LET”S LEAVE FOR TOWN (MARK 8:22-26)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_en Grammar Bible (English)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Bah Tatabahasa Alkitab (Indonesian)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Esp Biblia de Gramática (Spanish)
https://bible.ryl.hk/web_Tag Gramatika Bibliya (Filipino)
https://bible.ryl.hk Chinese Bible (Chinese)
When I arrived in Hong Kong, my wife Doris read a review of a unique 75-minutes exhibition titled “Dialogue in the Dark” and wanted to go, so off we went on a Saturday morning. The Hong Kong website has this promotion: “Our exhibition gives you an experience like no other. In this specially constructed pitch-black exhibition, visually impaired guides lead the sighted to ‘see’ the world in a unique and inspiration way!” Inside a blind man led us through the darkest places where the seeing was as good as blind. We were very careful to use our legs to figure out the course we were taking, the road we were treading and even the surface of the road as our guide, as promised, took us on a walk through the corners of Hong Kong, her roads, streets and alleys.
Later we were to place our hands on different fruits to feel and to guess the fruit we were touching, not that I want any physical contact at that point! Helpless visitors were encouraged to “feel the taste with all your senses and by heart other than vision” and to experience each of the environments and objects by its sounds, smells, textures, and tastes. It was miserable as nothing I guessed turned out right, so I was glad when it was over, but I remembered feeling, “How powerful is this blind guide as I was so helplessly dependent on him!”
The concept of the exhibition, according to the website, is role reversal, as the blind become "sighted" and while the seeing become blind and the purpose was for the public to understand what it's like for visually-impaired people to function on a daily basis and to change the public’s mindset on disability and diversity, and increase tolerance for “otherness.”
Jesus had met and ministered to quite a few blind men in the gospels, including six more renowned instances of the two blind men (Matt 9:27), the demon-possessed blind and dumb man (Matt 12:22), the two blind men by the road (Matt 20:30), the blind and the lame who looked for Jesus in the temple (Matt 21:14), the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22) and the man blind from birth (John 9:1). The account of the blind man in Mark’s gospel was full of surprises to me. First, it was not recorded in other synoptic gospels. Second, the healing was surprisingly done in two stages. Third, it was not done in town or publicly.
What kind of lives do those are physically-challenged live? How can we be backers and benefactors of the handicap? Why are people with disabilities more receptive to Jesus and the gospel?
Provide Unified Assistance
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it." Both signs told people the boy was blind. While the first sign simply said the boy was blind, the second sign reminded others how fortunate they were and what they could see.
The synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke use a different verb for the same translation “bring” in English.
Matthew
Mark
Luke
Pros-phero 15x
Prosphero 2 x
Prosphero 4x
Phero 4x
Phero 15x
Phero 4x
Ago (lead) 5x
Ago (lead) 3x
Ago (lead) 13x
While Matthew used the compound verb “bring” verb (pros-phero) and Luke preferred the verb “lead” (ago), the simple, shorter and straightforward gospel of Mark selected “carry” (phero), as in Christopher, meaning “Christ carrier.” Of the three verbs, Mark’s version is more neutral than Matthew but more involved than Luke. There were quite a few instances of the blind meeting Christ, most of them positive, poignant and personal in their own way, but this was unusual, unique and uncharted. First of all, the people were unified. The people care for the blind man, enough to carry him to Jesus. The support was more than physical, but emotional, moral and psychological as well. No one was omitted, obliged or opposed. The city folks knew Jesus was in Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter (John 1:44) as they sprung to action. The Greek text did not say “SOME people brought him” but “THEY brought” him.”
Next, the city was controversial. Bethsaida was representative of an unwelcoming, unbelieving and unrepentant city, sharply rebuked by Jesus twice, before (Matt 11:21) and after this episode (Luke 10:13). At least for once in this case they turned their indifference and image around. There was such earnestness, enthusiasm and energy in them.
Third, they came calling to Jesus in a friendly manner (v 22, para-kaleo) for him not just to heal him or to touch him. The Greek word means call (kaleo) + alongside (para). It was endearing, encouraging and enjoyable. There was no pleading, petition or pressure, yet they had to be tough and tender, thick-skin as well, because they were previously rebuked by Jesus.
Fourth, the people stuck to their purpose with the all-important “hina” purpose clause conjunction in Greek structure - “in order” to touch him. They were not there to idolize, interview or investigate Jesus. The phrase “in order to touch” is the edgy, endearing and excited younger Mark’s favorite term, found only once in Matthew (Matt 14:36) and none in the gospels of Luke and John, but three times in Mark (Mark 6:56, 8:22, 10:13). The people care enough to support the blind man, to surround Jesus on purpose and to seek for a hearing.
Fifth, they asked in moderation, but it meant a lot. They did not ask Jesus to heal the blind man, but to just touch him It was not ostentatious, overt or offensive. With the reputation of the city (Matt 11:21) at stake, it was best not to oblige or order the Savior, nor outline and overstate their demands, but to be open, original and optimistic.
Permit Uplifting Appointments
23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
An ambitious young man ventured to approach a wealthy industrialist and asked, “Would you mind telling me your secret of personal success?”
The rich man replied, “There is no secret. You just have to jump at your opportunities.”
The young man questioned, “But how will I know when these opportunities comes?”
The rich man answered, “You can’t—you just have to keep jumping.”
Jesus surprisingly touched the man but did not heal him. Instead Jesus took the man on a trip away from the prying eyes of the fickle public. The participle of the verb “took” (epilambanomai) occurring merely 19 times in the Bible is best translated as “caught” (Matt 14:31) or “take hold” (Luke 20:20), as it is more forceful and forcible than the usual “take” that occurs as many as 258 times. This compound verb “take” is best remembered in Acts for the people who forcibly took hold of Paul - from the masters of the slave girl delivered from a spirit of divination (Acts 16:19) to the chief captain who grabbed hold of Paul and rescued him from a fierce mob in Jerusalem (Acts 21:33). At Jesus’ death this verb was used for forcibly requiring Simon of Cyrene to bear the cross for Jesus (Luke 23:26).
Jesus’ touch was meant to care, not cure. He had such compassion on the blind man that he took him by the hand. Jesus’ touch or “hand” on a person is a big deal in Mark’s gospel, even more than all the gospels. Jesus touched the hand of Simon’s mother-in-law hand, and the fever left her (Mark 1:31, Matt 8:15). With compassion, he put forth his hand, and touched and cleansed a leper (Mark 1:41, Matt 8:3). In another instance, he took the synagogue ruler’s servant girl by the hand and healed her (Mark 5:41, Matt 9:25). With his hand, Jesus healed a man who was deaf (Mark 7:32), the blind man here in Mark 8, a child possessed by a dumb spirit (Mark 9:27) and, with exception in Luke for a woman sick for eighteen years (Luke 13:13). Most of Jesus’ cases of healing by the hand were recorded in Mark except for the last mentioned. The noun “hand” occur three times in two verses (vv 23, 25). Holding is not romantic but relationship.
Curiously, the gospels usually record how Jesus went round about the villages (Mark 6:6), how he entered into towns (Mark 6:56) and how he went throughout every city and village (Luke 8:1, 9:6, 13:22), but rarely “left the town.” Stranger than leading the man out of town, Jesus uncharacteristically spit on the blind man. Contrary to the crowd’s expectations, he did not heal the blind man by his touch, but by his saliva! Jesus’ focus was on the man, not the miracle. His approach was not orthodox or ordinary, but odd and offensive. His primary purpose was not to heal the man, to invite, impart and increase faith in Him. True to form, the blind man did not sulk, stew, scowl, shrug, sneer, squirm or sigh. Best, the blind man did not storm or stumble away, neither did he spit or squirt back! He was nothing but thankful for Jesus’ time, travel and trouble.
Pay Undivided Attention
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
Here are some quotes on the difference between “sight” and “vision”:
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Japanese Proverbs
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. Joel A. Barker
Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision. Blind musician Stevie Wonder
It’s easy to see, hard to foresee. Benjamin Franklin
Vision looks inwards and becomes duty. Vision looks outwards and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upwards and becomes faith. Stephen S. Wise
Faith is the vision of the heart; it sees God in the dark as well as in the day. Author Unknown
The best vision is insight. Malcolm S. Forbes
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Blind Helen Keller
Why was it important for the blind man to respond to Jesus. When Jesus took him out of town, the blind man could have bailed out, backed off or broke rank, but the man was calm, composed and committed in his faith, very unlike the disciples who did not understand Jesus (Mark 8:18). Jesus also wanted to lead the blind man out of the sight of the fickle public to develop faith in Him, so what was better than to take him out of town to shake him from his familiar surroundings, friendly confines and fuzzy faith.
If you ask me why the healing did not work the first time, I can only tell you in the text’s structural terms. The first time Jesus “put” (v 23) his hands was a participle, a subordinate clause yielding to the main verb “asked,” but now the verb “put” is in the verb indicative or the main verb
The reason of verse 26 is bound in the verb “see” clearly. The verb “see” up to now has gone a long way in chapter 8. First, Jesus warned them to “see” or “watch out” beware
for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15). Following that, Jesus bemoaned the disciples who had eyes but “see” not and ears but hear not (Mark 8:18). Then to the blind man, Jesus asked if he could “see” (v 23) and the man replied he could “see” man as trees (v 24). In verse 26 he did not just see (blepo), but could “see” (emblepo) clearly. This final “see” (emblepo) verb occurs merely 12 times in the entire Bible, whereas the regular “see” occurs 132 times in the Bible. This compound verb “see” mainly describes Jesus’ actions in the gospels, from beholding him the rich young ruler he loved (Mark 10:21) to twice looking at Peter, from when he first met Peter and renamed him Peter (John 1:42) to when he turned and looked at Peter and predicted Peter’s betrayal him (Luke 22:61). Thrice when it does not refer to Jesus, it refers to John the Baptist who watched Jesus walking by (Jphn 1:42), this blind man and the servant girl who looked intently at Peter and point-blanked ask him if he was with Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 14:67). Jesus’ purpose was not for the man to see, but to see clearly – not the physical part, but the perception. Not for sight, but insight. Not for ability but awareness. Not in the eye but in the experience.
Conclusion: God cares for every person – the loved and the unloved, the like and the unlike, the lesser and the least. All souls are precious in His sight. God showed his love among us by sending Christ into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9) No one is unwelcome, unwanted and unworthy in His coming. He is not only the Creator of life, but the Commander, Companion and Comforter of our lives.
Have disadvantages and detriments in life made you skeptical, sick and sorry of life, or have they made you stronger, steadier and stauncher? Do you use your struggles as benefit and blessing to others? May the peace of Christ be real, restive and reassuring in your life!
