Was Jesus too tired to heal?

O.K. no takers on this one.

Mark 8 is about spiritual blindness and spiritual vision. Jesus is using this healing as a way to teach His disciples that they are still not seeing Him clearly. Although they have begun the process of receiving "sight," they still do not see clearly who Jesus is.

Notice the context. Prior to the healing of the blind man, Jesus is warning his disciples about the "yeast" of the Pharisees and of Herod. Yet, because they had not brought along bread for the trip they surmised that Jesus was rebuking them for that. Jesus knew of their conversation and asked why they were talking about bread and calls into question their understanding or spiritual vision (Mark 8:17-21) concluding with the question "do you still not understand?"

So the disciples have a vision problem.

The next scene is about the healing of a blind man.

This blind man wants to see so Jesus heals him, but in two stages. After the first healing Jesus asks him what he sees. The man answers that he can see but things are still blurry. Then after a second healing the man responds that he can see clearly.

The disciples, like this man, have come to see Jesus but with blurry vision. They also will need further healing if they wish to see Him clearly. This is what the next segment is about.

While traveling after this incident Jesus asks His disciples "who do people say that I am?" Or "what is the spiritual vision level of the people?"

The disciples answer in what amounts to blindness on the part of the people. Jesus is not simply "one of the prophets" or Elijah, or John the Baptist.

Then Jesus asks who they think He is which amounts to asking about their spiritual vision.

At first it looks like Peter can see clearly because he responds that Jesus is the Christ / Messiah. This statement makes it seem like Peter has clear spiritual vision, but does he? Though he identifies Jesus correctly as Messiah, Peter does not yet understand what that means, he is still blurry in his vision.

This is shown in the next scene.

When Jesus begins to describe His rejection, death, and resurrection Peter takes Him aside and rebukes Him! Is that clear spiritual vision? Is it ever right to say "No, Lord" in a situation like this?

Jesus makes it abundantly clear that Peter does not understand what it means for Jesus to be Messiah. He says to Peter "get behind me Satan" because Peter does not have "in mind" or in his "spiritual vision" the things of God but rather the things of men. This is the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod!

Peter (and likely all the disciples) still need further healing of their blindness. This healing will come when they are ready to do what Jesus says in the next segment; to take up their cross daily and follow Him.

It is not enough to call Jesus Lord or Messiah, we must give Him authority over our lives and be willing to die to ourselves so that He may live in us and make us alive. This will bring full healing from spiritual blindness.

Jesus taught that if we would do what God says we would come to understand His teaching (John 7:17). And in Romans 12:1, 2 we are told that offering our bodies daily as living sacrifices to God will give us spiritual sight about the will of God.

So, spiritual blindness is failing to recognize Jesus as Messiah.

Blurry vision is saying "I am a follower of Christ" while not choosing to follow him.

Clear vision comes only by submitting to the Lordship of Christ.

God Bless!

Thanks John

In this story, at least as far as the disciples (then and now) are concerned, perhaps the lesson might be that believing is seeing!

Onward and Upward!