Taken out of context, this story is strange! Jesus encounters a blind man and prays for him. After he prays he asks what he sees and the man reports he sees people like trees. So Jesus prays again and at that point the man’s vision is completely restored.

What?

Why did Jesus have to pray twice?

Couldn’t Jesus heal the blind man the first time?

Yes, he could have healed the blind man the first time. He made blind eyes see, deaf ears hear, raise the dead and do extraordinary miracles. So what happened here? Was it a botched healing?

Only if you take it out of context.

Throughout the entirety of the gospel of Mark, Jesus is training up his disciples. They do believe and yet part of them does not. They don’t really get it.

• In chapter 4 he tells the parable of the sower. He is surprised when they don’t understand. So he explains it to them clearly (4:13). “Then He said to them: “Don’t you understand any of the parables? How then will you understand any of the parables?”
  
• In chapter 4 again Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and they were stilled. They were terrified and Jesus asks them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” (4:40)
  
• In chapter 6 Jesus walks on water. They were astonished and it says because they didn’t understand the previous miracle where Jesus had just fed 5000 miraculously. It then says “their hearts were hardened.”
  
• When Jesus says he is going to be killed, they rebuke him.
  
• In chapter 7 Jesus again told a parable and quoted Isaiah saying that the people did not honor their parents. The disciples didn’t get it. Jesus said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding?” (v. 17)
  
• In chapter 8 they forgot to bring bread. Jesus used this as a point to illustrate a warning of being aware of the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. They then argued more about bread. Jesus spoke again, “Why are you discussing that you do not have any bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend?” (v. 17) and again in v. 21, “Don’t you understand yet?”
  
• In chapter 8 Jesus asked Peter who did he say that he was. Peter answered correctly that he was the Messiah. But in the very next paragraph when Jesus said he must suffer and die, Peter rebuked Jesus. And Jesus had to return the favor. “Get behind Me, Satan, because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s!” (v. 33).
  
• In chapter 9 at the transfiguration, Jesus’ glory was manifest. Peter suggested they should stay there. But Jesus directed that they need to get back in the valley. As they were heading down, the disciples were “discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.” (v. 10)
  
• In chapter 9 again after the transfiguration they meet up with the rest of the disciples. There was a disturbance as the disciples were unable to cast out demons. Jesus said “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting]” (v. 29).
  
• In chapter 9 Jesus again predicts his death as he was teaching them. “But they did not understand this statement…” (v. 32)
  
• It gets worse. He found the disciples arguing who was the greatest and the had to teach them that the first must be last and they need to become like a child (v. 33-37)
  
• The disciples were jealous that others were casting out demons in the name of Jesus and Jesus had to correct them (v. 38-41).
  
• In chapter 10 Jesus taught that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples are astonished and ask “who then can be saved?” (v. 23-31). Again Jesus teaches that the first will be last
  
• Then James and John ask to sit at his right and left. He must teach them again the kingdom is about serving (v. 35.45)
  
• Then the question of the disciples ends with the healing of another blind man. No saliva. No nothing. Just a straight healing. At this point Jesus marches on towards his death.

Long story short, Jesus’ disciples sort of got it and sort of didn’t.

Peter proclaimed him as the Messiah of Scriptures then in the very next breath rebuked Jesus when Jesus said he must be crucified.

Jesus did great miracles and acts of servanthood and then James and John argued over who was the greatest and who would sit at his right hand.

Jesus did some extraordinary feeding the 5000, feeding the 4000 and walking on water, but it says the disciples hardened their hearts.

This is the context before, during and after the healing of the blind man where Jesus prayed twice. What Jesus was doing was try to teach the disciples something. He was using another avenue to get them to understand.

As Jesus performed a healing, and then the man needed more healing to truly see, so the disciples were with Jesus and needed their eyes fully open. He was revealing himself to them. But their pride, unbelief and hardening of their heart was causing them to only see in part. Just like the man that only was healed in part.

There was more to Jesus than the disciples were seeing. He wanted for them to see him fully. That would take a miracle on Jesus’ part as he prayed again and also for the disciples. And it would take faith on the part of the disciples.

This wasn’t about the blind man’s faith. It was about the disciples faith. They weren’t seeing Jesus fully.

(It’s worth mentioning that this is John Mark recording the stories of Peter. John Mark had at one time deserted the mission but later was restored thanks to his cousin Barnabas (Acts 15). He fully understood what it was to be a disciple but not fully.)

It is of particular interest to note, and likely not coincidental, that there was one more healing of a blind man in Mark’s Gospel. This time there was not spitting or saliva or any part way healing. Jesus simply healed him and he saw completely. Even as the disciples were soon to see Jesus completely. We don’t read again that they were still deeply confused. Their eyes were being opened.

Sure they ran away. Peter and the all the disciples. They were very much afraid.

But there was something different in them. It’s like they could see Jesus now. And after his death and resurrection they could see him even more clearly.

The question then is what about us? Do we see Jesus in full? Or are we like the disciples that only see him partly.

Do we recognize him as the Messiah but miss what it really means to be a follower of Jesus – to come and die? Not in fighting others. But in love. In service. And self-sacrifice?