What does Mark 8:22 mean?

Bethsaida was a fairly large city near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. As it sits on the east side of the river that feeds the lake, it is often described as "on the other side" of the lake from Capernaum (Mark 8:13). It belonged to the tetrarchy ruled by Philip, Herod Antipas' half-brother. Although Bethsaida was well-populated, it was organized more like a village than a city and was surrounded by several little villages that held about fifteen thousand people total. Many of the residents worked the surrounding fields.

It was outside of Bethsaida that scholars believe Jesus fed the five thousand-plus people (Mark 6:34–44). Philip, Andrew, and Peter were from Bethsaida (John 1:44). Although Jesus performs many miracles there, they do not turn to Him as Savior. In fact, He laments that if the Gentiles of Tyre and Sidon had witnessed the displays of power and authority Bethsaida had, "they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matthew 11:21).

This is not the first time Jesus has healed the blind. He had done other such miracles before John the Baptist died (Luke 7:22), but it is the first recorded in Mark's Gospel. It's possible the people know of these other healings, as they ask Jesus to "touch" the blind man, and not merely bless him by laying hands on him.