Seeing Again

Seeing Again

Signs & Wonders: Part 4
February 8, 2026

Mark 8:22-26

Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch and heal him.  Taking the blind man’s hand, Jesus led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on the man, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”

The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees, only they are walking around.”

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. He looked with his eyes wide open, his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.  Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village!”

~ Mark 8:22-26

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Last week we saw Jesus heal a woman who touched only the hem of his robe and raise a young girl from the dead with a single word.  So why, in today’s story, does he seem to be struggling with the simple act of giving sight to the blind?  After all, this is exactly what he said he came for: to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed (Luke 4:18).

Yet when the blind man begins to see, his vision is still not clear.  He sees people, but they look like trees.  Some wonder whether Jesus failed or whether this man lacked the faith needed to experience full healing.  Others see it as a metaphor for the spiritual life and the ways that our eyes are slowly opened to God’s work in our lives.

The spiritual explanation certainly feels more reasonable, especially as this passage is sandwiched between the disciple’s lack of understanding about the yeast of the Pharisees and Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah followed immediately by a significant misunderstanding about what this truth actually implied. 

But if we’re willing to take a honest look at ourselves, the truth may be even more practical.  We live in a world where seeing clearly is increasingly difficult.  Images and videos are easily faked or manipulated to present us with an alternate version of reality, to effectually make us see certain people as something less than human – to see trees instead of people.  Much of this artificially generated propaganda is designed with the purpose of dehumanizing others, making them easier to dismiss, to control, or to fear.

The problem is that so many of us stop there.  We take in the image of these “tree people” and assume this is just the way things are, especially if the image reinforces how we already see the world.  Taking a second look might be as simple as flipping to a different channel or seeing another camera angle, but we don’t dare consider this option for fear of being alienated from our tribe who sees things the same way we have been taught to see them.  It is unsettling when the reality we see does not align with the reality we are taught to accept.

Perhaps this story is less about Jesus’ power to heal and more about our willingness to stay engaged with Jesus long enough to receive a second touch, and to take a second look and what once seemed so clear.

What is one way this week you can open yourself to a second healing, to look more carefully and ask God for clearer sight?

The Importance of Marginalized Bodies

The Importance of Marginalized Bodies

Signs & Wonders: Part 3
February 9, 2026

Matthew 9:18-26

While Jesus was speaking to them, a ruler came and knelt in front of him, saying, “My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her, and she’ll live.”  So, Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.  Then a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his clothes.  She thought, If I only touch his robe I’ll be healed.

When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, “Be encouraged, daughter. Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that time on.

~ Matthew 9:18-22

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Other gospel accounts offer parallel versions of this story and layers of detail about the people involved.  Matthew, however, keeps it simple.  Jesus is asked to come and offer his healing touch in a place of death, and along the way, another woman was healed when she reaches out in faith to touch his robe. 

Sometimes that simplicity itself has something to teach us.

We can talk for hours about the mechanics of what happened, from ritual purity to social boundaries to delays and timing, or even how Jesus noticed a single touch in the middle of a crowd.  Luke tells us the girl actually dies while Jesus is delayed, raising questions about whether he stopped too long or whether it was already too late, as the messengers believed.

But Matthew doesn’t linger there.  And maybe that’s just as well.  Because the more we try to explain a miracle, the less miraculous it becomes.  The more we try to justify Jesus’ actions or the worthiness of those he heals, the more we miss what actually matters.

Jesus is not out healing people that day.  When the ruler and the woman come to him, he has just called a tax collector to be one of his disciples and is now explaining how God is doing something new, something that requires a different way of seeing.

Rather than giving us details about these healings,Matthew simply tells us that two individuals bring their need to Jesus and he responds with compassion.  That’s it.

A dead girl.

A desperate woman beyond help that medicine could offer.

Two people everyone else had given up on.  One dead.  One might as well have been.  There was simply nothing left to be done.

But the girl’s father doesn’t give up.  And neither does the woman.  They bring their need to Jesus even when no one else would listen.  And without hesitation, Jesus responds.

It makes me wonder who we might assume is beyond help.  What voices have we stopped listening too.  Or are there perhaps times we ourselves feel so far beyond help that we don’t even bother asking anymore.

Jesus sees. 

Jesus hears. 

Jesus responds. 

And perhaps he’s calling us to do the same.

• Who have we decided is beyond help or outside our concern?

• Where have you stopped asking because you feel it’s too late?

The Role of Caregivers

The Role of Caregivers

Signs & Wonders: Part 1
January 11, 2026

Mark 2:1-12

Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven!”                                                               

~ Mark 2:3-5

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Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with the miracle stories in scripture.  We don’t see such supernatural outcomes as readily today, which can lead to two extremes.  On one hand, we can be dismissive of those who have experienced miracles in their lives.  On the other, the absence of a miracle can lead to guilt or shame about the strength of our faith.  Neither response is helpful.  Whether we believe in literal miracles or not, these stories invite us into active participation in bringing about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. 

This week’s miracle story involves a paralyzed man being lowered through the roof of the home where Jesus was staying.  We can imagine the outrage if such a scene occurred today: property damaged, rules broken, people cutting in line.

There are always barriers for people trying to get the care they need.  Some face more than others.  But instead of working to create more accessible systems, we often criticize those who try to work around the system just to meet their basic needs.  Sometimes caregivers must take creative or unconventional steps, especially when fighting for those who cannot advocate for themselves. 

Jesus does not turn them away.  He sees their faith and resolve.  He also sees their love and care for their friend and extends compassion by healing the paralyzed man. 

Interestingly, the legal experts in the story are not concerned with the caregiver’s methods either.  They are concerned that Jesus essentially “upgrades” the paralyzed man’s status, seemingly without authority.  In the ancient worldview, long-term illness was often tied to sin.  But by declaring the man forgiven, Jesus removes blame for his condition and affirms that no one is ever excluded from God’s mercy.  The healing becomes a sign that forgiveness and dignity are already granted.

In systems that are constantly overwhelmed and unable to meet every need, we still struggle with questions of who is deserving of care, who should be prioritized, who can afford it, and who is put on hold or cut off entirely.  Such questions should not be necessary, and they never come with easy answers.  But Jesus reminds us that when it comes to caring for basic human needs, there is no stigma, no shame, and no sin that can separate a person from the mercy and love of God.  He shows us that healthcare is not a political issue, but a human one, and one that God cares deeply about.

 Whose mat is God asking you to carry right now? 

 And in what ways do you need others to carry you?