First let me say how much I love your web site and how much you have taught me. My question is in Mark 8: 22-25. This is the first and only time I’ve seen where it took Jesus twice to heal someone. The blind man in Bethsaida. Do you know of any other place something like this takes place? Is there anything special we can learn from this passage?
The healing of the blind man at Bethsaida is a story with a deeper meaning. Certainly the Lord didn’t lack the capability to heal this man instantly, so there’s something more going on here. I think the blind man represented Israel, and the two step cure of his blindness speaks of the Lord’s two visits to them.
The first time the Lord placed His hands on the man, he could only see vague outlines of people. They looked more like trees to him. This describes the confused and incomplete way Israel viewed their Messiah the first time He came. Their vision of the Messiah wasn’t clear enough to allow them to recognize Him when He came.
The second time Jesus touched the man’s eyes, he could see clearly. In the same way the next time the Messiah comes the remnant of Israel will know exactly Who He is. Zechariah 12:10 says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”