(22) And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. (23) And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought? (24) And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. (25) After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (26) And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
This Bethsaida is the town concerning which the LORD pronounced woe. Matthew 11:21. And yet from thence came Peter and Andrew and Philip. John 1:44. Reader! it is blessed to observe how the Church of CHRIST is gathered from various places, Even Jericho had a Rahab. Joshua 2:1; Hebrews 11:31. And what is more wonderful, from Rahab, after the flesh, sprung CHRIST. Matthew 1:5. And in what numberless instances do we find the children of the kingdom spring after the flesh, out of the loins of the carnal, who are not heirs of the promise. And again, on the contrary, how frequently the children of the kingdom are the progenitors of the ungodly. All which proves that grace is not hereditary. Such are among the mysteries of GOD!
I only detain the Reader over this miracle of the blind, here recorded, to whom Jesus gave sight, to remark, how the LORD was pleased to work this miracle by a progressive cure. It is not said in what state of blindness he was; whether without eyes, or only the eyes he had were totally void of vision. But I beg the Reader, once for all, to observe, and it is, in my view, a very important observation, always to have in remembrance, as well in this instance as in all others, of JESUS giving sight to the blind, that in cases where the sockets of the blind were eyeless, the LORD JESUS, in every cure, must have created eyes, as well as given sight. And this, by the way, became, in every instance, a complete demonstration of his GODHEAD, and proved him to be the Creator. Let the faithful believer never lose sight of it. And let the infidel, who denies the GODHEAD of CHRIST, explain the possibility, upon any of his infidel principles, if he can, how JESUS could create eyes, and yet not be GOD. The LORD challengeth the blind to come forward as his witnesses that he is GOD. And indeed if creation be, as it unquestionably is, the proof of GODHEAD, nothing can be an higher proof. Isaiah 43:8-10. See John 9:1. throughout. In the progressive cure of this man, no doubt the LORD was pleased to shew how the path of the just is as a shining light, which shineth more and more unto a perfect day. But we must not, from hence, conclude, that our being in CHRIST is obtained in a progressive manner, though our enjoyment of that being is increased by an increasing knowledge. Not so. The opening, or the creating of this man's eyes, became the consequence of a being in CHRIST, but the being itself was from all eternity. I am speaking upon the presumption of a spiritual sight, as well as a bodily, being given to this man.