Saint James Blog

Mark 8:22-26. Jesus heals a blind man. He takes him aside so there is no spectacle and then spits in his eyes which partially heals the man. Then Jesus touches his eyes again and finishes the job. I wondered this week if healing, being made whole, is a process and not an instantaneous event. The first piece of the process in this story brings partial sight to the blind man. The second touch brought fuller restoration. Of what can we be healed? What is healing? What does it mean to regain our sight? Are we blind, only in a different sense than this man? Are the disciples more blind than this man as evidenced in the story just before this in Mark 8:14-21 when Jesus asks if the disciples will ever understand; we might ask will they ever see? What is this story meant to tell us about our own lives and the healing of which we find ourselves in need?