Home > Jesus is God in Mark's Gospel
Mark is the only evangelist to record the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (8:22–26).
Mark 8:22–26 - *And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” *
What makes this miracle instructive, even odd, is its two-staged nature. Let’s consider why this healing at Bethsaida is central to Mark’s Gospel and how believers can draw comfort from it. This unique miracle at Bethsaida is often misunderstood. Jesus heals a man in two stages: first he sees "men like trees walking," then he sees clearly.
Was Jesus lacking power? Was his battery running low? Most commentators see this as a parable miracle of the disciples' spiritual state. Right before Jesus heals this blind man, he partially quotes Isaiah 6:9 and castigates the disciples for being blind: “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? . . . Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”
Jesus demonstrates that He is the Author of Sight. By doing it in stages, He proves He has absolute control over the manner and timing of revelation.
He is not "failing" the first time but rather He is illustrating that spiritual sight (recognising His divinity) is a progressive gift from God.