Mark 8:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?"

NIV: 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?"

NASB: Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, 'Do you see anything?'

CSB: He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"

NLT: Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, 'Can you see anything now?'

KJV: And 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 upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

NKJV: 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.

There has been much speculation as to why Jesus takes the blind man out of the village. In the previous chapter, He had led a deaf man in Decapolis away from a crowd before healing him (Mark 7:31–35). It appears that Jesus wishes the men to understand that He is there to heal them and that this healing relationship is between Him and them; it is not dependent on the surrounding group of people.

In his work The Natural History, a collection of thirty-seven science books, Pliny the Elder says Romans used saliva to "cure inflammation." Book 28, "Remedies Derived from Living Creatures," Chapter 7 insists that spittle can preserve against snake venom, cure epilepsy, prevent a curse that follows from meeting someone who is lame in the right leg, ease a crick in the neck, recover a part of the body that has gone asleep, and guard infants against strangers. It was believed that if a man assaulted another with a fist or projectile and then spit in the palm of the offending hand, the victim would forgive him. More to the point, Pliny wrote, "We may well believe…that ophthalmia may be cured by anointing, as it were, the eyes every morning with fasting spittle…"

Scholars suspect that Mark recorded the words Jesus used when healing the little girl who had died (Mark 5:41) and the deaf man (Mark 7:34) in the original Aramaic so readers would be assured He didn't use an esoteric magic spell. Here, He appears to use an accepted medical practice to show the crowd He isn't using witchcraft. God is well able to heal using medical practices—even those that have no basis in science. Sometimes He may do so to hide the fact His work is a miracle.

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.