Lord, I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened so that I may better know the hope to which you have called me.
Read MARK 8:22–30
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Heals 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 even go into[a] the village.”
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They 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 Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Footnotes
- Mark 8:26 Some manuscripts go and tell anyone in
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Just as I am, though tossed about / with many a conflict, many a doubt, / fightings and fears within, without, / O Lamb of God, I come.’1
Think Further
Did Jesus fail to heal the blind man the first time and need a second attempt? Stop right there! Our first presumption must always be that Jesus did everything for a reason, that his initial hearers, and we later readers, are to learn something here. Mark organized his material very carefully and we should not make the mistake of trying to analyze the two-step healing out of its wider context as if it is a random event, unrelated to its setting. It was not Jesus who was failing, but the disciples. Mark keeps emphasizing their failure to understand. They had not understood the symbolism of the feeding of the crowd, not even when the miracle was repeated before their eyes. The key to understanding these episodes is in Jesus’ own words. ‘Do you have eyes but fail to see?’ (see v. 18). They were like the blind man seeing only the vague outline of things. There was another leap of heart and mind that they needed to make before they could see Jesus clearly, before they would fully understand.
It is easy to repeat the same error by reading Peter’s affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, as if it too stands alone, independent of its context. Yes, it is significant as the first correct human statement about Jesus’ identity in Mark’s Gospel. The demons, whose screaming identifications Jesus silenced, are now replaced by the first human witness. Yet Peter’s response is met sternly. Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Scriptural prophecy, but he was not the all-conquering leader that people vainly sought.2 He was also the Suffering Servant whose destiny was the cross.3 This is what the disciples still failed to understand. Their vision of who Jesus really was still remained inadequate. Eventually they would see clearly. For now, they still saw only the tree walking.
Apply
Jesus can take the mist from our eyes and the fogginess from our minds to help us see who he really is.
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, the depth of Jesus’ love is unfathomable, the extent of his care is beyond measure. Help me to grow in my understanding of that love and care, and to respond in ways that are a testimony to who he is.
Last Updated on November 4, 2024 by kingstar
