want to have a relationship with, based on how they look and how they talk. A lot of times what they say "sounds" good, but it's the fruit of lies. When we studied Wisdom, we learned Go from the presence of a foolish man,When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. (Proverbs 14:7) Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, So that your trust may be in the Lord;... (Proverbs 22:17) God was giving Adam and Eve and all of us a lesson in Wisdom, when He told them but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. He was telling them just because Satan was perfect in beauty, they were not to have any contact with him. Whether they understood God's reason or not, they and we should obey His Wisdom, For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. (Proverbs 4:2)
So many phrases come to mind: "Beauty's only skin deep!"; "Don't believe what your eyes are telling you!"; "Don't believe everything you hear!"; etc. When the religious leaders kept trying to quote scripture to Christ to trick Him, at one point He told them bluntly, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29) They "looked" like they knew what they were talking about, but it was the fruit of lies, just like Satan "looks" like he can be believed; but Jesus told those same religious leader, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44)
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.” (Mark 8:25-26) Just like Jesus not only restored this man's physical vision but his spiritual vision also, He will do the same for each of us. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;... (Matthew 13:16) Obey the Word of God, “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:4-7) AMEN
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