When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
The healing of those who were physically blind was done because Jesus had compassion on all who were not able to experience the fullness of life as intended by God. But they also served as signs for those who were spiritually blind. Spiritual blindness existed, not in those who could not see, but in those who would not. The physically blind recognized their condition and were therefore able to desire a cure. But spiritual blindness, precisely because the problem originated in the will as a denial of truth, was not easily recognized. Jesus had to poke and prod to make those who were spiritually blind admit that their superficial presentation was at odds with the truth of the depths of their hearts.
It wasn't just the Pharisees who lacked spiritual sight. It was also Jesus' own disciples. He had only recently asked them, "Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?" (see Mark 8:18) after talking about the leaven of the Pharisees. But the disciples, in virtue of choosing to remain near Jesus, where on a path of healing, which, while not immediate, was certain.
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
If we ask why Jesus didn't heal the man immediately the answer we give cannot be that he did not have the power to do so. Nor would we suggest that the blind man didn't desire it enough. We may say that the gradual healing was a metaphor for his disciples' growth and even our own post-baptismal progress. But that still doesn't quite get at it. After all, Jesus could have accomplished any of these things in an instant if he desired. He could have healed this blind man in one go, brought his disciples instantly to a mature faith, and even made us saints immediately after our baptismal enlightenment.
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
We can only assume there must be something to be gained by a gradual healing, in which we are involved, and through which our faith is allowed to grow, that would be lacking if Jesus did everything immediately. Yet even this doesn't entirely get at it, since Kesis could certainly somehow have given us this depth along with true conversion. Yet he seems to respect his creatures' human integrity. Just as plants do not immediately develop into fully grown trees, and just as humans go through childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood, to old age, so too does the spiritual life typically progress through stages of growth. We have seen and know that God can and does sometimes bypass this process, such as in saints who die young. But that aside, allowing for normal growth seems to be his preference. Which means there is a degree to which we must be patient with the process. But too much patience is probably actually apathy, or a lack of faith in the ability of Jesus to transform us, or a belief that we can achieve such transformation on our own apart from him. We can avoid all temptations against spiritual growth as long as we remain near to Jesus, as his disciples did. Why does this work so well? Because he is the vine and we are meant to be the branches (see John 15:5).
The bible tells us that the flood is a symbol of baptism (see First Peter 3:21). And so the waters receding after the flood in today's first reading is another indication that growth is a typically gradual process. But in what does it culminate? In the coming of a dove, which we see in the baptism of Jesus is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 3:22).
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