CLEAR VISION
J. Renton
Manifestation as it was considered in the previous meeting is from the divine side. The Lord manifesting His glory is obviously from His side. The works of God manifested in a man is also from the side of divine operations, so that there is the manifestation of something here. I desire to say something now about our side, because manifestation is one thing, but it is another thing to have eyes to see it. Our side is having eyes to see, and thus the ability to apprehend divine movements. The Lord might manifest His glory and there may be some persons who would see it and appreciate it, and there may be some who would not see it. The feast-master in John 2 saw the results, but did not know the secret. The servants knew. The mother of Jesus had eyes to see—she knew what was going on. The feast-master did not have eyes to see; he gives the credit to the bridegroom. How important it is therefore that we should have eyes to see, that our sight should be operative, and that we are no longer blind.
We are all blind by nature. None of us would have any apprehension or appreciation of divine manifestation naturally. It needs a divine work that we might have our eyes opened to see. The Lord says here in John 9 to the Pharisees, “Ye say, We see”. One of the greatest difficulties that we as believers have to face is that we think we see.
We say, ‘We see’, therefore we remain blind. We just need to take account of our own histories to prove how often we have missed the Lord’s manifestation because we have said, ‘We see’. The Pharisees in this chapter had their own ideas, their own set-up, their own religion, everything according to their own mind. They said, ‘We see’. If we are to have our eyes opened, dear brethren, to any of the Lord’s operations at the present time we have to come to it that we do not see. If we say, ‘We see’, be sure we remain blind. There are plenty around us who say they see. I do not desire to be personal but there are many persons who say, ‘We see’. If we have come at all into the light it is because we have had to admit that we do not see. This man in John 9 did not say, ‘I see’; he became the subject of the Lord’s operations so that he did see. One of the greatest obstacles to our seeing is that we are content with our own ideas. We say, ‘We see’.
Now we come to this incident in Mark’s gospel of a man who was blind. It says the Lord “comes to Bethsaida; and they bring him a blind man, and beseech him that he might touch him”. This man did not say, ‘I see’. He did not claim anything; he was willing to be the subject of the Lord’s own gracious operations. There was no rebellion with him; he did not impose his thoughts in any way; he just became the subject of the Lord’s movements and activities towards him. It says they “beseech him that he might touch him. And taking hold of the hand of the blind man ... ”. Think of that! If we want to see divine operations we have completely to submit ourselves under the Lord’s hand. He took hold of him by the hand. We read in Hebrews 2: 16, “He does not indeed take hold of angels by the hand, but he takes hold of the seed of Abraham”. Oh how good to be taken hold of by
the hand by the Lord Himself! How different from saying, ‘We see’. We do not help by argument persons who say they see, no matter how clear the arguments are, no matter how confirmed is the one who argues. What is needed is to submit oneself to the Lord Himself. “Taking hold of the hand of the blind man” was the beginning of the Lord’s operations with him. I wonder if we have all submitted to being taken hold of by the hand, young people here included. He will take you on in this way if you are subject, if you are willing. He will take you by the hand. You may have life before you, and it may seem uncertain, as it must be in a world like this. Older ones who may be in failing health, and may be nearing the end of their journey here, the Lord would take by the hand. Oh what a Priest He is! He is always available, ever living to intercede for us, ever thinking of us, ever ready to consider for us in every detail. It says, “Taking hold of the hand of the blind man”. That is the first step. Would you like to see the Lord when He manifests Himself, when He manifests His glory? Would you like to be one who manifests the works of God down here? This is the only way to it. This man was submissive to have his hand taken hold of by the Lord Jesus.
If the Lord takes hold of your hand, where will He lead you? He led this man out of the village, out of the influence of the village. There is city life and there is village life. In a city you could live near to someone for twenty years and not even know his name, but in a village everybody knows everybody. It is a closely knit social community. The Lord took him by the hand and led him forth out of the village, out of every other influence to be alone with Himself. This blind man was alone with the Lord. Oh how important that is! There may be persons around us who may be wondering where the
Lord is. They will not be helped by argument, neither will they be helped by going around to this place and that place. The way that any of us will get help is to allow the Lord to take us by the hand and bring us out of every wrong influence to be alone in His own presence. I have heard of young persons saying, ‘How do I know which company is right?’. I would like to say to such that if you are really interested to know what is right the Lord will show you. The Lord will show you if you are prepared to let Him take hold of you by the hand and be alone with Him. Nothing substitutes for being alone with the Lord. I am not minimising the importance of meetings and ministry, because these will all help as we know what it is to be alone with the Lord, away from every other influence.
Then it says, “having spit upon his eyes”. What can anyone say about that? Something is imparted from the Lord Himself. Something is imparted from Jesus as a real Man, yet in His Person He is God. His manhood is real. The spittle of Jesus; how holy the matter is! Something was in this world that was never here before, when Jesus became a Man. Something existed for the pleasure of God that never existed before. How wonderful is the incarnation! The greatest thing that ever happened in this universe is that one of the holy Trinity became flesh and became available to men as a Man, available to men and women and young people. Think of the Lord’s interest to spit upon his eyes. Something was imparted from Himself as this man was alone with Him. This happened literally to this man; something corresponding to this happens when we are alone with Him, out of the range of every other influence. He spat upon his eyes, and laid His hands upon him. The Lord committed Himself to this blind man. “He laid his hands upon him, and asked him if he beheld anything”. The man might
have said, ‘I see’. He did not say ‘I see’. What he said was, “I behold men, for I see them, as trees, walking”. This man was honest. He said exactly what he saw. His vision was imperfect. He might have said, ‘I have all I want now, I can see’, but he said, “I behold men, for I see them, as trees, walking”.
Many of us have been like this man. Just let us go over our histories not many years ago. How true it is that we saw men as trees walking! We had distorted vision, and it may be that we yet have distorted vision, for we are not all seeing eye to eye in everything. I am being very practical, but it is the truth, therefore there must be some distorted vision somewhere. It is not a question of everybody coming round to my view of things, or coming round to any man’s view of things. The secret is in allowing the Lord to take hold of us by the hand and lead us out of every other influence. In a village there is a good deal of prejudice, a good deal of personal preference. We need to get clear of every prejudice, every preference, and every such influence, and be alone with the Lord. This man had vision basically, but it was distorted, and we all tend to have this kind of vision, but it says, “Then he laid his hands again upon his eyes”. This is often spoken of as the second touch, but it does not say that the Lord laid His hands upon his eyes a second time. It says that He laid His hands again upon his eyes, not the second time, but again. My impression is that we need the Lord to lay His hands upon our eyes over and over again because we become so easily distorted because of influences.
I think I am justified in saying this because if we follow the history of Peter after this incident we see that he needed not only a second touch
but touch after touch. What follows this incident is the Lord saying, “Who do men say that I am?”, and Peter shows clear vision by saying “Thou art the Christ”. He can see clearly, but then just immediately afterwards the Lord said, “The Son of man must suffer many things”, and “Peter, taking him to him, began to rebuke him”. Think of that! Peter really said, ‘I see’, but Peter had distorted vision, and needed the Lord’s hands again to be laid upon his eyes. Then in the next chapter Peter, James and John are taken up to the mountain top, the place of great privilege, and Peter said, “Let us make three tabernacles, for thee one, and for Moses one, and for Elias one”. He sees men as trees walking, and he needs again the Lord’s hands to be laid upon his eyes. What we need, dear brethren, is the current laying on of the Lord’s hands on our eyes in every situation that may arise. It is not a once for all matter, nor is it only a second time matter—it is a thing we need again and again.
The apostle Peter in the early chapters of the Acts was mightily used of the Lord, but when we come to Acts 10, where God has in mind that the gospel should be preached to Cornelius the gentile, Peter has to get a special revelation. He has to see a certain vessel as a great sheet coming down out of heaven, and there was a voice saying, “Rise, Peter, slay and eat”. Peter said, “In no wise, Lord”. He thought he saw. He would say, ‘I see’. His vision was so distorted that he required this to happen three times. I am sure that over and over again in every current situation we need the Lord’s laying of His hands on our eyes, and that involves the process of being taken hold of by the hand and being led out of the village. We so tend to come under prejudice and personal preference or selfish interest that we need continually the Lord to lay His hands on our eyes. “Then he laid his
hands again upon his eyes, and he saw distinctly, and was restored and saw all things clearly”. Oh what a fine result that was! I wonder if we are all like that. I question myself if I am like that. There is no reason why any of us should not see distinctly and be restored and see all things clearly. He had seen distinctly before, apparently, but something had come in that needed the Lord to undertake all this service to him, and then he was restored and saw all things clearly. Now he would be able to see the Lord manifesting His glory; he would be one who would manifest the works of God; he would be one who would be available for the Lord to manifest Himself to. I trust this appeals to every one here. I trust it proves to be attractive, so that we desire to be like this man and finish with saying, ‘I see’; finish with laying down our own ideas and having our own thoughts and expecting everybody else to conform to them, and submit ourselves under the Lord’s hands so that we may all see things clearly.
Now it says, “He sent him to his house, saying, Neither enter into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village”. It is interesting how the Lord in Mark 7 and 8 charges persons. It is a great matter to come under the Lord’s charge. In the previous chapter we have the deaf man who could not speak right. The Lord, having spit, groaned and said, “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened”. The Lord felt the process with this man. Then it says, “He charged them that they should speak to no one of it”. They are put under charge. It is a great matter, dear brethren, to accept charge. He charged them to speak to no one of it, but it says “so much the more he charged them, so much the more abundantly they proclaimed it”. We might think they did a good service. It says, “They were astonished above measure, saying, He does all things well; he makes
both the deaf to hear, and the speechless to speak”. We might have thought. What a fine service! Was it? “He charged them that they should speak to no one of it”. It was contrary to what He had charged them. We might think that they could not go wrong saying, “He does all things well”, but they were not obedient to the charge. It is a great matter to accept charge, to know what our charge is and to keep it. The Lord knows better than we do. We need to have our eyes opened, like this man in Mark 8, to know what the charge is, and to be obedient. “He sent him to his house, saying, Neither enter into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village”. The charge was definite and direct and we trust he accepted it.
Now in verse 29 of our chapter when Peter says, “Thou art the Christ”, “He charged them straitly, in order that they should tell no man about him”. We are in the area here where the Lord is charging them, and if we are to be here for God’s will, and for the glory and pleasure of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to come under charge, know what our charge is, and fulfil it. We are not to be left here to our own devices. We are not here to do what we think best. We had in the reading, “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me”. “If any one love me, he will keep my word”, John 14: 21, 23. It is a question of having the commandment and keeping it, and keeping His word.
Come under charge, accept responsibility, and be committed for the glory and pleasure of our Lord Jesus Christ. May it be so on the part of everyone, for His name’s sake.
Address at Peterhead
20 December 1975