Mark 8:22–26
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
Jesus now travels to Bethsaida, the continuation of the pink line in our map. Bethsaida lay just east of the Jordan and was another Gentile region. It's economy was primarily sustained by fishing, like most cities on the Sea of Galilee.
Just as he did with Thursday: Healing the Deaf Man, Jesus takes him aside, away from the crowds. He also spits in his eyes, as he did in last week's story. Again, in this culture they thought of the spittle of influential people as having healing capacities. Again, Jesus touches him. This contact demonstrates his compassion and loving kindness towards this blind man. It also may be pointing to the OT usage of laying on of hands. In the OT the laying on of hands was done to consecrate persons or animals from common use to sacred use. Here Jesus is bestowing cleanliness, holiness and wholeness to common people. He is bringing the sacred to the common.
The emphasis in this passage is obvious—sight. I've highlighted in yellow all the words related to sight so it's easier to see (pun intended!). But this situation is unique. In no other healing does Jesus ask if it was effective. In no other healing does it take a second intervention of Jesus to fully heal. This is most certainly meant to be a picture of the disciples lack of spiritual sight despite being around Jesus so long and having opportunities to have their "eyes opened". Yet they still saw dimly instead of fully understanding Jesus.
In the context, this story is immediately following a story in which Jesus call out the disciples for missing the meaning of the feeding of the 4k and the 5k. In 8:17, just prior to this account, he asks the disciples, "Do you still not perceive or understand?" Jesus' question to the disciples in v. 21 sets the stage for this whole story, "Do you not yet understand?" Despite their failure to see, Jesus hasn't given up on them. He is still investing in them and teaching them until their sight becomes clear. Mark is inviting the reader into the story to go directly from the disciples spiritual blindness to a story of a literal blind man receiving sight. There is hope for the disciples to see spiritually if they continue following Jesus. Despite their failure and lack of understanding Jesus still hasn't given up on them.
Again, we must keep reading...