Mark 8:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.

NIV: They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

NASB: And they *came to Bethsaida. And some people *brought a man who was blind to Jesus and *begged Him to touch him.

CSB: They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.

NLT: When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him.

KJV: And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

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

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.

Mark 8:22–26 contains an important fulfillment of prophecy. Much has been made about the fact that Jesus heals a physically blind man directly after dealing with spiritually blind Pharisees (Mark 8:11–12) and disciples (Mark 8:14–21). But it can't be overstated, particularly in this precise place in the book, that healing the blind is specifically listed in the Old Testament as a sign of God's Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:6–7). Even the restoration of Paul's sight was orchestrated by Jesus (Acts 9:17–18). The two-step nature of this healing is no accident: it symbolizes the fact that salvation does not impart instantaneous spiritual wisdom. Like the man in Bethsaida, the disciples' spiritual sight grows only gradually. Mark's account is the only recording of this miracle.

This chapter describes another miraculous feeding of thousands by Jesus. He also counters the hard-hearted and selfish hypocrisy of the Pharisees in seeking even more miraculous signs. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus rebukes their short memories and reminds them about God's intent to provide for His followers. After healing a blind man, Jesus accepts Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. Almost immediately, though, Jesus rebukes Peter for resisting the idea that the Messiah must suffer and die.

Mark 8 continues Jesus' attempts to teach the disciples God's plan for the Messiah. Jesus has not come for the religious Pharisees but for the meek who willingly respond to Him. He has not yet come as the glorious and victorious champion of Israel, but to die for the whole world. And His followers must also be willing to sacrifice their lives. The chapter marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry as His miracles grow fewer and His teaching increases. Interestingly, Jesus also faces a repeat of the temptations He experienced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.