The Blind Man of Bethsaida (Mk. 8:22-26)

When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 Looking up he replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” 25 Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. 26 Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

Mark is the only Synoptic Gospel that records this incident but there is an incident in John where Jesus uses spittle to heal a man blind from birth (Jn. 9:1-7).  This miracle is similar in several ways to the healing of the deaf-mute (Mk. 7:31-37); the people brought both men to Jesus, they begged Jesus, Jesus spat, both men were taken aside to be healed, and Jesus used symbolism to heal both men.  In this case, the healing was not instantaneous but in stages.  The crowd brought the blind man to Jesus and asked Jesus to lay hands on him.  Instead, Jesus took him outside the village, put spittle on his eyes, and then laid hands on him.  The man regained partial sight and said “I see people looking like trees and walking (v. 24).”  This leads one to conclude that the man was not blind from birth since he knew what trees looked like and what people walking looked like.  Jesus used spittle when healing someone on three occasions - Mk. 7:33; Mk. 8:23; Jn. 9:6.

The healing took place in two stages: first partially then completely.  The message to his disciples might have been that it takes time to understand the true identity of Jesus (Mk. 8:18). Jesus will gradually cure our spiritual blindness if we let him.  Jesus sent the man home and warned him not to tell anyone in the village.  The disciples’ spiritual sight would be fully ‘restored’ once Jesus finished his mission and gave his Spirit to them at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

Almighty God, giver of all good gifts, send down your Holy Spirit upon us and grant us the gift of light so that we may see clearly in this world of darkness.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.