Seeing People as Trees – The CONSEQUENCES

Seeing People as Trees – The CONSEQUENCES

(Picture credits at end of post)

And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and *implored Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” (Mark 8:22-26 – NASB)

This is a remarkable incident and the life and ministry of our Lord and deserves some special attention.

Could not Jesus have healed this blind man completely to begin with, instead of performing it in two stages? Why did Hi first touch only give the man only partial vision? Why let him see people as trees walking about when He could have given him perfect sight to begin with?

First let us establish that Jesus did nothing by accident; He did everything with a purpose. Therefore there was a reason Jesus healed the man in two stages. He had something to teach us. He appears to have intended for us to see this miracle as a parable of some spiritual principle; He wants us draw a parallel physical and spiritual vision. He wants us learn a practical lesson that will aid us in living the Christian life, and in interacting with the people around us.

What is that lesson? How can we make this passage speak to us in a manner that will transform our behaviour, rather than just pass through our minds as an interesting occurrence in the earthly ministry of our Lord?

I have thought and prayed much about this and believe there is one central message Jesus would convey to us, and it seems to me to be a message both simple and obvious: He does not want us to see people as trees.

• If we see people as trees we may want to cut them down
• If we see people as trees we may admire them but not value them
• If we see people as trees we may want to use them
• If we see people as trees we may want to re-shape them

People as Trees

(Tuesday 11^th May, 2010 – by Christopher Shennan)

And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.”

                                                                                 (Mark 8:22-26 – NASB)

I mostly saw people as trees;

Just part of the scenery where,

If standing too much in my way,

Could be cut down – so there!

I could cut them down with my tongue;

A very effective means,

Of making these folks go away,

For daring to hinder my dreams.

The people as trees were not all,

In my way, some were really quite fair;

I admired them, inspired them;

And found them quite easy to bear.

There were some, these people like trees,

Who were useful, fulfilling my needs;

When done with them, had fun with them;

They were hardly more valued than weeds.

Some of these people like trees,

Were like pieces to carve and design;

Like works of art on display,

I could proudly claim them as mine.

This state of affairs was before

I admitted my vision was flawed;

I knelt before Jesus and wept,

And received Him once more as my Lord.

Since then, by the touch of His Hand,

My Master has opened my eyes,

And I see each one who’s been born

As a precious, incredible prize.

 My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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Photo by Joe Mabel. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.; please note the Disclaimer at this final link. No changes were made to this photo. Photo was also used under the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2

Called to CHALLENGE

Called to CHALLENGE

Findphotoat http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2011_Green_Flight_Challenge.jpg.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3 – NASB)

Peter was an under-shepherd of the Chief Shepherd. As such he was not only called to gently guide the sheep and feed them in green pastures. He was also called to challenge the goats among the flock, gentle to the straying sheep he may be, but bold and uncompromising toward those who would seek to lead them astray.

The entire second chapter of Second Peter is a denunciation and condemnation of false teachers and false teachings. If your pastor is faithful to his calling he will challenge as well as plead; he will rebuke as well as comfort; he will expose error as well as proclaim truth.

Pastor’s and teachers are not the only ones who need to challenge false teaching. No believer is exempt from the need to search the Scriptures daily to determine whether what a teacher is teaching is indeed solidly based upon Scripture. If we are deceived, those doing the deceiving will face judgment. If we are deceived, we too bear a large slice of responsibility for your own deception, since we did not take responsibility for searching out the truth.

In Acts chapter 17, we are told of some Jews in a Synagogue in Berea and how they responded to Paul’s teaching:

 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily [to see] whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. (Acts 17:10-12 – NASB)

We, like those in Berea, need to examine the Scriptures daily, to ensure that what we are being taught is indeed the truth. If we do not, we bear the responsibility for our own deception.

I Won’t

(© Wednesday 1^st October 2003)

                        I won’t soften it up

Or water it down,

Or change the message because

Of a frown that comes my way.

The Truth is as sharp as a doctor’s

Scalpel, and is meant to heal, not harm —

To blunt its edge is a cruel invention,

Revealing an evil, base intention.

So, I won’t soften it up

Or water it down:

I’ll preach it straight and

Make it plain,

Regardless of whether it

Administers pain, or pleasure,

Or ecstatic joy. I’ll spread

God’s truth — without alloy.

I’ll serve it up in the spirit of Love,

With the help of Heaven and the

Host of Light:

I’m not alone as I stand my ground:

By the mercy of God

In His truth I’m found.

I won’t soften it up

Or water it down,

Or change the message because

Of a frown that comes my way,

But I need the prayers of

God’s people each day,

To keep me walking the straight,

Narrow way.

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A Listening Ear

A Listening Ear

 

Read: Luke 8: 16-18

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

²⁵ For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. (Mark 4:24-25 – KJV)

Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (Luke 8:18 – KJV)

Mark reports Jesus message as being careful what we hear, while Luke reports Him cautioning us to be careful how we hear.

Both what Mark reported and what Luke reported are vital maxims for followers of Christ. We have to be selective in what we allow ourselves to hear, and we have to be careful of the manner in which we hear what God has to say to us.

First we have to select what is worthy of our attention, as the apostle Paul urges in his letter to the Philippians:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 – KJV)

Once we have decided what is worthy of our attention, we need to go one step further: We need to give attention to how we hear what we have decided is worth listening to. We must take it seriously; we must make sure it does not slip from our grasp.

The worthy things must be applied to our lives, or they become nothing more than sentimentality. We end up loving the words, but neglecting the work those words are designed to accomplish in our lives. We are deceived into imagining we are growing spiritually, when all that has happened, is that we have given mental assent to the words worthy of our attention.

If we are serious about following Christ, we need to do more than that; we need to ruthlessly apply the truth we hear to specific areas of our lives that need attention.

Give Me Ears to Hear

(© Tuesday 5^th May 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

Give me ears to hear that filter

All of the worldly chatter out;

All of the vain philosophy

The world is excited about.

 

Give me ears that can discern

What is false and what is true,

So my heart can be directed

To the path that will lead to You.

 

Yet once I know what is worthy,

I need to know just one more thing;

Know just how to apply it, dear Lord,

To the path I am following.

 

I want the words I listen to;

Those that have been tried and are true,

To be the words that are changing,

And making me become like You.

Picture by Joanne Shennan

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