I'm interested in truth & what it means for individuals & humanity. This re-vamped blog is dedicated to truth and honest questions about faith in Jesus Christ. It is an effort to engage in authentic dialogue among Christians, Atheists and all points in between. Posts that do not honor legitimate discussion may be removed at my discretion. That doesn't mean that you can't disagree, but it DOES mean that you can't be a jerk. Welcome to the discussion.
I recently was watching Discovery Channel's "The Ultimate Guide: The Human Body" series when a segment on human vision correction was run. A corrective medical procedure was conducted on a man who had been totally blinded when he was 3 years old. All of his vision-memory was long gone (he was 45 years old during the taping). When he awoke after surgery, he technically could see, but his brain had no way to interpret the images. He said everything looked distorted and globular. Doctors explained that all newborns go through this stage and only can teach their brains how to make sense of the visual data after much trial and error experimentation by grabbing things (and usually sticking them into their mouths). This process of interpreting and using visual cues continues until about age 9 in children with normal vision.
When the 45 year old gentleman had his vision restored, he had lost (or never developed) his brain's ability to "make sense" of the visual cues his new eyes were transmitting to his brain. Everything looked a bit off when he woke up.
Rewind to first century Palestine. Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his whole life. Jesus fixes his eyes, but something isn't quite right, so he asks the man what he sees. The man answers and says, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
In previous assessments of this passage, I was confused at Jesus' failed first attempt at restoring the man's vision. He has to touch the man a second time. But in light of this recent vision data, I am forced to consider that Jesus restored the man's eyes completely the first time, and restored/ created the man's visual, brain-memory with the second touch. This would be identical to what the 45 year old experienced as doctors repaired his vision.
That is amazing enough on its own, but what really gets my attention is that the New Testament authors/ scribes included this information in this story of Jesus' healing. If this story did not really occur, why would these men record it as such?
Surely they had zero inkling as to why Jesus had to make two "attempts" at healing this man's vision. There would be no technical data to explain "trees walking around" until thousands of years later. It would have been far easier, more logical and more indicative of Jesus' divinity if they had merely said he healed a blind man. Period. As it was, they included it, because that's the way it happened. We serve an amazing God.
Mark 8:22-25 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” 24 And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (NRSV)
Check out the DVDs at: http://shopping.discovery.com/product-33838.html
Thank you Mr. Lambeth, for an excellent interpretation. I've often wondered at the scientific reasoning for some of the stranger healings in the Bible. As you say, some of the odd descriptions indicate to me the veracity of the testimony.
For instance, I've often wondered if the "scales" that come off of Saul's eyes when he's healed were a type of cataract. Also, when Jesus tells his disciples that a certain type of possession could only be healed through prayer, I wonder if that is because it was a certain form of nervous disease, rather than possession or muscular, etc.
Of course I don't know the answers to these questions, and the short answer is that God has the power to heal all afflictions, but it makes for interesting musing when watching the Discovery Channel. ;)
The thing that had always struck me as odd about this Mark Chapter 8 passage was that the man was willing to say that men looked like trees although he had apparently never seen either. Perhaps, though, after feeling his way about in the dark his entire life, trees to him were rougher and larger than he thought men ought to appear. Your theory of a double healing seems to work well to explain this phenomenon.
Please keep in mind that comments which do not honor the spirit of legitimate dialogue may be removed at any time and without notification. You are free to disagree passionately, but not inappropriately. -CL
I recently was watching Discovery Channel's "The Ultimate Guide: The Human Body" series when a segment on human vision correction was run. A corrective medical procedure was conducted on a man who had been totally blinded when he was 3 years old. All of his vision-memory was long gone (he was 45 years old during the taping). When he awoke after surgery, he technically could see, but his brain had no way to interpret the images. He said everything looked distorted and globular. Doctors explained that all newborns go through this stage and only can teach their brains how to make sense of the visual data after much trial and error experimentation by grabbing things (and usually sticking them into their mouths). This process of interpreting and using visual cues continues until about age 9 in children with normal vision.
ReplyDeleteWhen the 45 year old gentleman had his vision restored, he had lost (or never developed) his brain's ability to "make sense" of the visual cues his new eyes were transmitting to his brain. Everything looked a bit off when he woke up.
Rewind to first century Palestine. Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his whole life. Jesus fixes his eyes, but something isn't quite right, so he asks the man what he sees. The man answers and says, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
In previous assessments of this passage, I was confused at Jesus' failed first attempt at restoring the man's vision. He has to touch the man a second time. But in light of this recent vision data, I am forced to consider that Jesus restored the man's eyes completely the first time, and restored/ created the man's visual, brain-memory with the second touch. This would be identical to what the 45 year old experienced as doctors repaired his vision.
That is amazing enough on its own, but what really gets my attention is that the New Testament authors/ scribes included this information in this story of Jesus' healing. If this story did not really occur, why would these men record it as such?
Surely they had zero inkling as to why Jesus had to make two "attempts" at healing this man's vision. There would be no technical data to explain "trees walking around" until thousands of years later. It would have been far easier, more logical and more indicative of Jesus' divinity if they had merely said he healed a blind man. Period. As it was, they included it, because that's the way it happened. We serve an amazing God.
Mark 8:22-25 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” 24 And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (NRSV)
Check out the DVDs at:
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-33838.html
Thank you Mr. Lambeth, for an excellent interpretation. I've often wondered at the scientific reasoning for some of the stranger healings in the Bible. As you say, some of the odd descriptions indicate to me the veracity of the testimony.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I've often wondered if the "scales" that come off of Saul's eyes when he's healed were a type of cataract. Also, when Jesus tells his disciples that a certain type of possession could only be healed through prayer, I wonder if that is because it was a certain form of nervous disease, rather than possession or muscular, etc.
Of course I don't know the answers to these questions, and the short answer is that God has the power to heal all afflictions, but it makes for interesting musing when watching the Discovery Channel. ;)
The thing that had always struck me as odd about this Mark Chapter 8 passage was that the man was willing to say that men looked like trees although he had apparently never seen either. Perhaps, though, after feeling his way about in the dark his entire life, trees to him were rougher and larger than he thought men ought to appear. Your theory of a double healing seems to work well to explain this phenomenon.