DIFFICULT PASSAGES: Mark 8:22-26 – Why Did He Do It Like That?

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 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?”

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

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes wee opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.” – Mark 8:22-26

Mark provides us with the only record of this miracle. In some ways, it is the most curious of all Jesus’ miraculous signs. The story is simply told, but not as easily understood.

Jesus,with His disciples, came to Bethsaida at the northernmost point of the Sea of Galilee, just east of where the Jordan River empties into the sea. This was a fishing village, and the home of some of the Twelve. It was not Jesus’ intent to stay here for any length of time or to engage the people of this village in extended teaching. He was on his way to Caesarea Philippi with the Twelve where he would teach them further concerning things He had no intention of saying to the multitudes.

Yet, as He passed through,people recognized Jesus and brought a blind man to Him, begging Him to heal the man. Perhaps because of His desire to get away from the crowds, Jesus Himself took the man by the hand and led him out of the village. There He spat on his eyes and laid His hands on him. Then He asked him, Do you see anything? This is the only instance of healing in which Jesus asked if the person were healed.

The man replied, I see people; they look like trees walking around. In other words, he could see, but not clearly. Then Jesus again placed His hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home with instructions not to even enter the village.

This is the only miracle that was done in stages as well as the only one where the person healed was asked if he had been cured. Why did He do it like that?

Chrysostom, “the golden mouth” preacher, was a presbyter and bishop at Antioch in the late 4th century. In his later days, he was a much admired archbishop in Constaniople. He has left voluminous writings. He said that this miracle occurred in stages because of the imperfect faith of the man. He did not seek healing from Jesus; others brought him to Jesus. The first glimmer of sight caused him to believe, and Jesus went on to heal him completely.

R. C. Foster (Studies in the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Reprinted 1971, p. 696) says as follows:

We cannot tell why the miracle was performed in two steps. The question Jesus asked seems to indicate that the method was His deliberate plan. The man had not been born blind, but had lost his sight, for he knew the appearance of trees and men. [J.W.] McGarvey holds that the miracle was not gradual, but consisted of two instantaneous miracles, each of which accomplished exactly what Jesus intended; and that Jesus used this different method to reveal that He could heal in part and by progressive steps. It certainly did dramatically emphasize the immediacy of Jesus’ other miracles.

When I asked why it was done this way in one of my classes at the Sunset School of Preaching in the mid-1960′s, Johnny Ramsey suggested it was perhaps to show that He was in complete control of the process. His answer was similar to that of McGarvey, cited by Foster. Yet, I thought there must be more to it than that.

CONTEXT

To see the full picture, we must keep the context in view. It was when I looked at this event in its context that I began to get a clearer idea of why Jesus did it this way. Earlier in this chapter, the Pharisees asked for a sign, even though many signs had already been given. Jesus refused to give another sign to those who refused to see the signs He gave (Mark 8:11-12).

Immediately after that, His disciples misunderstood Jesus’ remark about being careful to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees. He responded by asking them, “Do you still not see or understand” and quoting Isaiah 6:9-10 against them, a passage which speaks of eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, and hearts that are hardened. After this, the disciples did understand – some. But did they see and understand clearly? No, for immediately following this healing, Peter confessed Jesus as being the Christ of God – and then began to rebuke him when He said He would be crucified in Jerusalem (Mar_8:27-32).

In other words, this miracle was also a parable-in-action, designed to teach the disciples that full sight of the riches of God in Christ does not come at once! William Barclay (The Gospel of Mark, In The Daily Study Bible Series, Vol 3. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 2nd edition, 1956, p. 194-195) comes close to this, as he says:

Usually Jesus’ miracles happened suddenly and completely. In this miracle the blind man’s sight came back in stages. There is symbolic truth here. No man sees all God’s truth all at once. One of the dangers of a certain type of evangelism is that it encourages the idea that when a man has taken his decision for Christ he is a full-grown Christian. One of the dangers of Church membership is that it can be presented in such a way as to imply that when a person becomes a pledged member of the Church he has come to the end of the road. So far from that being the case the decision and the pledge of membership are the beginning of the road. They are the discovery of the riches of Christ which are inexhaustible, and if a man lived a hundred, or a thousand, or a million years, he would still have to go on growing in grace, and learning more and more about the infinite wonder and beauty of Jesus Christ.

LESSONS FOR US

There are several important lessons for us in this “parable in action.”

1. We should never assume that, because we can see some truth, we know all truth. We need to be humble enough to realize that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The time will come when we will see Jesus as He is, and then we will be like Him (1 John 3:1-3). Until then, let’s be humble enough to recognize there are things we do not yet see and understand.
2. We should realize that seeing a little does not mean we see clearly. Peter, in Mark 8:27-29, confessed Jesus as being the Messiah. Yet, in verses 31-32 when Jesus began to talk about going to Jerusalem to die before being raised from the dead, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Peter understood Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ; he did not understand what that meant.
3. If we – and even apostles – do not fully understand the implications of what we see in the Scriptures or in Jesus, we need to be patient with others who do not understand what we think we understand. Sincere believers in Jesus who are seeking to follow Him as closely as possible will sometimes understand various things differently. We need to be patient with one another, always seeking better understanding ourselves and seeking to learn even from those who disagree with us. If we love only those who love us, what do we do more than others? If we are willing to learn only from those who agree with us, how will we ever correct our misunderstandings? Further, if we refuse actually to listen to them, why should we expect them to listen to us as well?

If we would take these three lessons to heart, there would be far less strife within the church and far less prejudice against others who seek to follow Jesus. There would also be far less reason for other Jesus-followers to have prejudice against “us” – whoever “we” may be.