Worship August 23, 2026 - "Can You ‘See’ Jesus?

Mark’s paired scenes of the blind man’s healing and Peter’s confession ask one searching question: Who is Jesus, and who is the Jesus that people actually see? Jesus heals the blind man in two stages, and that second touch gives hope to every person for whom Jesus still looks a little fuzzy. The disciples have seen miracles, walked with Jesus, and yet still see people “like trees walking around.” Peter can say, “You are the Christ,” while still needing much more healing of his sight.

Jesus does not shame blurry vision. Jesus tells the healed man to go home, to rest in what has happened, because something important has taken place before any testimony can be given. The fuzziness becomes part of a real story, not a reason for regret. Christ meets people in fear, loss, suffering, disappointment, and all the places where life does not work out as expected.

The resurrection declares that Jesus is not merely a person in history. Jesus is living, active, present, and at work among his people. The incarnation declares that God is not an absentee landlord who made creation and walked away. God has come near in Jesus Christ, knows human hurt from the inside, and remains with people in every place that feels dark or unclear.

The Holy Spirit becomes Christ’s new presence, not Christ’s replacement. The Spirit quickens the heart, gives clarity for discernment, and makes Scripture living spiritual medicine. The Emmaus road shows that anxious disciples can hear Scripture opened and still not recognize Jesus until their eyes are opened in the breaking of bread. The Spirit is already present, even when congregations look for a magic bullet in a pastor or a quick fix for their pain.

Peter’s life reveals the patience of the gospel. Peter’s confession of Christ is followed by a long confession of sin, failure, denial, and shame. Jesus touches Peter again through resurrection grace and asks, “Do you love me?” Jesus does not leave Peter trapped in his failure but frees him to feed his lambs. The Trinity presses in with grace so that shame can become testimony, and testimony can become a word through which others see the presence of Christ.

Faithful preaching comes from pulpits, Scripture, encouragement, acts of mercy, and ordinary lives that say, “I believe in Jesus, and this is what he would have me do.” Christ continues cleansing the lenses of hearts and minds until his people see him face to face.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus meets people in blurry faith. Jesus’ two-stage healing of the blind man gives permission for faith that is real but unfinished. Christ does not treat partial sight as hypocrisy or failure. Christ patiently works with those who can confess him truly while still struggling to understand his ways. [35:24]
• 2. The Spirit makes Christ present now. The Holy Spirit is not a vague feeling or a replacement for the risen Jesus. The Spirit makes Christ’s presence known, gives clarity to discernment, and awakens hearts to receive Scripture as God’s living word. The Spirit’s work turns religious information into communion with the living Christ. [40:33]
• 3. God is not an absentee landlord. The incarnation means that God has entered human fear, pain, loss, and disappointment in Jesus Christ. God’s nearness does not always remove the hard thing immediately, but Christ’s presence means that suffering is never faced before a distant God. Jesus knows the places where life has become fuzzy. [38:20]
• 4. Shame can become a testimony. Peter’s denial did not become the final definition of Peter’s life. Jesus’ repeated question, “Do you love me?” called Peter out of shame and into renewed vocation. Christ’s grace does not minimize sin, but it refuses to let confessed sin have the final word. [47:23]
• 5. Ordinary mercy preaches Christ clearly. Faithful witness is often carried through simple acts that make Christ visible. A word of kindness, a ride offered in winter, or encouragement given at the right moment can become spiritual medicine for someone who is hungry to hear grace. Christ sends his people to preach up, pointing beyond themselves to the One who has loved them.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:54] - Who Is Jesus?
• [32:56] - Caesarea Philippi and Many Gods
• [34:05] - The Blind Man and Peter’s Confession
• [35:24] - When Jesus Still Looks Fuzzy
• [37:06] - Christ Present Here and Now
• [38:20] - God Is Not an Absentee Landlord
• [40:33] - The Holy Spirit Gives Clarity
• [41:40] - Scripture as Spiritual Medicine
• [42:24] - Eyes Opened on the Emmaus Road
• [44:10] - Peter’s Confession and Failure
• [47:23] - Jesus Frees Peter From Shame
• [49:37] - Everyday Lives That Preach Christ
• [51:07] - The Full Court Press of Grace
• [52:33] - Christ Cleanses the Lenses

Bible Reading

Mark 8:22–26
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” [34:05]

Mark 8:27–30
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. [32:56]

John 21:15–17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [47:52]

Observation questions

1. What does the blind man report seeing after Jesus’ first touch, and what changes after Jesus touches him a second time?
2. What answers do the disciples give when Jesus asks what people are saying about him, and how is Peter’s answer different? [33:37]
3. What does Jesus tell the healed man to do after his sight is restored, and why might going home rather than immediately speaking publicly matter? [36:07]
4. In John 21, what does Jesus ask Peter three times, and what responsibility does Jesus give Peter after each response? [48:07]

Interpretation questions

1. Peter can truthfully confess, “You are the Christ,” while still failing to understand Jesus’ path to the cross. What does this suggest about the difference between real faith and complete spiritual clarity? [46:20]
2. Jesus leads the blind man away from the village and does not shame his partial sight. What does this reveal about how Christ receives people whose faith is sincere but still uncertain? [35:57]
3. Jesus’ three questions to Peter come after Peter’s three denials. How do these questions confront Peter’s failure without allowing shame to become Peter’s final identity? [47:40]
4. The Holy Spirit is Christ’s new presence, not Christ’s replacement. How does this help believers understand what it means for the risen Jesus to be present in ordinary life, Scripture, and the church? [40:38]

Application questions

1. Where does Jesus still seem “fuzzy” in life right now—perhaps in disappointment, grief, unanswered prayer, a strained relationship, or uncertainty about the future? What would it look like to bring that blurred place to Jesus without shame? [36:39]
2. Jesus is not an absentee landlord; in the incarnation, God has entered fear, suffering, loss, and human hurt. What particular burden would be easier to carry this week if Christ’s nearness were trusted more deeply? [38:35]
3. Scripture can become spiritual medicine through the Holy Spirit. Is there a passage of Scripture, a worship practice, or a regular time of quiet that could help clear the lenses of heart and mind this week? [41:40]
4. Peter’s denial was not the end of his story. Is there a failure, fear, resentment, or hidden shame that has been allowed to define too much of life? What might it mean to hear Jesus ask, “Do you love me?” and then receive his call to serve? [48:13]
5. Christ often becomes visible through ordinary acts of mercy. Who nearby may need a practical act of kindness, encouragement, listening, or help this week—and what could be offered simply because Jesus has loved you? [50:15]
6. Congregations can look for a quick fix or a “magic bullet” instead of listening together for the Spirit’s direction. Where is there a need to slow down, pray, listen to Scripture, and discern with other believers rather than trying to solve everything alone? [43:47]
7. What is one honest, hopeful sentence that could be shared with another person about who Jesus is and how he has met you in a difficult or unclear season? [52:25]