Mark 8:20-24: a reflection

20“When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.” 21He asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?” 22He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23He took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village. When he had spat on his eyes, and laid his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything. 24He looked up, and said, “I see men, but I see them like walking trees.”

Jesus has been trying to open his disciples' eyes to understand, and they are slow: Do you not yet understand? he asks. And then, immediately, comes a healing that mirrors their condition. A blind man is brought to Jesus, and Jesus heals him, but in stages. After the first touch, the man sees, but only partly: I see people, but they look like walking trees. Only after Jesus touches him again does he see clearly. Sight, like the disciples' understanding, comes gradually.

Notice the two-stage healing, and how it mirrors the disciples' partial understanding. The man does not go from blindness to full sight at once; after the first touch he sees, but dimly, imperfectly. And then Jesus completes the work, and he sees clearly. It is a picture of how understanding often comes: not all at once, but gradually, from blindness to partial sight to full clarity, as Jesus patiently completes his work. The disciples, too, were seeing only dimly, and Jesus was patiently bringing them to clearer sight.

That is an encouragement for those of us who understand only partly, and are slow to see clearly. We may grasp the things of God only dimly, seeing but imperfectly, our understanding still like the man's first blurred sight. But Jesus does not abandon the work half done; as he touched the man again, so he patiently brings us from dim sight to clearer, completing his work in his time. Do not be discouraged if your understanding is still partial, your sight of God's ways still dim. Jesus is patient, and completes what he begins; keep coming to him for the further touch that brings clearer sight. The man saw dimly before he saw clearly; trust the patient Jesus to bring you, too, from partial sight to full, completing in his time the work of opening your eyes.

Lord Jesus, your disciples were slow to understand, and immediately you healed a blind man in stages, so that after the first touch he saw people like walking trees, and only after a second touch saw clearly; a picture of how sight and understanding often come, gradually, as you patiently complete your work. Encourage me by it, for I understand only partly, and am slow to see clearly. I may grasp the things of God only dimly, seeing but imperfectly, my understanding still like the man's first blurred sight. But you do not abandon the work half done; as you touched the man again, so you patiently bring me from dim sight to clearer, completing your work in your time. Keep me from being discouraged if my understanding is still partial, my sight of your ways still dim. You are patient, and complete what you begin; help me keep coming to you for the further touch that brings clearer sight. The man saw dimly before he saw clearly; help me trust you, patient Jesus, to bring me too from partial sight to full, completing in your time the work of opening my eyes. Open my eyes fully, Lord, in your time.