John 1:9-14
The World Did Not Recognize Jesus
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 3:1-2
Jesus Came from God
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
John 8:12
Jesus is the Light of this World
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 14:15-31
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
Mark 8:22-26
The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
24 He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."
2 Corinthians 5:5-8 (KJV)
Believers Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
I believe when Jesus walked from village to village with His Disciples they saw all the miracles that He did...And I believe, if any Disciple missed a miracle of His the other Disciples would fill them in on the miraculous event they had just missed...And I am not sure if He had done only one miracle, how effective that would have been for His Disciples or the people of the world...There are many naysayers who do not believe in His miracles, so if He did only one that, to me, would invite problems in believing...But as the Disciples were taking in all these miraculous things He was doing, they were also trying to understand who He was, how He was doing them, and they would have many other thoughts about these miracles...The miracles would be a Great Mystery to them, especially the first ones...
It is difficult (at least for me) to even try to understand those things that Jesus did...He can only have done these miracles if He were Divine and from God...So it is easy for me to believe that Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher who has come from God...For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”...Yet, often I have read from a non-believer's point of view, that if God would do a miracle or a modern miracle for them (the non-believer) then they would believe...Yet, many Pharisees saw His Great Miracles and did not believe in Him...The mind has a difficult task in believing in miracles and believing in the Spiritual Things in life...If faith was an easy thing to do, then everyone would believe in God...But I believe, being around Jesus very much helped the Disciples faith and belief...Yet, one disciple would turn from Him and betray Him, because He could not see the Light...He may have seen a little of the Light, but Judas did not see enough Light or miracles or signs...And so he would betray His Master...
If i could put this another way, I believe, the Disciples' lives would have been completely different if they had never met Jesus...What they had seen and heard while He was physically with them was very important to their belief and faith...Without Him in their lives they probably would have lived their lives much differently...And their lives would also be much different when He left them completely and completely alone...But He did not leave them as orphans, but He would come to them...He would send them the Holy Spirit to them, and the Spirit would be indwelt in them so they would know that He was still alive, with them and also with God...The mind can become confused and maybe easily confused on issues of faith...Without Jesus ever being with them and without the Holy Spirit, the Disciples would have probably been lost in their lives and lost in their faith -so they may not have advanced the Christian movement or religion...So the world would be different today if Jesus did not come to teach them and dwell among them...I also believe the Disciples needed the encouragement of the Holy Spirit and His guiding them to help them teach others...The Holy Spirit really was their Advocate...The many miracles that He had done may have been forgotten without the Holy Spirit being with them after Jesus' ascension...The mind is like that, and many failed to recognize Jesus even when He dwelt among them...
This is why the four gospels are so important...His Words, He tells us, will last forever, and they will...But we still may not remember His Word at different times...We have these tendencies to forget and fade and drift from our faith and the Spiritual...Our minds wander with many different thoughts...We have this tendency to see things from the eyes and mind, and less from the heart...But believers walk by faith and not by sight, and so it is easier for the strong mature believer to believe in miracles...
So let us believe in the miracles He did and why He did one of His miracle in stages or steps...First, I think, that faith often comes in steps, and does not come immediate...Jesus never did a miracle out of show or just do random miracles...His miracles all had a point and purpose...Some or one of His Disciples may not have believed that He could do miracles after His first miracle, or if had done only one miracle...And He could have done only one miracle while He was one earth, but He did not do that...Jesus could have just touched the blind man and healed Him immediately, but He did not...He has the Power to heal instantly...And yet, as He was healing the blind man from Bethsaida, He first spit in His hands, then after that, He touched the blind man...And the blind man was not completely healed from his blindness even after the touch of His Divine Hands...The blind man was only partially healed, and could only partially see...So He touches the blind man again for a second time, and then He can clearly see everything...The spitting and two touchings by Jesus of the man, surely felt heavenly...Sometimes we cannot see things clearly the first time and it may take another time and maybe one more for us to see the Light...It would be a miracle to be blind to get your sight back...And sometimes it takes time to believe in miracles...