Mark 8: 22-26 – Week 6 Ordinary Time, Wednesday (Audio Bible, Spoken Word)
22 ¶ And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Mark has shown Jesus earlier (Mark 7: 32-33) using the sign of the laying on of hands as part of the miracle of healing. Normally when Jesus heals, the healing is instant. With the blind man at Bethsaida this is not the case. The healing is more gradual, passing through stages before being complete.
With the blind man at Bethsaida, the miracle of healing is also a journey of faith. At first the blind man does not himself beg to be touched by Jesus; it is up to his friends to bring the blind man to Jesus and to ask that Jesus touch him. Jesus does indeed touch the blind man, not obviously to heal but to lead him by the hand, out of the town to a space apart.
Once Jesus and the blind man are apart together, there are two further stages to the healing. The blind man, brought to Jesus by his friends, has responded to the first gift of grace, and so Jesus gives him more, leading the blind man toward the disposition in which he may be fully healed. There is the first laying on of hands, partially healing the blindness, and then the second, after which the man can see everyone clearly.
The man has been brought into relationship with Jesus. As so often, Jesus asks the man to keep the healing miracle a secret, not even to go into the town on his way home. This has been something very private between the two.
Perhaps we may reflect on our response to Jesus’ leading us by the hand, offering grace, and on the ways in which we lead other people to Jesus. It may be that Jesus’ very gentle, gradual approach is a lesson to us all. We may also reflect that, once we have helped our friends to their first contact with Jesus, we may have confidence that Jesus is quite capable of taking things from there.
‘Give us light, Lord. Behold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he wished to see the light and could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see it. Oh what a hopeless ill is this! Here, my God, must be manifested thy power and thy mercy.’ St Teresa
Concluding Prayer
Shed your clear light on our hearts, Lord,
so that walking continually in the way of your commandments,
we may never be deceived or misled.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
Audio Bible KJV | Endnotes
Christian Prayer And Healing
The healing of the blind man at Bethsaida is a powerful example of Jesus’ divine power and his ability to heal those who are suffering. As Christians, we draw lessons from this episode and connect it to other key aspects of our faith.
One important theme in this story is the power of Christian prayer. Jesus’ healing of the blind man demonstrates the importance of having faith and trusting in God’s plan. Through prayer, we can connect with God and ask for his guidance and healing power in our lives. In submission, we may recall Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus himself prayed to the Father as the Passion commenced.
The parables of Jesus, including the Parable of the Prodigal Son, are an aspect of our faith that we can connect to this story. Jesus used parables to teach important moral lessons and illustrate the power of God’s love and forgiveness. In the story of the blind man, we see a powerful example of God’s grace and mercy at work. Though not itself a parable told by Jesus, yet we recognize Jesus’ healing of the blind man as being full of meaning for Christians today.
Baptism may be considered a theme in this story, as the sacrament of baptism enacted and may be said to symbolize rebirth and renewal. When we are baptized, we are reborn in Christ and given the gift of eternal life. We recall that we are children of God, and that through faith we are called to reject hell and enter into the glory of heaven.
We are reminded of the sacrifice Jesus of Nazareth made on the Cross, and the love that he has for us. Through faith, we are enabled to receive the Christian gifts of grace, forgiveness and salvation.