John Calvin Commentary Mark 8

And groaning in his spirit. By these words, Mark informs us that it caused our Lord grief and bitter vexation when he saw those ungrateful men obstinately resist God. And certainly, all who desire to promote the glory of God and who feel concern for the salvation of men should have such feelings that nothing would inflict a deeper wound on their hearts than to see unbelievers purposely blocking their own way to believing and using all their ingenuity to obscure with their clouds the brightness of the word and works of God.

The words, in his spirit, seem to me to be added emphatically, to inform us that this groan came from the deepest affection of his heart, and that no sophist might allege that Christ resorted to outward displays to express a grief he did not inwardly feel; for that holy soul, which was guided by the zeal of the Spirit, must have been moved by deep sadness at the sight of such wicked obstinacy.

Mark seems to have related this miracle, which the other two Evangelists omit, chiefly because Christ restored sight to the blind man not in an instant, as He usually did, but in a gradual manner. He most probably did this to prove, in this man's case, that He had full liberty in His way of proceeding and was not restricted to a fixed rule, so that He could use a variety of methods in exercising His power.

Therefore, He did not instantly enlighten the eyes of the blind man and make them fully functional; instead, He first gave him a dim and confused perception, and afterwards, by laying His hands on him a second time, enabled him to see perfectly. Thus, the grace of Christ, which had previously been poured out suddenly on others, flowed by drops, so to speak, on this man.

I see men. Our Lord had put the question to the blind man for the sake of his disciples, to inform them that the man had received something, but that until now nothing more than a slight beginning of the cure had been achieved.

The reply is that he sees men because he perceives some persons walking who are upright like trees. By these words, he acknowledges that his sight is not yet so clear as to distinguish men from trees.

But he has already obtained some power of seeing, because he conjectures from the motion that those whom he perceives to be in an erect posture are men; and it is in this respect that he says they are like trees. We see then that he speaks only by conjecture when he says that he sees men.

⁴³⁵ “Iusques a ce qu’ayant par sa mort accompli la satisfaction des pechez du monde;” — “till having by his death rendered full satisfaction for the sins of the world.”;” — “till having by his death rendered full satisfaction for the sins of the world.”