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HaroldA
Guest
In today’s Gospel Jesus heals a blind man but it took two “treatments.” What is the significance of the cure taking two treatments? I mean Jesus could have done it in one treatment.
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Roseeurekacross
Guest
We had this in Mass today.In today’s Gospel Jesus heals a blind man but it took two “treatments.” What is the significance of the cure taking two treatments? I mean Jesus could have done it in one treatment.
It was a time Jesus still did not want to be recognised as the Messiah. He was being harrassed by the Pharisees etc.
He was still in the process of having the Disciples understand.
Jewish people had a belief that blindness and deafness could be due to sin. So cure was in faith of those cured. And the gradual cure could represent building of faith, building of understanding, etc
usccb.org/bible/mark/8
I am enjoying the daily readings. Its started right back at Genesis.
T
tamedlion
Guest
I also had a question about the same reading. If this man was blind from birth, how was he able to know what trees look like when the first part of the miracle happened???
K
Kliska
Guest
Here’s my take;
Mark 8:22 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
Guess what we find today when individuals who have been blind are cured by surgery? They cannot comprehend what they are seeing. They have sensation, but not perception. They suffer from visual agnosia. They actually have to learn to perceive what they are “seeing” this can be a tough process, and some never fully see like a person sighted since birth, they sometimes never “see” clearly. You can read about an interesting case of this in Oliver Sack’s book An Anthropologist on Mars and I believe even the author catches the connection. So, Jesus first heals the man’s sight (sensation), then he heals his perception. Did He miss the perception the first time around? I don’t think so – for those of us in this century it shows us that although Mark might not have known it when writing his gospel, now we can see why the blind man Jesus healed could not perceive at first; Mark faithfully recorded the incident, though he couldn’t have known it would lend credence to this particular miracle, for he couldn’t have known what visual agnosia was. Our modern technology backs up the case of visual agnosia in the Bible.
Mark 8:22 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
Guess what we find today when individuals who have been blind are cured by surgery? They cannot comprehend what they are seeing. They have sensation, but not perception. They suffer from visual agnosia. They actually have to learn to perceive what they are “seeing” this can be a tough process, and some never fully see like a person sighted since birth, they sometimes never “see” clearly. You can read about an interesting case of this in Oliver Sack’s book An Anthropologist on Mars and I believe even the author catches the connection. So, Jesus first heals the man’s sight (sensation), then he heals his perception. Did He miss the perception the first time around? I don’t think so – for those of us in this century it shows us that although Mark might not have known it when writing his gospel, now we can see why the blind man Jesus healed could not perceive at first; Mark faithfully recorded the incident, though he couldn’t have known it would lend credence to this particular miracle, for he couldn’t have known what visual agnosia was. Our modern technology backs up the case of visual agnosia in the Bible.
M
MT1926
Guest
This is what my Ignatius Study Bible says:
I was still on chapter 2 but thanks for getting me to jump forward.
The gospels are just amazing. With verses like this showing our gradual growth in the faith, it blows my mind how anyone can deny salvation is a process.
God Bless
A unique miracle performed in stages. It has multiple significance in Mark: Jesus not only healed the man, but he also heals the spiritual deafness and blindness of the disciples. Referring back to:
Mark 8:18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Although they are still uncertain about his true identity, Jesus sharpens their vision to recognize him as Messiah in the following verse:
Mark 8:29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
Jesus heals the blind man to announce the mystery of redemption. As God Incarnate, Jesus heals the man through the sacrament of his human nature, here signified by his hands and spittle. This grace cures our spiritual blindness gradually, and, as with the blind man, progress is measured in proportion to our faith.
WOW!!!The restoration of the blind man signifies our gradual increase in wisdom, from the darkness of ignorance to the light of truth. Christ’s spittle is the perfect doctrine that proceeds from his mouth; it enhances our vision and brings us progressively to the knowledge of God.
I was still on chapter 2 but thanks for getting me to jump forward.
The gospels are just amazing. With verses like this showing our gradual growth in the faith, it blows my mind how anyone can deny salvation is a process.
God Bless
T
TexAnne
Guest
I listened to Relevant Radio “Father Simon Says” this morning, 10-11am CST, (podcast available on the website) … during the show, Father Simon talked about the spittle part of this miracle. He said that via the Talmudic reverence bb126 that there was a tradition that the saliva of the first born son of a father had healing properties…He was healing because He was the first born only begotten Son of the Father – healing was a claim of divinity… ((if you listen to the podcast, this part with the spittle starts at 41:41)) anyway I thought this was in interesting addition to other comments regarding this reading. You may want to listen to the podcast to get the context in full.
The rest of his comments fall in line with what is already posted. The first was to heal the sight and the second was so that the brain would know what it was seeing. Which is pretty cool especially if the man had been blind since birth.
The rest of his comments fall in line with what is already posted. The first was to heal the sight and the second was so that the brain would know what it was seeing. Which is pretty cool especially if the man had been blind since birth.
T
Todd977
Guest
One spiritual meaning might be it was a parable about fallen mankind represented by the man born blind. The partial healing corresponds to the divine revelations of the Old Covenant given by Moses and the prophets and the complete healing corresponds to the divine revelations of the New Covenant given by Jesus Christ.
C
Cathoholic
Guest
The Blind Man of Bethsaida.
Jesus’ first cure was the man’s sensation.
The SECOND cure here is the man’s comprehension of what his senses were now telling him.
Thanks for sharing your deep discernment here.
God bless.
Cathoholic
I saw it as a prefigurement of Baptism (the sacrament of “light” or “illumination” in a sense).
Then ANOTHER reception of the Holy Spirit opening up gifts that you received at Baptism–that is, Confirmation.
MARK 8:22-26 22 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.
Kliska. You said . . . .26 Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
Great insight here Kliska:thumbsup:.Guess what we find today when individuals who have been blind are cured by surgery? They cannot comprehend what they are seeing. They have sensation, but not perception.
Jesus’ first cure was the man’s sensation.
The SECOND cure here is the man’s comprehension of what his senses were now telling him.
- Cure 1 = Sensation
- Cure 2 = Comprehension
Thanks for sharing your deep discernment here.
God bless.
Cathoholic
I saw it as a prefigurement of Baptism (the sacrament of “light” or “illumination” in a sense).
Then ANOTHER reception of the Holy Spirit opening up gifts that you received at Baptism–that is, Confirmation.
- Cure 1 = Prefigurement of Baptism
- Cure 2 = Prefigurement of Confirmation
I have no idea what THAT could mean in terms of a prefigurement/fulfillment. Any insights on that too?“Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village”
Also fills out the passage substantially MT1926. Insightful.The gospels are just amazing. With verses like this showing our gradual growth in the faith, it blows my mind how anyone can deny salvation is a process.
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