In Mark 8:22-30 Jesus performs a highly symbolic act of healing a blind man. Jesus' ability to give this blind man physical sight by laying hands on him foreshadows the spiritual sight that He will give to His disciples. In Mark 8:29 Peter confesses, on behalf of the twelve (minus Judas), that Jesus is the Christ. This confession demonstrates that the disciples now know that Jesus is Israel's Messiah, but they don't yet realize all of what that title entails. Jesus' healing in which He gave partial sight followed by perfect sight to the blind man is a symbol of the need for the disciples to be given a more complete understanding of the sufferings that were necessary for the Christ to endure during His earthly ministry. We can conclude from this section that God alone opens the eyes of the spiritually blind, and that He also enables His elect to persevere by "seeing" who Christ is in a more complete way as we become more conformed to the image of the Son.

Handout | Powerpoint