Mark 8:22-30

The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23He 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?"

24He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

25Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."

Peter's Confession of Christ

27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 2:1-5


Micah 4



Dig Deeper

If we put together the scene from yesterday’s reading along with these two passages, we find another Mark sandwich of sorts, in which he puts one scene inside of another one. The only difference here is that verses 11-21 and 27-30 are not really one story, but for Mark they are closely related, and really continue the same thought. The question is then: why would Mark include this somewhat odd story of Jesus healing a blind man in between two passages that speak to the ability or inability of the disciples to understand who Jesus is?


When he arrives at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They are begging Jesus to heal this man, so he takes him outside of the village. Jesus then spits on his eyes, places his hands on him and seemingly heals him. But we find that something is wrong. The man says that he can see, but not in the right way. He says that the people look like trees walking around. After putting his hands on the man for a second time, he can see everything clearly. What just happened here? Did Jesus have a small power outage? Was he unable to completely heal the man the first time? This is the only miracle recorded in any of the gospels in which Jesus must perform an act twice to complete one miracle. So, we go back to the original question: Why does Mark include this strange story here in the middle of a discussion of who Jesus is?


As we said earlier, in Mark’s thinking, seeing is a related concept to understanding. With that in mind, this story begins to become clearer. This blind man had some contact with Jesus, yet he still couldn’t fully see. He needs to re-engage with Jesus. Once he does that he finally receives his full sight. And this is the point that Mark doesn’t want us to miss. The previous passage described the disciples inability to understand who Jesus was and what he was doing. Jesus is demonstrating for his disciples, and Mark is telling us that they needed to re-engage with Jesus, to be touched again by the Master, in order to truly see who he is.


The crowds, the disciples, they haven’t really been able to see who Jesus is. They think that he’s just a prophet. But now the disciples are touched by revelation from God; some things begin to come clear. He is not a prophet, he’s not John the Baptist; he’s not Elijah; he is the Christ. They finally are beginning to see clearly (Mark will continue to show us that they still don’t have everything figured out, but at least now they are on their way.)


This understanding that Jesus is the Messiah is not the disciples comprehending that Jesus is divine or the second person of the Trinity. This is more about them understanding the politically dangerous and theologically risky claim that Jesus is the true King of Israel. In claiming him the Messiah, they are naming Herod Antipas, and others like him, as imposters. No one was expecting a divine redeemer of mankind. They were looking for a king, and the disciples think that they have finally found him. To this point his behavior has been strange and un-king like, so this revelation was probably a bit of a relief for them. Now they think they understand who he is. Jesus is not just announcing the kingdom, he believes he is the king.


We shouldn’t miss Mark’s point, however. I believe in one sense he is letting us know that this is the second touch and the disciples finally get it. But his main thrust is that this is, in many ways, the first touch. They didn’t really see at all before; now they can see, but not yet as clearly as they will.


The understanding that he is the Messiah changes things. A Messiah that was announcing God’s kingdom was a direct challenge to and slap in the face of the Jewish leadership and of Rome. Things were about to change for Jesus and his disciples, as we shall see in the next passage.


But first, let’s review a few things about this idea of Messiah. The disciples now see that the miracles and things that Jesus has been doing have been pointing to the fact that he is, indeed, the Messiah that is announcing the kingdom of God. Not all Jews wanted or were really expecting a Messiah, but those who were, expected him to do three things. The Messiah would rebuild the Temple, defeat the enemy of God’s people, and he would bring God’s justice to Israel and then the world around Israel. In other words, the Messiah would restore the kingdom of God through the kingdom of Israel.


Jesus had bee going around completely redefining those tasks. He wasn’t assembling an army, nor was he announcing an agenda that would take down the Jewish leadership. Jesus has been doing the things that people thought the Messiah would, but in a radically different way. Now, Mark tells us that the disciples have grasped the first point, at least, they realize he is the Messiah, with a new way of doing things. Just how new that way is, is yet to fully emerge.



Devotional Thought

What is it about Jesus or his kingdom that you don’t yet understand? What area of your life have you not turned over to him? You will find, just as this blind man, and the disciples for that matter, found that if you allow him, Jesus will touch you again and help you to understand things fully.