Healing is a Process

Text : Mark 8:22-27

Key verse: Then again Jesus put his hands on his eyes; and looking hard, he was able to see, and saw all things clearly. (25 verse)

The healing narrative in our reading today is an interesting healing of the man with blindness by Jesus at Beth-saida, the house of fish. This healing incident was one of the challenging ones to Jesus, as he has to press hard again for the second time for recovery of the sight to this man with blindness. The healing had a process and progression, a chain of reactions and happenings took place to the man with the blindness.
1.Jesus friendships with the blind man, so he took him privately out of the town, 2. Jesus first aids him, when he washed his eyes with the water in his mouth, there was a partial sight, and then 3. Jesus follows up the healing, by putting his hands and looking hard and there was clarity of sight to the man with blindness. Even in the case of the man with the blindness, there was progression, 1. He was with no sight, 2. There was partial or even a blurred sight for he saw men walking like trees, and 3. Then there was a sight with out any defect so that he could see clearly. This healing, Jesus would have done it at one sitting, but he took much care and concern to the man with out sight, and gave it a second sitting, followed it up and provided him the clarity of sight. Imagine if Jesus would have left him after the first sitting, when the man with blindness was able to see men, like trees walking, that would have been much worse and disastrous for that man. But Jesus made it a point to have a thorough checkup and gave him healing holistically, was with him until he received healing completely.
The church, as the body of Jesus Christ, how much more attention it should give to the ones coming for healing. To the sick both physically and mentally, the church should be in solidarity with them, and needs to attend to them till the healing is completely achieved to them. Healing is a process, it needs care and concern all along. We as Church have been giving a one-time prayer or grant and think that’s the greatest mission we are involved in. And this is like leaving the sick to see men like trees walking. Healing is continuous, and it requires Churches sustained and life long commitment.

Prayer: God, who is in process, make our churches’ mission of healing progressive and inspire our churches to be with needy and sick till they receive a complete healing.

Reflection:
Sickness recedes ultimately as Healing processes completely