I'm sucking wind on reading the NT through in 30 days. A couple of days behind.
I read the NT a lot, but have never read it through in 30 days before. Reading big chunks helps me see the big picture better. But I'm also seeing some interesting details that I've never noticed before.
Today I have been reading Mark, and I saw something curious in ch. 8. Jesus meets a blind man in v 22. The man's friends lead him to Jesus and beg the Lord to touch him. Then -- and I had never noticed this -- Jesus takes the man by the hand and leads him outside the village. Hmm. Why did Jesus want to get him out of town? Maybe Jesus just wanted to talk with him along the way.
Jesus restores this man's sight partially and then fully: the only two step healing in Jesus' ministry. But why did he have to be out of the village of Bethsaida? You could just ignore that detail, except the last thing Jesus says to him is, "Don't go into the village." Jesus sends the man home, apparently to another town.
That's just curious. Sometimes Jesus does things that we don't understand. He has a reason for everything, but sometimes we just don't get it. Same is true today.
