Day 18-19: All I Know Is I Was Blind, But Now I See

Mark 8:13-21

 ¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

 ¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

 ¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

   “Twelve,” they replied.

   ²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

   They answered, “Seven.”

 ²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

If there ever was an example of a spiritual mindset vs. a spiritual one, this has to be it. Jesus is trying to teach the disciples a spiritual truth, and they are positively mired in the here and now. They think he's mad at them because they don't have any bread... after, mind you, not one but two miracles where he CREATED BREAD. Hello. (I'm getting the feeling that the disciples are going to have me saying that a lot.) 

Often, though, this is me. God tries to teach me a spiritual truth - through a situation, through a sermon, through a trial - and I'm so focused on the now that I miss the point altogether. It would be awesome if every day before I go to bed, I would ask myself what I have learned in that day. I think I'll try it. 

P.S. - Some of you have wondered about the theme verse thing. How's it going? Well, I'll be honest... one of the best things I ever did. I am not sure it's showing on the outside (yet), but I'm changing. Slowly and surely, I am changing. It's making it so much easier to think about my decisions and to make good ones when viewed through the lens of becoming less and allowing him to become greater. If you haven't chosen a theme verse, do it. I promise you'll be glad you did. 

Mark 8:22-26

 ²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

 ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

 ²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into^[a] the village.”

All I can think about when I read these verses is one of my favorite songs, "All I Know" by Caedmon's Call. It doesn't even refer to this particular blind man's story, but what can I say? It's stuck in my head. It's not on youtube (I know! I thought everything in the history of things was on youtube!), but I'm putting the lyrics here. They're the best part anyway.

Spit and the clay, when washed away
Gave the blind man sight
New eyes couldn't comprehend the sun
That by light ended the night
Shackled in blindness since his birth
Whose sin, was it him, what's it all worth

Now with eyes wide open
They interrogate him
Saying "Who is he?"
"Do you believe what that man is saying?"
"Who do you say is he?"

"All I know
Is I was blind", he said,
"And now I see"
"All I know is he healed me"

I sit here today
So I say that I believe in Him
Yet I cannot fathom the wind-like way
That's made me new again
Shackled in darkness since my birth
Whose sin, was it me, what's it all worth

Now new from the womb
They interrogate me
Saying "Who is he?"
"Do you believe what that book is saying?"
"How gullible can you be?"

Darwin may tend to disagree
I don't know
Marx is writing a drug I need
Still I don't know
Freud analyzes in my head
Nietzsche's saying God is dead
But I'm saying 

"All I know
Is I was blind", he said,
"And now I see"
"All I know is he healed me"