Reference

MARK 8:22–26
No.35- Sight In Stages

Have you ever had a moment when you thought you understood something—only to realize later that you were completely blinded? Maybe you had a partial grasp of reality, but then suddenly everything snapped into focus, and you saw the truth clearly for the first time. I remember watching an XFL football game on TV in early March 2020, right before any of us really understood what COVID‑19 was. The stadium was packed with young fans—shirts off, drinking beer, stacking their cups into a massive “beer snake” and passing it around like a trophy. The news was just starting to heat up: travel from China shutting down, cases popping up in Washington, whispers of something serious coming. But in that moment, watching that wild, carefree crowd, I thought, “Eh… COVID‑19 isn’t a big deal.” Don’t judge me, but there was something strangely comforting about the chaos in those stands. It looked normal. Nobody seemed concerned. Then the very next day, everything changed. Reality hit. The fans didn’t see the threat clearly—and honestly, neither did we. Our vision was blurry at first. Then suddenly, our eyes were opened. That Monday, the XFL season was cancelled. Then the NBA. Then MLB. Then the NHL. That’s when it finally clicked for me. This message explores the only 2-stage miracle of Jesus, learning how we all struggle with spiritual blindness to some degree.