Do You See Anything?

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gen 8:6-13, 20-22; Mk 8:22-26

Today’s Gospel highlights faith as God’s gift, which requires our commitment to grow and mature. 

Biblical scholars believe that if any story in Mark has a symbolic function, it is the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida.

We must remember that Bethsaida was one of the unrepentant cities in the New Testament, as it failed to respond to the message of Jesus. That is where the healing takes place. 

If we observe the healing narrative, we find Jesus touching the person twice to heal him. Hence, it has to be distinguished from other narratives where the healing takes place from a distance. Here, Jesus does not say, ‘Your faith has made you well.’ Instead, Jesus gets very personal both times. 

Symbolically, the man represents the city he comes from, which rejected Jesus’ message. This is why he needed the intervention of Jesus himself both times. In addition, even Jesus had to intervene twice, though there are many instances in which Jesus cured people from a distance. 

The healing narrative helps us realize that our lack of faith would become a huge obstacle even if Jesus were to be with us. 

We are healed by our faith and conviction, though external factors influence the healing from the outside. 

The gift of faith comes from God and is nurtured by our committed efforts to grow in it. 

Let us pray that we may be aided by the Spirit of God to grow and mature in our faith. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar