Mark 8

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³ 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?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” ²⁷ And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

One of the most well known allegories ever told was told by Plato in Book VII of The Republic. Plato depicts the story as a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon.

And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.

I see.

And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.

You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.

Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?

True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?

And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?

Yes, he said.

And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?

Very true.

And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?

No question, he replied.

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.

That is certain.

And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, – what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, – will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?

Far truer.

And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?

True, he now

And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he ‘s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.

Not all in a moment, he said.

He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?

Certainly.

Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.

Certainly.

He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?

Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.

And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?

Certainly, he would.

And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,

Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?

Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.

Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?

To be sure, he said.

And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.[1]

It is a powerful allegory. Plato imagines that there is a kind of spectrum of knowledge and perception among human beings. Some (most) see only the shadows and mistake them for actual reality. Others break free from such limited perception and find out the truth of what is actually real. More times than not, however, those who finally break free from the cave are resented, are actually considered to be the blind ones, and are thought to be fools. Ultimately, those who see only shadows come to hate and some even try to kill those who actual reality.

We are born seeing only shadows and we too mistake them for reality. And, like those chained in Plato’s cave, the world resented Jesus when He came seeing clearly just at it hated and hates those whom He has freed to see clearly through his power. Some see shadows. Some see the truth. Others are somewhere in between.

There is a spectrum, a continuum, but if we are to live life truly then we must be willing to be freed to see reality and to reject the allure of shadows.

In the next movement of Mark 8, we see Jesus address blindness, near blindness, and actual sight. He does so literally at first by healing a blind man then he applies the lessons to the disciples and their spiritual understanding.

Jesus curiously heals a man in stages.

We begin once again with a miracle.

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³ 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?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” ²⁵ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

This is most amazing, as all of the miracles of Jesus are. It is also intriguing because it appears that Jesus healed the man in stages. The man is blind. He is brought to Jesus by a group of people who plead with Jesus to touch the man. Jesus leads the man out of the village, spits on his eyes, lays hands on him, then asks if he is healed. The man curiously responds, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” In other words, he is on the way, but he is not completely healed yet. He can see partially but not completely. In response to this, Jesus touches the man’s eyes and he is completely healed. Finally, Jesus sends him home and cautions him not to enter the village.

This healing in stages suggests one of two things: either Jesus orchestrates both stages on purpose to make a greater point, or it was simply a healing that required more than one step. It certainly could have simply been a case that required more than one step. In Mark 9, for instance, Jesus suggests that some forms of oppression are somewhat unique and may even be suggesting that some forms of oppression require something like a process.

²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Others, however, suggest that this may have been for the benefit of the disciples. John Calvin, for instance, surmised that, “[o]ur Lord had put the question to the blind man for the sake of his disciples, to inform them that the man had received something, but that hitherto nothing more than a slight commencement of the cure had been effected.”[2]

Calvin may be right. Regardless, Jesus certainly intended to use the healing to make a larger point to His disciples.

Just as there is a spectrum in physical healing there is also a spectrum in spiritual healing.

The point Jesus was trying to make through this miracle starts to become clear when we consider the questions we next see him ask his disciples.

²⁷ And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Before we unpack this, let us note that immediately before this miracle Jesus asks the disciples if they are blind. He is clearly speaking of spiritual blindness and not physical blindness. He does so on the boat when the disciples fret over their lack of bread even though they just saw Jesus miraculously feed four thousand people!

¹⁸ Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not 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 take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” ²¹ And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

We should also note specifically that Jesus draws a connection between blindness and the disciples’ inability to understand fully who He is. So the previous conversation on the boat, followed by this miracle, followed by Jesus’ next questions to the disciples creates a kind of flow that looks like this:

• The disciples fail to understand who Jesus is.
• Jesus asks them if they are blind.
• Jesus heals a blind man.
• Jesus asks them who others say that He is.
• Jesus asks them if they know who He is.

The healing of the blind man therefore becomes (in addition to being a stunning miracle!) a platform off of which Jesus turns once again to the disciples’ ability to see.

²⁷ And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

“Who do people say that I am?”

“John the Baptist…Elijah…one of the prophets. In short, Jesus, some people are beginning to see you but they do not see you quite clearly enough yet.”

(“I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”)

“But who do you say that I am?”

“You are the Christ.”

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

Just as there is a spectrum in physical healing, so too there is a spectrum in physical healing. The man began to see before he could fully see. The people were beginning to see but they could not fully see.

In 1975, James Engel published what is known as “The Engel Scale.” The Wikipedia article on The Engel Scale offers a nice summary.

The Engel Scale was developed by James F. Engel as a way of representing the journey from no knowledge of God through to spiritual maturity as a Christian believer. The model is used by some Christians to emphasi[z]e the process of conversion, and the various decision-making steps that a person goes through before they become a Christian…The original model was developed by James F Engel and Viggo Søgaard, although this was later refined by Engel, who added several ideas from behavioural science, and published it in his 1975 book What’s Gone Wrong With the Harvest. According to this model, everyone is somewhere on this scale.[3]

Here is a simplified version of The Engel Scale:

-10       No God framework

-9         Experience awareness of Christianity

-8         Vague awareness of Christianity

-7         Interest in Christianity

-6         Awareness of the Gospel

-5         Positive attitudes to the Gospel

-4         Experience of Christian love

-3         Aware of personal need

-2         Grasp of implications of the Gospel

-1         Challenge to respond personally

0          Repentance and faith

+1        Evaluation of the decision

+2        Learning the basics of the Christian life

+3        Functioning member of local Church

+4        Continuing growth in character, lifestyle and service

+5        Effective sharing of faith and life[4]

Simply put, you might -10 is the farthest from a relationship with Jesus Christ that a person can possibly be and +5 as a healthy, vibrant, actual relationship with Jesus Christ. 0 constitutes the moment of conversion. The point of The Engel Scale is that there is a continuum, a spectrum, and everybody is somewhere on that spectrum.

Some people are completely spiritually blind. To use the language of this text’s miracle, some people are beginning to see but men look like trees walking. Other people can now see clearly. They are born again. Even then, however, there is a process of growth and growing awareness.

To use the language of Jesus’ conversation with the disciples, we might say that some people know nothing of Jesus. Some people are spiritual Pharisees and think Jesus is evil. Some people think Jesus is special, but along the lines of John the Baptist or a great prophet. But believers are people who can say, “You are the Christ! Jesus is Lord!”

Where are your neighbors on this scale (“Who do people say that I am?”)? Where are you on this scale (“Who do you say that I am?”)?

The Church is comprised of people who see Jesus for who He is and are growing in their relationship with Him.

Emily Dickinson believed that some truths are so dazzling that they cannot be embraced in a straightforward manner. She encouraged those who knew truths that were too shocking for undiluted reception to “tell is slant,” that is, to approach the truth in a roundabout way so that it does not overwhelm the one who needs it. Here is how she put it:

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth’s superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

To be sure, Jesus often employed parables and illustrations in telling the truth. He seemed, at times, to “tell it slant,” to approach it in a “circuit.” Yet “tell all the truth” He certainly did, nor did He seek to obscure the shocking conclusion that, in Him, God had come to humanity!

What is clear is that Jesus reaches a point with His disciples where it is no longer time for the truth to be told slant. It simply needed to be said and it needed to be acknowledged by His disciples. He needed to know that they knew. Jesus clearly was wanting to move His disciples onward in their journey to the place where they could confidently say, “You are the Christ! Jesus is Lord!”

²⁷ And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

There it is! Jesus is the Christ! That is the place where we must be. Everybody is somewhere on the journey to seeing this. The Bible says that eventually everybody will see it. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote:

⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do you see? Everybody will see and everybody will proclaim that Jesus is Lord. The only question is whether or not you will bow before Him as an object of wrath who has rebelled against Him or as a beloved son or daughter who embraced Him. Where are you? Who do you say that He is?

Are you spiritually blind? Does the gospel sound crazy to you? Are you beginning to see but men still look like trees walking? Or do you see it now, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? If you do, embrace Him, trust Him, profess Him, proclaim Him!

Who do you say that He is? Then say it first to Him and then say it to the world!

 

[1] https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.8.vii.html

[2] John Calvin, The Harmony of the Gospels. The John Calvin Bible Commentaries. https://books.google.com/books?id=mZD4VvqTx8YC&pg=PT252&dq=Mark+8+blind+look+like+trees&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjl4fuUst3QAhWEs1QKHd3PCvs4HhDoAQg9MAc#v=onepage&q=Mark%208%20blind%20look%20like%20trees&f=false

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engel_Scale

[4] https://www.ywamcampaigns.org/Articles/1000067091/The_Engel_Scale.aspx