The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 336

distinct recollection of the fo.cln, but they Lord's hands were applied to the blind had fo.iled to co.tch their spi1ituo.l import. man's eyes. From the analogy of the Ver. 21.-How is it the.t ye do not under- miracle in the last chapter (vii. 33), we may ate.nd 1 A better reading here is oli71'w in- perhaps infer that our Lord touched the atee.d of 7rf;Jr o~. Therefore the words should man's eyes with se.liva on his finger, and run, Do ye flOt yet underetand 1 It is e.s the.t the hands were withdrawn before he though our Lord so.id, "You ought to he.ve asked him if he se.w aught. perceived, both from my words e.nd from my Ver. 24.-And he looked up, and so.id, I actions, the.t I we.s not speo.king concerning see men e.s trees, walking. He looked up- earthly lee.ven or earthly bread, but con- a nature.I action. He instinctively looked cerning spiritual doctrine." St. Matthew in the direction of the source of light. The here (xvi. 12) is careful to tell us tho.t this words in the Greek of the next clause are reproof of Christ quickened their intelloots, as follows :-fJA<71'., -robs lr.v9pw7rous, 3-r, ,., and forced them to understand. 1ilv5pa 6pf;i .,,,p,7ra-roiinas : I see men; for 1 Ver. 22.-This miracle is recorded by St. behold them aa trees, walking; that is, "I Mark alone. And he oometh to Bethsaida, see something confusedly and obscurely, not A better reading is tpxovnu for {px•-rcu, clearly; for I see what I think must be they eome unto Bethsaida. Which Beth- men, and yet so dimly that they look to me saida? It seems most probable that it was like trees, only that I know that men move Bethsaida Julills. This Bethsaida was in from their places, whereas trees do not" The the tetrarchy of Philip, who improved and word " walking" refers to the men, and not adorned it, and named it Julias, in honour to the trees, as is evident from the Greek. of the emperor's daughter Julia. A refer- This man, as yet partially blind, saw men ence to ver. 27 seems to make it quite clear as in shadow, magnified hy the miilt, looking that it must ho.ve been this Bethsaida, e.nd much larger than they really were. not the Galilean Bethsaida on the other Ver. 25.-Then again he laid his hands side of the le.ke. It is not surprising that upon his eyes, and made him look up-this there should have been, adjoining this is the Authorized Version rendering of /7ro/- gree.t lake, more than one place called Beth- T/O'E11 ab-rov lr.va{JA£1j,a,; but the better saide., i.e. the "place of fish." And they authenticated reading is simply 1<al 5,,- bring a blind man unto him, and besought {JAe,j,,, and he looked steadfastly-and was (7rapa1<C<Aova-,,,)-litemlly, beseech-him to restored, and saw e.11 things clearly. Now, touch him. St. Mark is fond of the graphic here it pleased our Lord, not suddenly, but present. There is here, as at eh. vii. 32, by degrees, to give perfect sight to this something almost like dictating the mode of blind man. And this he did (1) that ho cure. They seem to he.ve imagined that might give examples of different kinds of the healing virtue could not go forth from miracles, showing that" there a.re differences Christ except by actual contact. of operations," and that he, as sovereign Ver. 23.-And he took (,71'11\a{Joµ,vos)- Lord, was not absolutely tied to any one literu.lly, took hold of-the blind man by the particular method of working; and (2) that hand, and led him-this is the rendering of he might administer his power in increas- lffrya-y,11 ; but a great weight of manuscript ing measures, as the faith of the recipient authority points to l!~11,-y1<e11 as the better waxed stronger ; the.t so he might gradually reading, brought liim-out of the village kindle greater hope and desire in him. It (t!w -r,js 1<wµ11s). This Bethsaido. WllS a may be that the spiritual condition of this village; but Philip had raised it to the rank blind man was one which specially needed of a city (7rOAis), though it still seems to have this gradual method of treatment. Our retained its old appello.tion. Our Lord "led" Lord was a wise e.nd skilful Physician. At or "brought" the blind mo.n out of Beth- first he healed him in part, as one who eaida, for the same reason the.t he led the imperfectly believed; that he who as yet deaf e.nd dumb man (eh. vii. 3::1) away from saw little with a little sight, might believe the multitude: (I) for the sake of prayer, more perfectly, and so be he11led o.t last more the.t he might collect his mind, and unite perfectly; and thus by this miracle Christ himself more closely to God, and pray more teaohes us the.t for the most part the intently and earnestly; (2) tho.t l::.e might unbeliever and the sinner is by degrees ehun vain-glory and human praise, tnd teach illuminated by God, sons to advance step us to shun it also. And when he had spit on by step in the knowledge e.ud worship of his eyes-this aot had a mystical meaning; God. "By this miracle," says Bede, it was the instrument by whioh his Doity " Christ teaches us how great is the spirit ue.l operated-and laid his handa upon him, he blindness of man, whioh ouly by degrees, asked him, Seest thou aught 1 Here were and by successive stages, oan come to the three aots-(1) the spitting, (2) the laying light of Di,·ine knowledge." The experi- ,of the hands on him, (3) the questioning ences of this blind man in gradually re- Qf him. We gather from ver. 25 that our covering his eyesight show as in a. par11ble  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [cR. vm. 1-od.