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The Blind Man

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › The Blind Man

The question

In the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, 8:23, our Lord spit in the face of the blind man, why? Why was the blind man not healed the first time our Lord tried to heal him?

"Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
And he looked up and said, 'I see men like trees, walking.'
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, 'Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.'

The answer

In the account of the man born blind from birth, the Lord did heal him, without there being a first or a second time. This miracle confirms the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Creator. The conversation in this Holy Scripture is significant between this man and the Pharisees because it supports the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He performed a miracle that the religious Jews can personally understand the account of Creation. However, they thought to put anyone out of the synagogue if he dared to ascribe Lordship in reference to Christ, our Lord.

In the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 8:23, this blind man was healed immediately. The action of the Lord using His spit in the remedy is significant to the actions of God the Creator. Thus, the Lord created the eye mechanisms in the first account for proof of His deity in the Godhead. The Lord then put His hands upon the blind man the second time to restore the blind man's vision. This man needed to witness to the Lord by two distinct steps: first to prove that the Lord God Jesus Christ completely healing him by first creating the eye socket; and then, healing by perfecting his vision.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1953 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.