“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. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Mark 8:25-26

Did Jesus fail to heal the blind man the first time and need a second attempt? 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. 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. 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. He was also the Suffering Servant whose destiny was the cross. 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.

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.

(edited from Encounter with God)