Mark 8:25

After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. AFTER THAT HE PUT HIS HANDS AGAIN UPON HIS EYES, AND MADE HIM LOOK UP: AND HE WAS RESTORED, AND SAW EVERY MAN CLEARLY. Perhaps the one operation perfectly restored the eyes, while the other imparted immediately the faculty of using them. It is the only recorded example of a progressive cure, and it certainly illustrates similar methods in the spiritual kingdom. Of the four recorded cases of sight restored, all the patients except one either came or were brought to the Physician. In the case of the man born blind, the Physician came to the patient. So some seek find Christ; of others He is found who seek Him not. See the notes at , Remark 1....

22-26 Here is a blind man brought to Christ by his friends. Therein appeared the faith of those that brought him. If those who are spiritually blind, do not pray for themselves, yet their friends and relations should pray for them, that Christ would be pleased to touch them. The cure was wrought gradually, which was not usual in our Lord's miracles. Christ showed in what method those commonly are healed by his grace, who by nature are spiritually blind. At first, their knowledge is confused; but, like the light of the morning, it shines more and more to the perfect day, and then they see all things clearly. Slighting Christ's favours is forfeiting them; and he will make those who do so know the worth of privileges by the want of them....

Verse 25. _AND SAW EVERY MAN CLEARLY._] But instead of απαντας, _all men_, several excellent MSS., and the principal _versions_, have απαντα, _all things_, every object; for the view he had of them before was _indistinct_ and _confused_. Our Lord could have restored this man to sight in a _moment_; but he chose to do it in the way mentioned in the text, to show that he is sovereign of his own graces; and to point out that, however insignificant _means_ may appear in themselves, they are divinely efficacious when he chooses to work by them; and that, however _small_ the _first_ manifestations of mercy may be, they are nevertheless the _beginnings_ of the _fulness_ of the blessings of the Gospel of peace. Reader, art thou in this man's state? Art thou _blind_? Then come to Jesus that he may restore thee. Hast thou a _measure_ of light? Then pray that he may lay his hands _again_ on thee,...

EVERY MAN CLEARLY - Could see their form and features. His sight was completely restored. Though our Lord did not by this, probably, “intend” to teach any lesson in regard to the way in which the mind of a sinner is enlightened, yet it affords a striking illustration of it. Sinners are by nature blind, 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 2:11; John 9:39. The effect of religion, or of the influence of the Holy Spirit, is to open the eyes, to show the sinner his condition and his danger, and to lead him to “look” on him as a Saviour. Yet at first he sees indistinctly. He does not soon learn to distinguish objects. When converted he is in a new world. Light is shed on every object, and he sees the Scriptures

EXPOSITION MARK 8:1, MARK 8:2 The opening words of the first verse seem to imply that our Lord remained for some time on this, the north-east, side of the Sea of Galilee. THE MULTITUDE BEING VERY GREAT. The word here rendered "very great" is παμπόλλου, a word not to be found anywhere else in the New Testament. But according to the best authorities, the true reading is πάλιν πόλλου; so that the words would run, _when there was again a great multitude. _It has been supposed with some reason that, as an old ecclesiastical Lection began with this chapter, this may have led to the substitution of παμπόλλου for πάλιν πόλλου, in order to make the Lection more complete in itself, avoiding this reference to the context. In the origina

AFTER THAT HE HAD PUT HIS HANDS AGAIN UPON HIS EYES,.... By the former account it does not appear on what part of him he put his hands; but this determines it; and from hence it seems plain, that he first spit on his eyes, and then closed them, and put his hands on them; which last action of his he repeated, though not the former: AND MADE HIM LOOK UP. This is omitted in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions. The Vulgate Latin reads it, "he began to see"; and so Beza's ancient copy: but this he did before, upon the first imposition of hands on him. The Arabic version renders it, "he saw well": this is expressed afterwards. The words are an order, or command of Christ to the man to lift up his eyes, and try again how he could see, and whether any better than before, which he did: AND HE WAS RESTORED; his sight was restored to him as before, and he was perfectly cured of his blindnes...

Mark 8:1. _In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness._ Why did they not ask their Master what he could do in such an emergency as that» After so much experience of his power as they had already had, it is wonderful that they did not refer the matter to him, and say, «Lord, thou canst feed the multitude; we beseech thee do it.» But they did not act so wisely; instead, they began questioning about ways and means. «From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wi...

CHAPTER 8 __ 1. The feeding of the Four Thousand. (Mark 8:1. Matthew 15:32) 2. The Pharisees ask a sign. (Mark 8:10 .Matthew 16:1) 3. The Warning against the leaven of the Pharisees. (Mark 8:14 .Matthew 16:5 .) 4. The healing of the blind man. (Mark 8:22) 5. Peter's Confession. (M

THE BLIND MAN OF BETHSAIDA. This cure is described and wrought in a thoroughly popular manner. The use of spittle (Mark 7:33) was widespread in those days. A similar cure is attributed to Vespasian (Suet. _Vesp._ ch. 7). HNT adds a Greek parallel, Alcetas Halicus. The same being blind saw a vision. The god seemed to come to him and force open his eyes with his fingers, and he first saw the trees which were in the temple. To take this story as symbolizing either the education of the disciples (Loisy) or the conversion of Israel in two stages (Bacon) is to misunderstand the naï ve popular character of the gospel....

COMPASSION AND CHALLENGE (Mark 8:1-10)...