Mark 8:22-26 Study

Main Ideas

The process of seeing Jesus

The amazing literary work of the bible

The touch of Jesus

Opener

What movie have you watched a second or third time and saw more the second time?

Review

Week 1 - Feeding of the 4k

What are you looking for?

Having little was confirmation that there was nothing they could do

Week 2 - Pharisees Demand a sing

What is your attitude towards Jesus when you ask for sign?

What are looking for when you seek a sign?

Week 3 - Head and the Pharisees are like Leaven

Yeast and Leaven are different

Pharisees & Herod are examples of being stuck in religion or the glory days, and they won’t see the truth staring then in the face

Don’t be so overcome by the mundane (Lunch) that we miss what Jesus is doing

Proximity to Jesus does not equate to seeing and understanding

Location?

Jesus remains on the East side of the Sea of Galilee

Passage:

Mark 8:22–26 ESV

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

This story is unique

It shows up only in Mark and not Matthew or Luke

This story is the only miracle in the Gospels that has stages rather than an instant change.

Jesus normally speaks an authoritative word or makes a pronouncement. But here he asks a question, “ ‘Do you see anything?’ ” (v. 23).

Have you ever felt like Jesus was leading you out somewhere and ask a question that challenges you? What did you learn for this?

The Process of seeing Jesus & the amazing literary work of the bible

Continue the theme of seeing

22-26 contain 9 terms to seeing.

English translates them all to sight, but in Greek there are eight different words used for nine instances of seeing in 8:23–25!

Passage is at the 1/2 way point of the book and represents the disciples have been lead out by Jesus, but have yet to really see him.

Next week Peter’s Confession - start to see Jesus

But after the resurrection they really see him

Reread thinking about the disciples in place of the blind man.

Have there been moment’s in your life when you have seen more clearly? What was that like?

The touch of Jesus

The primary purposes of laying on of hands in the Old Covenant were: to transfer (animals or persons) from the profane to the sacred by consecrating them to God.

When Jesus lays hands on people the effect is rather the opposite:

The profane is no longer elevated to the sacred, as in the OT, but rather Jesus brings God holy and healing presence (He is sacred) to the ordinary, common, and even sinful person (aka the profane).

The person is not sacred (without blemish) after the healing, the real miracle is that the sacred (Jesus) came to the ordinary, common, sinful person.

The touch of Jesus’ healing is for relationship with him. Jesus came to show us who God was, but it a process.