Mark 8:11-30 | Seeing at last

This episode brings us to the pivotal point in Mark where the disciples finally begin to understand who Jesus is. Mark ties this section together with many references to sight or the lack of it. First the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven, then Jesus accuses his disciples of being spiritually blind. Next Jesus heals a blind man, but this was an unusual healing. At first the man’s vision returned in a blurry state and was not fully restored until Jesus second touch. This miracle becomes a metaphor for the gradual opening of the disciples’ eyes. They have been confused so long, but in the very next story Peter declares his conviction that Jesus is the Messiah. He did not fully understand Jesus’ mission, but it was a beginning. From this point on, as he began his final journey toward Jerusalem, Jesus focused on predicting and warning the disciples about his coming suffering, death, and eventual resurrection.

 

00:00 Opening comments

01:57 Pharisees ask for a sign (8:11-13)

05:44 The confusion of the disciples (8:14-21)

10:29 Jesus' two-stage healing of a blind man (8:22-26)

14:55 Peter declares, "You are the Messiah" (8:27-30)

27:09 Final comments

 

Study questions for Mark 8:11-30

1.      After all the miracles Jesus had done, why would the Pharisees have asked for a sign (8:11)? How might they have responded if he had given them one?

2.      What do the Pharisees and Herod Antipas have in common (8:15)? How does this help you interpret Jesus meaning of yeast in this context? What does the “yeast of the Pharisees and Herod look like today?

3.      What was it the disciples were supposed to understand from the feeding of the 5000 and 4000 that was relevant to their current predicament in the boat (8:19-20)? How are they like the Pharisees? How are they unlike?

4.      Do you sometimes have trouble believing Jesus will meet your needs? In what areas of your life are you discovering that he really does care for you?

5.      How does healing of the blind man (8:22-26) compare to the healing of the deaf and mute man in 7:31-37? Why might Jesus heal this blind man in stages (8:24-25)? 

6.      Touching and using spit is especially distinctive in this story (8:23). Why might Jesus make such an intense physical connection?

7.      In terms of your vision of Jesus, would you say that you are blind, have a blurry vision, or see him with 20/20 clarity?

8.      Thus far, what answers have been given to Jesus identity (8:28)?

9.      What is Peter’s understanding of “Messiah” (8:29)? In what ways is Peter like the blind man Jesus just healed?

10. Why did Jesus tell his disciples not to tell anyone about him (8:30)?

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