The Gospel of Mark 8:11-26 - Seeing isn’t Always Believing

Some Pharisees come to Jesus with a challenge in mind. They have come to shut him up! They issue this challenge by demanding a sign from heaven. Jesus responds with frustration and tells them that they won’t get a sign (for now). After they exchange words Jesus sets out with the Disciples and He warns them to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. We will discuss what this means. Coming to Bethsaida Jesus performs a powerful miracle, healing the blind, but in a very interesting way.

Today’s lesson is all about believing God even when things seem a little strange and not demanding things of God, like a sign.

Discussion:

“The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.”

Mark 8:11 (ESV)

To argue with Him

By now we are used to the idea of certain elites coming to challenge Jesus, especially the Pharisees. Whether or not it was the intention, this often resulted in an honor and shame battle. Here the Pharisees come to Jesus with no pretense – they have come to argue. Since He is in Galilee, it seems likely that the Pharisees are also local (France 2002, 311). If you compare to Mark 7:1, where it notes that they came from Jerusalem, it seems that this is likely. If this is true, this group of Pharisees would be a different group than those who had previously challenged Him. They come not to inquire about His teachings, not to help bring Him back into order, but to challenge Him and defend their home turf. They start by demanding a sign from heaven.

Sign from heaven to test Him

But what does this mean? What do they mean by a sign from heaven? Jesus has already done many powerful miracles. They are not demanding a miracle but instead a sign from God that would prove that Jesus is a prophet (Lane 1974, 276–277; Guelich 1989, 414). In fact, when we read the Torah, they are doing what they are supposed to do with a prophet!

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”

Deuteronomy 18:18–22, ESV)

And so why was this wrong? It was wrong because they didn’t come to test to see if He were a legitimate prophet or not, they came to put Him down! In other words, they have already held trial and found Him “guilty,” all without asking a single question. No matter what sign is shown they have come to challenge Him. As we can see the Torah commanded that they test the words of the prophets, but this did not mean automatic rejection. The Pharisees then are out of order. Jesus understood this and saw their hearts. This moved Him to great emotion as He was troubled from His soul.

“And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Mark 8:12 (ESV)

No sign

It is significant that they came asking for a sign from heaven and Jesus Himself told them no. However, the no was not a full no. No sign would not be given to them at that time. Matthew 16:4 clarifies that no sign will be given EXCEPT for the sign of Jonah.

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”

Matthew 16:4 (ESV)

But what is this sign of Jonah?

The Sign of Jonah

The sign of Jonah is a reference to Jonah when he was thrown overboard from the ship and went down in the sea only to be swallowed by a sea chaos creature.

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 12:40 (ESV)

I have heard many believe that the sign of Jonah was a reference to the amount of days that Jesus was in the tomb – three days and three nights. However, this is not completely accurate. The sign of Jonah, instead is a reference to Jesus death and resurrection (Hagner 1995, 456; Osborne 2010, 613)! Some might object that Jonah did not die and Jesus did, however, the story of Jonah actually hints at the possibility of his death (remember that sheol is the grave or underworld).

“saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your breakers and your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head. To the roots of the mountains I went down, to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.”

Jonah 2:2–6 (ESV)

Thus, a sign would not be given to them at that time, however, a sign would be given to them later, His death and resurrection. This was the sign of heaven, because only God can bring someone back from the dead!

After this challenge Jesus gets back into the boat and Jesus began to warn them about the “leaven” of the Pharisees.

“And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Mark 8:13–21 (ESV)

The leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

I want to start by addressing the leaven of Herod. When I first read this, I was like “wait, what is the leaven of Herod?!” However, Mark has made a connection that I have never noticed before; the Pharisees and Herod both sought a sign (Luke 23:8) (Lane 1974, 281)! The leaven In Luke is their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), however, in Mark it seems to be their lack of faith (the need for a sign). Here Jesus warns the Disciples of unbelief, the Pharisees constant need for a sign. Yet the Disciples are supposed to believe without the need for signs. We are not to believe because of what we see (we walk by faith and not by sight), whether signs from heaven or on earth, instead, we are to believe because of who Jesus is!

“Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29 (ESV)

After this warning the boat arrived and they got out at Bethsaida.

“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?”

Mark 8:22–23 (ESV)

Led him out of the village

Why did Jesus lead the man out of the village? I believe He led Him out of the village for two reasons, both of which will be explained later. He wanted to keep this healing a secret, not because of what He would do, but because of what His actions would say. The second was because the judgement that He knew would come to Bethsaida; it was a place that lacked faith and had a hard heart.

Spit on his eyes

This story presents a lot of questions. Why did Jesus spit on the man’s eyes?! At first glance, it might be tempting to view the spitting in the eyes as a magical practice. Saliva was viewed as having magical or healing properties by non-Jews, especially by the Romans (reference the story of Vespasian healing a blind man with his spit) (Marcus 2009, 599). I do not agree with this though. Jesus made it clear that He had no need of gimmicks or “magical” practices! He casts out demons with a word, touches the lepers, and raises the dead! His power to do miracles is unmatched! So why would He do this?

This may sound strange, but I believe He did it to send a message to the man. The man could not see, and when He felt the spit hit his eyes, he would have immediately believed he was going to receive healing (Blight 2012, 419). Thus, Jesus spit in the man’s eyes to raise his faith!

After spitting in his eyes and touching the man He asked if He could see. The man responded that he could see men walking like trees.

“And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”

Mark 8:24 (ESV)

See people like trees walking

Stop, full stop! What does the man mean that he sees men walking like trees?! Some have suggested that this is a man who was blind and slowly gaining vision, trying to describe what he sees. This may be the case. However, there is a more likely meaning behind the statement that makes all this make more sense. In order to understand this phrase, we need to go back in history and read some inscriptions from the temple of Asclepius in Epidaurus. Asclepius was a god of healing. Interestingly, the original Hippocratic Oath started with a swearing to gods, including Asclepius (United States Congress, Greek Medicine – The Hippocratic Oath.”). He is symbolized by a staff with a serpent wrapped around it, a symbol that is present on many modern medical logos and emblems. These inscriptions at the temple portray accounts of healings by Asclepius which date to hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The eighteenth inscription tells a story of the healing of a blind man where the first thing he saw were trees (Collins and Attridge 2007, 391–392). There seems to be a link here. It is my opinion that one of the points that Mark is making is that Jesus is greater than Asclepius (the Old Testament does this a lot with the surrounding gods and Yahweh). However, even more than this, I believe one of the points is that Jesus is God! This is one reason why He led the man out of the village, as the reference to the men walking like trees would make one thing clear, Jesus is God.

Jesus seeing that the man wasn’t fully healed, touched his eyes again.

“Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”

Mark 8:25 (ESV)

Laid His hands again

Reading this, it may strike you as strange that Jesus had to lay hands on someone twice. After all, He raised the dead, healed lepers, walked on water, and calmed storms, why would He need to touch a blind man twice? Many scholars believe that this is symbolic, and I would agree with them, however, I also believe it is literal. It would not be wise to think of this healing as two attempts, but instead, as a single healing with two stages (Stein 2008, 392).

The point of all this is that Jesus is God. Only those touched of God can understand His divinity. Perhaps this is the meaning behind the second touch. Secondly, to focus on the two stages would be to miss the point that Mark is trying to make. The point of this narrative, as pointed out above, is that Jesus is God.

After healing the man, Jesus sent him back home.

“And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Mark 8:26 (ESV)

Go home but do not enter the village

This is the last of the interesting parts in this story. Jesus instructed the man to go home, which makes sense, but then tells him not even to go into the town (he clearly lived outside of the town). The man might have thought he should go into the city and proclaim the goodness of Jesus, because of their culture (see the last blog post), yet here Jesus warns him not to enter. But why would He do this? We must remember the context of the town of Bethsaida. It was this same town that Jesus proclaimed would be judged because of their lack of repentance and faith (Matt 11:21–22) (Guelich 1989, 435). Thus, to Jesus, the town represented something – a hard heart and lack of faith. Jesus told the man not to enter the town much like He instructed the Disciples to brush off the dust from their feet if a town would not receive them. What does this tell us, that the King had already judged the town, and He had found them wanting!

Life Application and Questions to Consider

This is a warning to us. When we approach life, we must approach with belief and faith. Sometimes the actions of God seem foreign to us and we don’t understand them. Yet we must trust! Trust that He has our best interest in heart, trust that He knows what is right. Often it is easy to forget this while the storms of life rage around us. Yet we are called to be still, and know that He is God!

• Do we discard the actions of God when we think they are strange?

• Do we have faith and believe, even when all seems against us?

It’s one thing to acknowledge that He is God in our head, but it’s another thing to know it in our heart. Jesus isn’t just interested in our mental ascent, He wants our faith. Faith endures through trial, it holds fast to the end.

Another point to consider. Do we place demands on God because of our unbelief?

• What do we do in our lives that asks God for a sign because we do not believe?

We must take heart and believe in Him. That is what this is all about. Faith. When we feel weak and like we can’t endure, cry out to God “I have faith, help my lack of faith!” Be honest with Him, because He already knows. Trust in Him, look to Him, and put your full trust in Him.

Connections

• Matthew 16:1–12

• Luke 12:1–3

Outline

• The Pharisees demand another sign from Jesus

• Beware the leaven of the Pharisees

• Jesus heals a blind man

References-

• R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 311.

• William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 276–277.

• Robert A. Guelich, Mark 1–8:26, vol. 34A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 414.

• Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14–28, vol. 33B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995), 456.

• Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, vol. 1, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 613.

• William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 281.

• “The use of such magical means also reflects on the status of their bestower. Suetonius, for example, tells a story, in many ways parallel to ours, about the emperor-to-be Vespasian healing a blind man by means of his spittle (Vespasian 7.2–3; cf. Tacitus, Histories 4.81.1), introducing it with the words

  Vespasian, who against all expectation had mounted the throne as a wholly new prince, still lacked presence (auctoritas) and divinely confirmed majesty (maiestas). But this was granted to him [when he healed the blind man]. (Schrage trans., “Typhlos,” 274 n. 23)

  In this case, the healing of the blind man points toward the royal authority of the healer.”

  Joel Marcus, Mark 8–16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2009), 599.

• “When the man felt the spittle on his eyes he would realize that Jesus was going to deal with his blind eyes [Hb]. It sent the message, ‘Something will be done for your eyes, and I will do it’ [NTC]. Another interpretation is that Jesus spit on the man’s closed eyelids to assure him that his eyes would receive sight. The spittle itself had no healing powers [Lns]. The man didn’t open his eyes until Jesus asked what he saw [Hb].”

  Richard C. Blight, An Exegetical Summary of Mark 1–8 (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2012), 419.

• “Greek Medicine – The Hippocratic Oath,” United States Congress, last modified July 19, 2022,

  https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114995/documents/HHRG-117-IF02-20220719-SD007.pdf.

• Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 391–392.

• Robert H. Stein, Mark, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 392.

• Robert A. Guelich, Mark 1–8:26, vol. 34A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 435.