The Cost of Evolution
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him” (Mark 8:11a).
Evolution in thinking rarely comes easily or without protest. As people we like to hold to what is familiar, predictable and comfortable. So we violently challenge anything that would threaten our world view. Jesus came to transform our world view. He offers us a new perspective from which we can evaluate ourselves and the world around us. We are then called to live from that new place of understanding.
There is great freedom that comes from being able to see without distortions. There was a particular man who knew this first hand.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
22When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. 23Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”
24The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”
25Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. 26Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.”
The blind man healed by Jesus no longer saw men as trees. He saw things for what they were and could interact with them appropriately. The blind man was told not to go back where he was before he gained his sight. There was something about the place or people that contributed to his blindness. That does not suggest that the people were bad in any way. We are told that it is the people who bring the man to Jesus to be healed. Nevertheless, the man is called to make a break with those associations. When you are used to spark evolution there will be an initial phase of struggle. The struggle may be within and without. In the end, accepting your sight makes everyone and everything better.
Consider how the entire world once believed that the earth was flat. Making the shift to accepting that the earth was round revolutionized the world. The process of making that shift was painful but also both purposeful and highly productive. Where has God challenged you to spark evolution?
Accepting the challenge will bring a necessary death. However, that death will result in more abundant life for all.
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Tony Francis is from the Middle East. He is grounded in the scriptures and has a licensed degree in biblical studies from MTI, the school of ministry, and a certificate in EPL (effective personal leadership) from LMI. He has authored many books and is the founder of Healed Nations Ministries (www.healednations.com). Tony mentors people in the prophetic and served as the prophetic leader of Patricia King's ministries. Tony is studying to be a mental health coach.
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