Eyes Wide Open

Introduction

I am often searching for things that are not lost. For example I might be looking for an item in the refrigerator and realizing it is missing, call my wife for help — who comes along and the item seems to just magically appear - for some reason it was in front of my eyes but momentarily invisible, or I was momentarily blind. Hopefully there are a few more folks out there who can identify with me. Even with the gift of sight, many of us can be blind to very obvious things in front of us.

This morning as we continue in the Gospel of Mark for our sermon series, I was to focus on the healing of the blind man in ch 8 along with the pivotal portion of Mark’s Gospel — the confession of Peter in vs 27-30. Using our understanding of Mark’s sandwiching of stories, we find that the healing of the blind man is sandwiched between the feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8:1-9), the pharisees demand for a sign (Mark 8:11-13) , the disciples worrying about bread (Mark 8:14-21) and Jesus warning them against the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod on the one hand and the confession of Peter on the other (Mark 8:27-30) and Jesus’ first foretelling of his death and resurrection (Mark 8:31-38). Further more, this healing itself begins a new section in Mark which is then bookend by a second healing of a blind man - Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52. Between these two healings we Jesus laying down the cost of discipleship — this is what it means to follow in the way of the new Exodus that Jesus is bringing. The healing of these two blind men is an allusion to the promise in Isaiah 42:16

Isaiah 42:16 NRSV

16 I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

The Healing of the Blind Man

Now Mark is the only Gospel writer that has this story of the blind man that was healed in two touches. This is the only instant where it seems that Jesus has to touch twice before the man’s sight is fully restored. What’s going on? Was it because Jesus needed more power so to speak? or was there an intentional purpose in the way Jesus heals this man? When we look at this passage through the lens of the big picture of Mark and also of the immediate passages surrounding it, we quickly realize that this miracle of healing functions as a parable of deed. As a parable, this miracle shows that more is going on that just the physical sight restored to this man — in fact, we realize that this man is not the only blind person in this chapter. Not only is the man healed in two touches, we begin to see all kinds of doublets — repeated events though in different ways throughout this Gospel. For example this healing miracle parallels very closely with the healing of the deaf man in Mark 7:31-37.

Mark 7:33 Jesus takes the deaf man aside in private Mark 8:23 He takes the blind man…out of the village

Mark 7:33 Use of Saliva | Mark 8:23 Use of Saliva

Mark 7:35 ears opened, tongue released | Mark 8:24-25 eyes opened

Mark 7: 36 Tell no one | Mark 8:26 Do not go into the village

Difference: Deaf man is healed in a gentile area, blind man in a Jewish area

Mark 6:30-44 Feeding of 5000 | Mark 8:1-9 Feeding of 4000

Difference: 5000 in Jewish area and 4000 in Gentile area

So the healing in two touches — a progressive healing somehow reflects these doublets and confirms that this miracle points to the blindness not only of the man but of everyone else in this chapter.

Pharisees are blind: Mark 8:11-13 Even after seeing the miracles of Jesus, especially the two feedings in the wilderness, they are still asking for a sign from heaven and Jesus refuses to give it to them.

Herod/Herodians are blind: Mark 8:15

Mark 8:15 NRSV

15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

3. Disciples are blind: Mark 8:14-21

Mark 8:14–21 NRSV

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

This whole story is about seeing — or rather, the warning against “not seeing” — In the greek text the words for “seeing” are all over this passage. When Jesus says “watch out” — it’s a word for seeing.

What is the blindness that has come upon all these people? While there are different reasons for each one, there is one thing in common? They are not missing who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Even the disciples who are following Jesus are now being influenced by what Jesus calls the “yeast” of the Pharisees and Herod or Herod’s supporters, the Herodians. In Matthews account, Jesus warns of the yeast of the Pharisees and Saduccees.

Who are these people? Well, with the risk of oversimplifying but for the sake of time, here’s a very brief overview of these folks:

Pharisees: These were Jewish leaders who were like the thought police. Their beginnings go back a couple of Centuries before Christ and during the period of Hellenization when Greece was the dominating world power but especially during the Maccabean revolt which sought to overthrow Greece. The word Pharisee comes from the Heb parush which means separated. Please remember that Pharisee is not synonymous with hypocrites — These were people who tried to live as pure Jews having the Torah (OT law) and Tradition as their twin pillars (Fergussen 482). They had three goals: Purify Israel (tradition), restore Israel (independent theocratic status), study and practice Torah. By the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were populist and quite respected. They believed in resurrection.

Saduccees: Aristocrats — name from Zadok the high priest during the time of David. Combined conservative religious attitude into power politics. The temple was their power base. Survival was key and showed openess to hellenistic influence. Only followed Moses law and not oral traditions. Interested in maintaining status quo and preserving their power and influence - temporary concerns and “God helps those who help themselves” - Denied resurrection, rejected oral traditions and the prophets as these challenged their temporal comforts.

There were others like Zealots who sought to violently overthrow the Romans, or the Essenes who withdrew into the wilderness.

Herod/Herodians — Not Jews — Idumites — puppets for Rome.

When the Pharisees asked for a sign, they were probably looking for a signal that if Jesus is the Messish that he was ready to overthrow the Roman rule. Preoccupied with their religious and national zeal, they became blind to Jesus. We see later how another Pharisee, Paul had to physically become blind revealing his true condition before the scales fell off his eyes in Acts 9.

Whether political ambitions, self-gratification like Herod, or religious or national zeal — all these opposing parties had become blind to Jesus.

And the disciples by arguing in the boat about having no bread were revealing that they too had not really understood Jesus. When Jesus uses the word “yeast” or “leaven” he was not talking about the nice little yeast packets or bottles we get in the grocery store — but rather a small amount of dough that in those days was kept over to start a new batch of bread dough. Proverbially, yeast or leaven demonstrated how little causes can create great effects and metaphorically, it was used in the bible as something that corrupts thinking and conduct — teaching that corrupts — and Matthew and Luke’s gospel tell us that Jesus was warning the disciples of the teaching and the hypocrisy of the pharisees. What was that? In their desire to see Israel back to it’s glory days, they had made rigid rules around ritual purity, food laws etc. to the extent that they missed out on God’s intention to give abundant life to His creatures. So when Jesus comes announcing the kingdom, restoring the image of God in people by forgiving sins, healing the sick and providing food - they missed it! The yeast of the Pharisees and Herod and the Saduccees was their unbelief, and the disciples by allowing unbelief had also become blind, deaf and hard hearted — the OT prophets warned those who make idols become like them — idols have eyes but cannot see, ears, but cannot hear — and there is not beating heart in them — When people refuse to believe God, then blindness is almost a judgement as their ability to comphrehend is lost.

Two Touches

When Jesus asks a string of questions to the disciples in the boat we realize that they still do not get who Jesus is.

They too need a second (or maybe third or fourth) touch from Jesus.

In the healing of the deaf man and this blind man, Jesus spits — and while some scholars have suggested that spittle was thought in the ancient world to have healing powers, we know that Jesus in other miracles doesn’t need to do that. I believe Mark is communicating something important. Just as Jesus spoke words of power and did mighty deeds, this act demonstrates that life and life comes from the mouth of Jesus. In fact it takes us all the way back to Genesis when God speaks and creation is brought into existence, then God creates human beings from the earth and breathes the breath of life into Adam — and in a sense, Jesus is restoring broken Adam through His spittle. He is restoring the image of God and all who come to Jesus are restored in this way. Those who refuse turn into the idols they worship, whether of wood or stone or of power, self-gratification or ambition.

In the first stage of healing the man sees people like trees walking — he probably was not born blind like the man in John 9 and seems to have a memory of trees, but that’s not the point - the point is that he needed a second touch — and Jesus gives it to Him —

Mark 8:25 NRSV

25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Looked intently — literally - stare with eyes wide open — That’s why I titled this morning’s sermon - eyes wide open! That’s what Jesus wants to do through this second touch — and it says, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

That is the point — Seeing clearly with eyes wide open — The greatest vision we can ever have is to see Jesus — and even though we may have the physical experience of this man, we can see him with eyes of Faith — Believing is Seeing — and some of you probably know our dear friend Ahmad from the House of Omeed - who cannot physically see but spiritually, He sees Jesus better than many of us who have physical sight — if you have spent any time with this dear brother, you come away with having seen more of Jesus.

Now both this healing as well as another healing in Mark of the paralyzed man - we see that friends or others brought these people to Jesus. There is a sense that we need each other in this journey of faith. Like the disciples will also have to learn that it’s in community that they will experience the power and presence of Jesus and they cannot do this solo.

After Jesus heals the blind man, he sends him home — not to the village - home is a significant place in Mark’s Gospel. It is in homes that Jesus heals, teachers and later we find in the book of Acts, that Mark’s home was a place the early church met and the readers of Mark are probably meeting in home churches. Home is therefore not a place to hide but to experience God.

The opening of Peter’s eyes (Partially)

The next passage Mark 8:27-30 is the turning point in Mark. The location of the conversation is significant. They are in Caesarea Philippi which was the area given by Caeser Augustus to Herod the Great in 20 BC. Herod had built a temple consecrated to Caeser and later it passed on to Herod Philip who renamed it Caesarea Philippi. It was a centre of pagan religion and the Emperor cult and it is here that Jesus asks the disciples:

Who do people say I am? They answer him like Herod had done in Mark 6 — John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets

Who do you say that I am?

This is the crucial question in Mark’s Gospel - there comes a time for every person who hears the Gospel to respond to that question — Who do you say that I am? It is not just the Herods and Pharisees, Saduccees and even the disciples but in a sense we all need to have our eyes opened to the reality of who Jesus is.

Peter speaking for the others says “You are the Messiah”! That is a big step from being blind and hard hearted in the earlier passage — Peter is slowly beginning to see Jesus — While this is not yet a recognition of Jesus’ divinity, Peter is making a very serious confession at a very crucial location — before the powers of rome and the kings of the world - Herod and Caeser, Peter is willing to declare, Jesus is the true King of Israel - the Messiah — and it’s only after this Jesus begins to tell Peter what kind of Messiah He will be — and we find Peter almost falling again into the satanic temptation of hindering Jesus from His call — Peter, James , John and others will need that second touch — but for now they are beginning to see Jesus better and in Matthews account, Jesus tells Peter

Matthew 16:16–17 NRSV

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

The conclusion Peter came to was a revelation from God. Peter’s eyes had begin to open though he still had a long way to go. Again, in Matthews account, this is where Peter gets a new name — Jesus tells him that he will called a rock.

Matthew 16:18 NRSV

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Recognizing Jesus gives us a new identity. We become new creations! The broken image is restored as Jesus opens our eyes, opens our ears, gives us a new heart - and as this truth about God, His kingdom and our purpose on earth begins to unravel in our lives, it begins to defeat the lies that have kept us and others from seeing Jesus.

Ultimately it is the Cross and the resurrection that will fully open the eyes of the disciples — the world has never been the same ever since.

The cross shows us a different view of power — not the power of the world that blinds us to truth and love, but the power of sacrifice, of self-giving love, of surrendering to the Father’s will — which is so contrary to what the world offers — and the church today needs to heed Jesus warning about the yeast of the pharisees and Herod lest we begin to borrow our ideas from the world, lest we in our desire for power, prestige, titles and positions, self-gratification even at the expense of others — become blind to the way of Jesus. Spiritual pride can also be blinding. When we begin to think we know it all, when we begin to use our spiritual experiences as a way to grade ourselves before God or look down on others, we become blind to the ways of Jesus. We might claim to be with Jesus, but if we are being discipled by ideas that are not from him, then instead of being the source of blessing to others, instead of feeding with multitudes with the bread of life, we offer toxic food to a hungry world. A recent report of the fall of a well known Christian leader is a wake-up call for the church to humble ourselves, come to Jesus — like the blind man — and yes, Jesus may cause us some discomfort when he deals with our blindness and deafness - I mean no one likes to be spat on their eyes or tongues —

Honesty — confess our confusion — I can only see partially — Jesus please touch us again and again

Eyes wide open—

The one thing that differentiated the disciples from the pharisees and others who opposed Jesus, was that the disciples kept following Jesus and Jesus kept working on them — and He keeps working on us - We are all works in progress.

But the disciples had to learn to become little ones — like the blind man, like the syrophoeniciean woman in ch 7 like the children in chapter 10, the little ones gain the kingdom by faith.