Church Fathers Commentary Mark 8:22-26

"And they come unto Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind man, and beseech him to touch him. And he took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village; and when he had spit on his eyes, and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, Seest thou aught? And he looked up, and said, I see men; for I behold [them] as trees, walking. Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked stedfastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly. And he sent him away to his home, saying, Do not even enter into the village." — Mark 8:22-26 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: After the feeding of the multitude, the Evangelist proceeds to the healing of the blind man, saying, And they came to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.

The Venerable Bede: They knew that the Lord's touch could give sight to a blind man just as it could cleanse a leper.¹

It goes on, And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For Bethsaida appears to have been infected with great unbelief, which is why the Lord rebukes it: Woe to thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21). He then takes the blind man, who had been brought to Him, out of the town, because the faith of those who brought him was not genuine.

It goes on, And when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw anything.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Indeed, He spat and put His hand upon the blind man because He wished to show that the effects of the divine word, when added to action, are wonderful. For the hand is the symbol of action, while the spittle is the symbol of the word proceeding from the mouth. He then asked him whether he could see anything—something He had not done with any others He had healed—thus showing that because of the weak faith of those who brought him, and of the blind man himself, his eyes could not be opened completely.²

Therefore, it follows: And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees walking. Because he was still influenced by a lack of faith, he said that he saw men dimly.

The Venerable Bede: He saw the shapes of bodies among the shadows but was unable to distinguish the outlines of their limbs because of the remaining darkness of his vision. In the same way, trees standing close together tend to appear to people who see them from a distance or in the dim light of night, making it difficult to know whether they are trees or men.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the reason he did not see perfectly at once, but only partially, was that he did not have perfect faith, for healing is given in proportion to faith.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: However, from the very beginning of his returning senses, the Lord leads him to grasp things by faith, and in this way makes him see perfectly. Therefore, the text continues, After that, He put His hands again upon his eyes, and he began to see. Afterwards, it adds, And he was restored, and saw all things clearly—that is, he was perfectly healed in his senses and his intellect.³

It goes on, And He sent him away to his house, saying, Go into thy home, and if thou enter into the town, tell it not to any one.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He gave him these commands because the people of the town were unfaithful, as has been said, so that he would not suffer harm to his soul from them, and so they, through their unbelief, would not fall into a more grievous sin.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, He leaves an example for His disciples not to seek popular favor through the miracles they perform.

Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, however, Bethsaida is interpreted as "the house of the valley"—that is, the world, which is the valley of tears. They bring a blind man to the Lord—that is, one who sees neither what he has been, what he is, nor what he will be. They ask Him to touch him, for what is being touched but feeling remorse?

The Venerable Bede: For the Lord touches us when He enlightens our minds with the breath of His Spirit. He stirs us up so that we may recognize our own weakness and be diligent in good works. He takes the hand of the blind man to strengthen him for the practice of good works.

Pseudo-Jerome: And He brings him out of the town—that is, out of the company of the wicked. He puts spittle on his eyes so that he may see the will of God by the breath of the Holy Spirit. And putting His hands upon him, He asked him if he could see, because the Lord's majesty is seen by His works.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, by putting spittle on the blind man's eyes, He lays His hands upon him so that he may see, because He has wiped away the blindness of the human race both by invisible gifts and by the sacrament of His assumed humanity. For the spittle, proceeding from the Head, signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit.

And though He could have cured the man completely and all at once with a single word, He cures him by degrees. He does this to show the greatness of human blindness, which can only be restored to light with great difficulty and, as it were, step by step. He also shows us His grace, by which He advances each step toward perfection.

Again, whoever is weighed down by such a long-standing blindness that he is unable to distinguish between good and evil sees, as it were, men like trees walking, because he sees the actions of the crowd without the light of discernment.

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, he sees men as trees because he considers all men to be greater than himself. But He put His hands again upon his eyes so that he might see all things clearly—that is, to understand invisible things by means of visible ones, and with the eye of a pure mind to contemplate what the eye has not seen: the glorious state of his own soul after the rust of sin. He sent him to his home—that is, to his heart—so that he might see in himself things he had not seen before. For a man despairing of salvation does not think he can do at all what, when enlightened, he can easily accomplish.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, after He has healed him, He sends him to his home, for the home of each one of us is heaven and the mansions that are there.

Pseudo-Jerome: And He says to him, If thou enter into the town, tell it not to any one, that is, continually relate to your neighbors your blindness, but never tell them of your virtue.

1. in Marc., 2, 34
2. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
3. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.