Mark

8:22-30

1. Growing discontent

ii] Christ opens the eyes of the blind and even the disciples begin to see

On arriving at Bethsaida, a blind man is led to Jesus for healing. The healing is gradual, with Jesus laying his hands on him twice before he is able to see clearly. Then, in the village of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples "who do people say I am?" After a little fudging, Peter exclaims "you are the Christ / the messiah". Like the healing of the blind man, the disciples have slowly begun to see the real Jesus.

From 6:30 to 8:30 Mark parallels two sets of stories, running in tandem from the feeding of the 5,000 to the healing of the deaf and mute man, 6:30-7:37, and from the feeding of the 4,000 to the healing of the blind man and the confession at Caesarea Philippi, 8:1-30. Both sets of stories describe a journey of growing faith. In the two related episodes in 8:22-30, Mark draws a comparison between a blind man's gradual seeing and the disciples gradual believing. The artistry involved in this comparison is outstanding, although we are still left to wonder about the need for a two stage healing and for two visible symbols - of spit on the eyes and the touch of a hand. Allegorical opportunities abound, but we are on safer ground if we look to Biblical theology for the clues. See v23 below.

Bhqsaidan (a) "Bethsaida" - A large town in the tetrarchy of Herod Philip about a mile from the north-east corner of lake Galilee, although note that Mark uses the word kwmh, "village", in v23, which may indicate that he is referring to a related lakeside village, rather than the main town.

ferousin (ferw) aor. "some people brought" - they brought, carried [to him]. The "they" expresses an impersonal group = "some people", as NIV.

tuflon adj. "a blind man" - blind. The adjective used as a noun, so "a blind man".

parakalousin (parakalew) pres. "begged" - they begged, urged, exhorted, beseeched, pleaded [to him]. Historic present.

iJna + subj. "-" - introducing a dependent statement of entreating, functioning as an object clause, expressing what they asked, namely, "that he might touch him".

aJyhtai (aptw) aor. subj. + gen. "to touch" - he may touch, hold. "Him", functioning as the direct object of the verb, is genitive following a verb to touch, take hold of.

"Just as, in the prophet's interpretation of the first exodus, God took Israel by the hand and led them out of Egypt, so in the eschatological exodus to come, God will grasp Israel's hand, lead them out of captivity and open their blind eyes", Boring.

epilabomenoV (epilambanomai) aor. part. + gen. "he took" - having taken hold of, grasped [the hand of the blind man]. The prefix epi indicates that Jesus must lay his hand "on" the blind man to lead him. A verb of touching/taking hold of, takes the genitive as a direct object. This participle is adverbial, probably consecutive, "with the result that, so that"; "So he took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village", Moffatt.

exhnegken (ekferw) aor. "led [him outside the village]" - he took out. Obviously "led out", seeing the man is blind.

ptusaV (ptuw) aor. part. "when he had spit [on the man's eyes]" - having spit [into the eyes of him]. This participle, and the one that follows, is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV; "then he spat into his eyes and laid his hands on him." Healing through gestures was common among healers of the day, but why does Jesus use similar gestures? Certainly the laying on of hands has Biblical precedence and obviously the use of spittle had a common therapeutic use (although not on the Sabbath!, cf. Marcus). It is clear that Jesus didn't need to use such actions for on many occasions he heals with nothing more than a word. We can only but assume that from Jesus perspective he considered that the actions would be helpful for the blind man and the disciples who looked on. He displayed the outward vesture of a healer (for us, a white coat and a stethoscope), although unlike the healers of his day, he actually did heal.

epiqeiV (epitiqhmi) aor. part. "put [his hands on him]" - having laid, placed, put [the hands on him].

ephrwta (eperwtaw) imperf. "Jesus asked" - he was asking, questioning. Cranfield notes that only here in the NT does Jesus ask a question of someone he is healing. It's as if Jesus is asking whether the healing has worked, which of course, it has not. It is argued that Jesus knew the healing hadn't worked properly which is why he asks the question, although if he knew it hadn't worked, why did he need to ask? Surely the way Jesus plays out this episode serves to reveal its sign value.

ei "-" - if. Here used as an interrogative particle in a direct question. Not classical and only used here in Mark.

ti blepeiV "do you see anything?" - anything you see. The "anything" is placed for emphasis; "can you see at all?", Phillips.

anableyaV (anablepw) aor. part. "he looked up" - having looked up, recovered sight. Better "looked up", than "recovered his sight"; "at the question the man involuntarily raised his eyes", Swete. The participle is possibly temporal, "after he looked up he said", but more likely an attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the action of the main verb "said", as NIV. The aorist is possibly inceptive, "he began to see and said", Moffatt.

blepw "I see [people]" - I see [men]. "Men" indefinite, so "humans" = "people".

oJti "-" - that. Unusual use of this conjunction and so dropped in some texts, see Cranfield for a possible Aramaic influence. Of course, a causal sense may be intended, so Taylor; "I can see the people, for they look to me like trees, only they are moving about", Goodspeed.

oJrw (oJraw) pres. "I see people" - The object "people" is unstated, but assumed.

wJV "like" - as, like. "Looking like trees", Cassirer.

peripatountaV (peripatew) pres. part. "walking around" - walking. The participle is probably adverbial, concessive; "I can make out people for they look like trees, although they are moving about".

Jesus now attempts to complete the healing. As already noted, this two-stage healing "suggests a process of revelation as much for the disciples, we suspect, as for the blind man at Bethsaida", Edwards.

eita palin "once more" - then again. Referring back to Jesus' previous action of laying hands on the blind man.

epi "on [the man's eye]" - on, upon. More detail is given, now indicating where Jesus placed his hands.

diebleyen (diablepw) aor. "his eyes were opened" - he saw clearly, distinguished clearly. The first of two aorist verbs ("signals the complete healing", Guelich) expressing the consequent action involved in Jesus' healing touch - he saw clearly (looked intently) and he fully recovered his sight (was restored, made sound). This is followed by an imperfect verb expressing durative action, what he was able to go on to do - and he was able to look at [everything clearly/plainly].

thlaugwV adv. "clearly" - "Clearly from afar", MM.

eiV oikon autou "home" - to his home. "He sent him to his house", Torrey.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "saying" - Possibly "commanding"; "with the command", Torrey.

mhde .... eiselqhV (eisercomai) "don't go [into the village]" - you may not go. A subjective of prohibition forbidding an intended action, in this case, forbidding him to enter the village. There is a variant reading which is supported by some commentators, eg. Turner, Taylor, Cranfield, .. mhdeni eiphV eiV thn kwmhn, "do not speak to anyone in the village", effectively commanding the man not to speak of his cure there. Marcus dodges the problem by suggesting that the verse is a redactional addition - always a handy "get out of jail free" card. It does seem strange to send him home, but then tell him he is not allowed to enter the village. It is possible that Jesus is telling him not to enter the village in the sense of taking up his former profession of begging. At any rate, the command is but another example of Jesus strategic retention of the messianic secret.

Having witnessed a blind man slowly regaining his sight, we now witness Jesus' disciples slowly coming to faith, v27-30. For the disciples at least, the messianic secret is out.

taV kwmaV (h) "the villages" - Again this word is used here for "the villages of Caesarea Philippi", ie. "the villages of the town of Caesarea Philippi" = related villages / surrounding villages.

KaisareiaV thV Filippou "around Caesarea Philippi" - of Caesarea of Phillip. A town "rebuilt by Herod Philip and named by him Caesarea. It was at the source of the Jordan on the slopes of Hermon in the midst of a very beautiful and fertile country", Cranfield.

en th/ oJdw/ "on the way" - "As they went", TH. Note Luke, "as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him", 9;18.

ephrwta (eperwtaw) imperf. "he asked" - he was asking, questioning. A disciple would normally ask questions of his Rabbi, not the other way around.

oiJ anqrwpoi (oV) "people" - the men. Again used in a general sense, "people" as NIV.

me acc. "I" - me. Subject of the infinitive verb to-be, accusative infinitive construction. Emphatic position "to emphasize the figure of Jesus", Gundry.

einai (eimi) pres. inf. "am" - [whom do men say me] to be. The infinitive introduces a dependent statement, object clause after a verb of saying or thinking; "whom do people say that I am?"

The point is simple enough, "popular opinion does not hold Jesus to be the Messiah", Taylor. Jesus is viewed as John the Baptist come back to life, a raised-up Elijah (the greatest of all prophets), or possibly just an honored modern day prophet, but not the messiah.

de "-" - but, and. Here adversative separating the disciples from those with a faulty opinion of Jesus.

oiJ .... logenteV (legw) pres. part. "-" - the ones saying = the disciples = they [said to / answered him]. The participle here functions as a substantive, redundant. "They answered", TH.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing Mark's account of what they said. Not found in some texts, but probably original.

Iwannhn ton baptisthn acc. "[some say] John the Baptist" - The accusative infinitive construction is derived from an assumed infinitive verb to-be as used in v27; "[the men say] you to be John the Baptist", usually translated as if direct speech, "[they say] that you are John the Baptist". So also "Elijah". All three options are voiced by the people individually, so "some say John the Baptist and others say Elijah ..."

de "and still [others]" - and/but [others]. An adversative sense seems best, emphasizing a further item in the list, a move to direct speech, and more importantly, a devalued assessment of Jesus' person.

oJti "-" - that. Again used to introduce a dependent statement, although here direct speech expressing what they said; "but others [say] (that) `[he to be] (just) one of the prophets'". The infinitive verb to-be is again assumed (an ellipsis). "Others [say `he is] one of the prophets'", Gundry.

Christ is the person in whom all God's saving purposes are consummated and so for one Jew to give this title to another Jew, is the greatest of all complements. Peter gives this recognition to Jesus, although unlike the blind man who now sees clearly, Peter and the disciples have a way to go in their understanding of the person of Jesus.

de "but" - [and he questioned / asked them], but/and [you]. Obviously adversative here, as NIV.

uJmeiV pro. "[what about] you" - Emphatic position in the Gk. "But you yourselves, who do you say I am?", Weymouth.

kai autoV ephrwta autouV "he asked" - and he asked them. The autoV, "he", takes an emphatic position although Cranfield suggests that it simply stands for oJ de, "and he [asked them]".

tina "who" - whom [do you say].

me "I" - me. The position of this pronoun is advanced in the Gk. (tina me legete einai), separating it from the infinitive, so giving emphasis to the one it references, namely, Jesus.

einai (eimi) pres. inf. - "am" - to be. Again Mark uses the infinitive verb to-be, here again taking the accusative personal pronoun "I" as its subject, ie. the accusative infinitive construction.

oJ cristoV "[Your are] the Christ" - the anointed one, the Christ = the messiah. The related verb (verb to-be) is a historic present. The title "Christ" refers to someone consecrated to God's service, and in particular to "the hoped-for ruler who was to restore the kingdom of David to more than its former glory and prosperity", Cranfield. So, Jesus is the "one in whom the life of the whole nation of Israel finds its fulfilment and meaning ..... and in whom the new Israel now is the anointed people of God", Cranfield. Clearly Peter has caught a glimpse of this reality.

Jesus maintains the messianic secret, ie. he maintains a low profile with regard his messianic credentials (eg. miraculous signs which fulfil prophetic expectations) so as to quell popular political messianic aspirations, enabling an unclouded response to the gospel for those "with eyes to see".

epetimhsen (epitimaw) aor. "Jesus warned [them]" - he rebuked, sternly warned. The word primarily means "to rebuke", here in the sense of a "stern command". "He strictly ordered them", Junkins.

iJna + subj. "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what he said; "that they should tell no one". "That they should not mention this to anyone", Phillips.

peri + gen. "about [him]" - about, concerning.

Mark Introduction

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