Walking Trees

In this passage, Jesus restores the sight of a blind man from Bethesda.  However, Jesus's first attempt to heal the blind man didn't quite work as expected; the man could see, but his vision was distorted, such that the people around him looked "like trees walking around".  A second healing touch from Jesus was necessary to restore the man's sight completely.

There is a parallel between this healing and Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, which occurs later in this chapter (Mark 8:27-37).  Peter could see that Jesus is the Messiah, but his vision was still distorted.  He saw Jesus as the sort of Messiah that the Israelites of the time were expecting--one who would lead a armed revolt, kick the legions of the Roman Empire out of Israel, and re-establish the throne of David in all its past glory.  Peter didn't understand that Jesus came not to rule but to serve, not to conquer but to suffer, and even to die on a cross.  In a sense, Peter also needed a second touch from Jesus in order to see clearly.

All too often, we also need a second touch from Jesus in order to see clearly who he really is, and in order to see clearly what it means to follow him.  What preconcieved notions about Christ and about ourselves are distorting our vision?

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