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Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Notice Jesus!

Bryan Schneider · March 11, 2023

Mark 8:22-26

sharonrpc.org/sermons/notice-jesus

Summary

  • Friends bring a blind man to Jesus and beg for his touch, offering a model of bringing loved ones to Christ in prayer.
  • Jesus takes the man by the hand and away from the crowd, giving him tender, personal attention rather than turning his need into a spectacle.
  • The cure is humbling, but Christ's hands reassure the man that the Savior who exposes need also cares deeply for him.
  • The man's honest report of partial sight pictures the need for humility about incomplete spiritual understanding.
  • Jesus does not abandon the man half healed; he touches him again until his sight is clear.
  • The sermon connects the two-stage healing to Christ's persevering work, which may unfold gradually like a sunrise rather than in one dramatic moment.
  • Believers should notice the compassionate Savior who notices them, pray for clearer sight, and tell the nations that he has come.

Reflection and discussion

  • Whom am I regularly bringing to Jesus in prayer, as the blind man's friends brought him?
  • What does Jesus' handholding and private attention reveal about his character?
  • Why can the gospel feel humiliating before it becomes deeply comforting?
  • Where might I be overconfident about spiritual matters I still see only dimly?
  • Am I honestly asking Christ for clearer sight, or have I become satisfied with partial understanding?
  • How have I seen the Spirit's work unfold gradually rather than in a single crisis moment?
  • How does Christ's perseverance give hope when growth feels incomplete?

Key terms

Spiritual blindness
The sinner's inability to see Christ and spiritual truth clearly apart from the Holy Spirit's work.
Compassion
Jesus' tender willingness to enter a suffering person's need and lead him toward safety and healing.
Humility
Honest recognition that we need Christ's charity and do not yet see or understand perfectly.
Effectual calling
The Spirit's work of enlightening and renewing sinners so that they embrace Christ in the gospel.
Perseverance
Christ's faithful preservation of those in whom he begins saving work, bringing them through to the end.
Progressive growth
The gradual increase of spiritual clarity and maturity as the Spirit continues applying Christ's Word.

Notes and prayer