We find Jesus at Bethsaida today, a fishing town located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. There is a blind man there who is about to be given his sight. The disciples, and Simon Peter in particular, are about to be given new insight into the identity of Jesus.
"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him." (Mark 8:22) In several cases we've seen the friends of the sick interceding on their behalf. This blind man has friends who care enough about him to get him to Jesus. We must never underestimate the value of interceding for our friends and loved ones. We all know people who need to get to Jesus. It's our duty as Christians to pray for them daily, to show the love of Christ to them, and to live godly lives in their sight.
"He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village." (Mark 8:23a) We don't know why Jesus wants an extra degree of privacy with some of the people He heals. Perhaps these people have something they want to tell Him, something so private that even the gospel writers don't tell us what it is. Perhaps the clamor of the crowd is so loud and the people are pressing in on Him so much that Jesus can't personally interact with the sick person in the way He would like. He doesn't want anyone to feel like just a number in the crowd; He wants to have a personal relationship with every human being. He sees each of us as individuals and He relates to us as individuals.
"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.'" (Mark 8:23b-24) This man has not always been blind. He knows what people look like and he knows what trees look like. He knows they are not supposed to look the same, but in this first moment after being touched by Jesus he sees things in a distorted way. He views the people near him (probably the disciples) as tall, elongated, shadowy shapes. He sees, but not clearly. This is very significant, for in yesterday's passage we found Jesus chiding the disciples for having eyes but failing to see and for being hard-hearted. He scolded them for being slow to understand, not because they lack the intelligence to understand, but because they lack the faith. Jesus is using His interaction with the blind man as a teaching moment for the disciples. Although He drew the man away from the crowd in the village, as usual I believe the disciples are with Him.
"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) Jesus does not heal this man in two stages because He is incapable of healing him in one try. Jesus normally heals instantly. He even heals people without being in the same location with them. His two-stage healing symbolizes the fact that through their contact with Him so far, the disciples see the truth only in a shadowy way. But through further contact with Him, and through eyes of faith, they will someday be able to see everything clearly. In a moment we will witness what a tremendous impact this teaching moment has on Simon Peter.
Jesus tells the man to go straight home. He doesn't want him rushing back into the village shouting about the miracle that just happened to him. It could be that the man needs some time alone to think about his life, to confess sins and pray to God. Or it could be that it's Jesus who needs some alone time with the disciples, since something of major importance is about to happen.
"Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.'" (Mark 8:27-28) A great deal of the populace is still somewhat blinded as to Jesus' identity. Many still lack the faith to believe He is the Son of God. Like the blind man who only saw in part the first time Jesus touched him, a lot of people only see Jesus in a shadowy form right now. Jesus knows what people are saying about Him, but He asks the question because He wants to give Simon Peter an opportunity to confess something that has now become perfectly clear to him.
"'But what about you?' He asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah.'" (Mark 8:29) Jesus asks the same question of each of us, "Who do you say I am?" Do we believe what He says? Have His miracles, which fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, proven His credentials to us? If Jesus is not telling the truth about who He is, then He isn't a good man or a prophet or a great teacher. If Jesus is not telling the truth about who He is, then He must either be a fraud or mentally deranged. If Jesus is not telling the truth about who He is, we can take nothing of value from any word He has ever spoken. So what do we do with Jesus? We can't ignore Him. He's not going to go away. We have to find some way of dealing with His claims and with His words and with His miracles. We are left with only two choices. We can be like the populace whom the disciples say believe Jesus is someone other than the Son of God, or we can be like Simon Peter who accepts everything he has seen and heard and can't help concluding, "You are the Messiah!"
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