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Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 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. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
- Mark 8:22-33
Yesterday, we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"
Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 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. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." My study bible points out that we know from Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 11:21) that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving. So, Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and ring upon themselves greater condemnation. A note says, "That the blind man was healed in stages shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith; yet this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ." Jesus' command not to return to the town symbolizes that we mustn't return to our sins once we've been forgiven. As we've seen in recent readings, the emphasis is on faith as the necessary ingredient for God's power to work together with us and in us.
Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. Jesus first draws out opinions about Himself; the various opinions that "men say that" He is, the opinions of the crowds. My study bible points out that this is so erroneous ideas are labeled as incorrect. People say He is Elijah because the belief was that Elijah would return before the Messiah. Peter is the one who speaks for the apostles, and he speaks from faith: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the "Anointed One." My study bible says that Peter's understanding can't be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Immediately upon identification as the Christ or the Messiah, Jesus lays out for the apostles what is going to happen to Him: He will suffer. My study bible calls it "the true nature of His messiahship: the mystery of His Passion." It was expected of the Messiah that He would reign forever; this idea is not only perplexing but scandalous. Even after Resurrection, it remained so for the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23). My study bible says, "Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save mankind through suffering and death."
In today's reading we get a further affirmation of faith: the lack of faith in Bethsaida means that the blind man seeking healing must go outside of the town to receive it. In a similar manner, the people who ridiculed Christ at Jairus' house, the ones who were mourning the death of his daughter, had to be put outside of the house for Jesus to raise her. (See Do not be afraid; only believe.) The blind man's gradual healing is a kind of study of what happens with faith, as we begin to trust in it, faith grows and becomes stronger -- we see more clearly and more is given and revealed to us. This is an image of a faith journey with Christ. Sometimes we will need to separate ourselves from the faithless, the scoffers and ridiculers, in order for our faith to grow stronger and so that we may learn what it is to live a life of faith. Faith makes it possible for Peter to know that Jesus is the Christ, but it is only a strengthened faith that can come to terms with the nature of His Messiahship: His suffering and death on the Cross. That is the tough part of a life of faith, following in His footsteps and taking up our own crosses in life. But that is the true strength of faith. When Peter denies that this should happen to Jesus, Jesus' response is "Get behind Me, Satan!" Although Peter's sincere, he's "mindful" "of the things of men," but not of "the things of God." The Gospel doesn't say that Christ was tempted here, but we know even the agony Christ will experience in the garden of Gethsemane, as He struggles in prayer with what is about to happen. Peter is making it tougher here, with "the things of men." God calls us to a higher, bigger plan, one that is not easy to see without the understanding of faith, the transcendence of the reality of the Kingdom, a knowledge of a greater purpose for mankind. All of these things play a role here, not only in Jesus' mission for the salvation of the entire world - past, present, and future, but also for each one of us as we are called also to participate in that mission in our own lives. Faith makes us a part of a unified whole, even as it draws us closer to the understanding of Christ's singular place in the cosmos and in our world, even at the center of our lives. This is not a Messiah who reigns as absolute monarch on human or worldly terms; He's the suffering servant, the One who will lay down His life for His friends. If we wonder about this mission (and we almost certainly will wonder), we must look at the love that it teaches us, the love that is at the center of what it means to great on Christ's terms. He is the greatest, and the greatest, He has taught, "must be the servant of all." The God who reigns is a God of absolute love; if we are to understand but one thing of the mystery of Christ's Passion, we must understand that. Let us go forward with Him and find the will of the loving God for ourselves.
