Jesus touches the blind man, and something happens — but not everything.
Do you see anything?
I see people, but they look like trees walking around.
It takes a second touch. It’s one of the only miracles that unfolds in stages. And it’s not a mistake — it’s a mirror.
Because immediately after that, we get Peter. Peter, who’s walked with Jesus. Watched him heal. Listened to him teach. Peter, who finally says what the others might have been thinking: You are the Christ.
He says the right thing. He uses the right title. But does he really see Jesus for who he is?
The next passage — which we’ll read soon — makes it clear he doesn’t. Peter “knows” Jesus, but he doesn’t yet understand what that means. He sees, but not fully. Not yet. Just like the man whose healing came in stages.
That’s what makes Jesus’ question timeless: Who do you say that I am?
It’s not just a theological question. It’s a discipleship question. A Monday morning question. A question for those of us who think we’ve seen enough to know. It’s such an important question for today. And it’s why we need to return to him daily. All day long.
Because in truth, Jesus’ work in us often unfolds slowly. In stages. Our clarity comes over time, through trust, through correction, through grace. And every so often, we need to let him touch our eyes again. Not because we’re blind, but because we’re not seeing sharply.
We live in a world where many people claim the name of Jesus, but do not know what that means. We must be even more vigilant. People slap his name on power grabs, prejudice, platforms, and fear. Maybe they even know all the words to the worship songs. But their actions are far from his character. They shout Christ! — but they see people like trees. Blurry, disposable, reduced.
Maybe this is why Jesus tells the healed not to talk about him yet, not to go into the village and share the news. It seems so backwards, doesn’t it? And we have such a strong desire to tell others not just what happened to us, but how it has to happen to them. But maybe Jesus knows we don’t really see the whole picture yet.
So let today be another stage in the healing. Another moment of divine touch. May we answer Jesus’ question not just with words, but with lives that reveal clearer vision — vision shaped by mercy, by truth, and by the refusal to reduce people. May we not settle for partial sight. May we keep coming back to Jesus, again and again, until we see — and live — more like him.
Mark 8:22-30
Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch and heal him. Taking the blind man’s hand, Jesus led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on the man, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees, only they are walking around.”
Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. He looked with his eyes wide open, his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. Then Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village!”
Jesus and his disciples went into the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
They told him, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets.”
He asked them, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Psalm 25:4-5
Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth—teach it to me—because you are the God who saves me. I put my hope in you all day long.
Prayer
God,
Help me see Jesus more clearly.
Not just in name, but in nature.
Not just his title, but as truth.
Holy Father of all creation,
I see your loving justice in Jesus of Nazareth.
By your Spirit and in Christ,
Make me more like him.
Amen.