28 · Action of Jesus

The Blind Man Healed in Two Stages

Mark 8:22–26

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Jesus stands with an adult blind man outside a village and places his hands on the man's eyes as his sight gradually returns.

Jesus heals a blind man in an unusual way.

Why does Jesus heal the man in two stages?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: How does this gradual healing affect your picture of Jesus?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A is the safest conclusion from the narrative itself. The healing happens gradually, but Mark does not say why Jesus uses two stages. We should therefore avoid filling that gap with a certain explanation the text does not provide. C is a strong literary possibility when the story is read in context. Shortly before the healing, Jesus asks the disciples whether they have eyes yet fail to see. Immediately afterward Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah but then shows that his understanding of Jesus' path remains incomplete. The man's movement from blindness to partial sight and finally clear sight may therefore mirror the disciples' gradual understanding. Mark does not explicitly say that the miracle is a symbolic parable about them.

28 · Mark 8:22–26

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Text & context

Full translation

22 They came to Bethsaida. Then people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then he spit on his eyes, laid his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 The man looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees walking around.” 25 Then Jesus placed his hands on his eyes again. He saw clearly, was restored, and saw everything distinctly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
At Bethsaida, people bring a blind man to Jesus and beg him to touch him. Jesus takes the man by the hand and leads him outside the village. Jesus spits on the man's eyes, places his hands on him, and asks whether he can see anything. The man can now see people, but his sight remains indistinct: they look like trees walking around. Jesus places his hands on the man's eyes a second time. Mark then uses several expressions to emphasize that the man's sight is now restored and clear. This is unusual among the Gospel healing stories because the healing explicitly occurs in two stages. Mark does not directly explain why.
Notice this

Immediately before the story Jesus asks the disciples: “Having eyes, do you not see?” (Mark 8:18) Then comes the blind man: does not see → sees indistinctly → sees clearly Immediately afterward Jesus asks the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers that Jesus is the Messiah. But when Jesus speaks about his coming suffering, Peter objects and is rebuked. Peter therefore appears to have begun to see, but not yet clearly. Mark does not explicitly say that the healing symbolizes the disciples' understanding. But the placement of the story makes that reading literarily strong.

Language & translation

From the Greek

εἴ τι βλέπεις – ei ti blepeis

do you see anything? Jesus asks the man after the first touch what he can actually see.

βλέπω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους – blepō tous anthrōpous

I see people The man has gained sight, but what follows shows that it is not yet clear.

ὡς δένδρα ὁρῶ περιπατοῦντας – hōs dendra horō peripatountas

I see them like trees walking around The unusual response expresses the intermediate state: the man is no longer blind, but people appear indistinct.

πάλιν – palin

again Mark explicitly says that Jesus places his hands on the man's eyes again.

διέβλεψεν – dieblepsen

saw clearly The verb can express seeing clearly or gaining clear sight.

ἀπεκατέστη – apekatestē

was restored From apokathistēmi, to restore or return something to a former condition.

ἐνέβλεπεν τηλαυγῶς ἅπαντα – eneblepen tēlaugōs hapanta

he saw everything clearly Tēlaugōs emphasizes clear, distinct sight. Mark piles up several expressions in verse 25 to emphasize the completeness of the second stage.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Mark 8:14–33 as one continuous sequence. Pay particular attention to:

  • Mark 8:18 – “Having eyes, do you not see?”
  • blepō
  • horaō
  • palin
  • diablepō
  • apokathistēmi
  • tēlaugōs
  • Peter's confession in Mark 8:29
  • Peter's objection in Mark 8:32–33

This healing has no direct parallel account in Matthew or Luke, making its placement in Mark especially interesting.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think Jesus asks the man himself what he can see after the first stage?
  2. What might the story suggest about change that happens gradually rather than immediately?
  3. How strong do you find the connection between the man's gradual sight and the disciples' gradual understanding?
  4. Why do you think Mark emphasizes so strongly that the man finally sees everything clearly?
Parallel passages
  • Mark 8:14–21
  • Mark 8:27–33
  • Mark 10:46–52
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Mark 8:22–26
  • Mark 8:14–21
  • Mark 8:27–33
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for blepō, horaō, palin, diablepō, apokathistēmi, and tēlaugōs