Mark 8:22-26

22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.

23 So 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 on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

This miracle is only found in Mark.

Bethsaida (v.22) — on the northeast shore of Galilee

The unbelief of Bethsaida seems to have affected the blind man, for his healing was not instantaneous. He, in truth, represented the blindness of heart which darkened the spiritual vision of the disciples, and which was so difficult to vanish. — Williams, page 736.

Williams isn’t the only one who holds the above belief. Other commentaries suggests that the partial healing of the blind man after Jesus first put His hands on him was similar to the spiritual condition of the disciples at this time. It was only later, after the resurrection, that they gained full sight.

spit (v.23) — Spittle was regarded as a means of cure by the ancients … The application of the spittle [may have been] to encourage the faith of the blind man. — Wuest, page 165.

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The narrative contains three compounds of blepo [“look’] (ana, dia, en); the first denotes looking up in the tentative manner of blind men, the second, looking through (a mist as it wee) so as to see clearly, the third, looking into so as to see distinctly, as one sees the exact outlines of a near object. — Wuest, pages 164-165.

clearly (v.25) = at a distance and clearly

nor tell anyone in the town (v.26) — not in the best texts

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