Men Like Trees Walking - Mark 8:22-26

“I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” Mk 8:22-26

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 spat 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 men, 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.”

Miracles are a sign that the Kingdom of God has come upon us. They are rumours of heaven. I believe that this college’s foundation has been at times on the miraculous level. And God is still at work here – not just in students’ lives but also in the workings and provision for this community, both financially and in personnel.

In miracles, the supernatural world of the Creator God is breaking in on our natural world’s laws of physics and chemistry and biology and time. Miracles are the movement behind the theatre curtain such that you can catch sight of the shape of the people who will perform when the curtain finally goes up: The axe head floats, the virgin gives birth, the sun moves backwards across the sundial, the donkey speaks, the blind see, the crippled leap. They were a fresh reminder that God is breaking in. They were signs that the Kingdom of God had come upon Galilee in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.

But this miracle outside the village of Bethsaida was unusual. It seems to have had two stages. The first attempt seems to have been only partially successful, then after a little time the healed man sees clearly. Jesus’ miracles were not a substitute health service for Galilee, but in the Gospels they point to far greater things.

Now Jesus never fails, and this two stage healing was of course deliberate, and prefigures the gradual revelation to the disciples as to who Jesus is, which came to the disciples in at least two stages in Mark chh8-9. At first the man sees men, but like trees walking, then further power is applied by Jesus and the blind man sees fully and clearly. At the time of the miracle the disciples half-understood who Jesus was, then in a series of revelations in Mark’s Gospel, the disciples would have a fuller revelation culminating in Peter’s confession of Jesus and the revelation on the Mount of Transfiguration. Like the healed man of v26 who was forbidden to return to Bethsaida, the disciples were commanded to keep this fuller revelation to themselves.

I have a problem at the moment. I can see there is a shift in the way God is doing missions. There have been changes down the centuries. First there were the apostles, then there were the early itinerant missionaries; then came the friars of the middle ages; then the missionaries sent out by the Catholic church, then the early evangelical denominational missions of the colonial period, then the great faith missions, and subsequently tent-making. But now we have Covid. Even if Covid burns itself out in 3 years. I do not think that world missions is ever going to be quite the same again. We have come to what is called a paradigm shift. I do not doubt that God wants to evangelise the world but there seem to be barriers and other matters pointing to great changes to the way we do missions ministry and training that I do not yet understand. But there is movement behind the curtain.

I ask myself, Do I see anything?” 24 And I look up and I say, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” It is not clear to me at all. I do no think I am the only person. I need Jesus to put his hand on my eyes a second time.