Show Don't Tell: Mark 8:22-26

Instead of saying "Jesus healed a blind man in stages," watch vision slowly clear. They come to Bethsaida. People bring a blind man and beg Jesus to touch him. Jesus takes the blind man by the hand and leads him outside the village—private again. He spits on the man's eyes and puts his hands on him. "Do you see anything?" The man looks up: "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Not complete yet. Blurry. Shapes without clarity. Jesus puts his hands on the man's eyes again. His eyes are opened, his sight restored—he sees everything clearly. This is the only two-stage healing in the Gospels. Why? Perhaps it's a parable for the disciples: they see, but not clearly. They need a second touch. Partial sight precedes full sight. Understanding comes gradually.