Jesus Heals a Blind Man: The Two-Stage Miracle at Bethsaida

In a world obsessed with instant results, it’s hard to imagine Jesus needing two tries to perform a miracle. Yet in Mark 8:22–26, that’s exactly what seems to happen. Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida, but the miracle unfolds in two surprising stages. After spitting on the man’s eyes and laying hands on him, the man says, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Only after Jesus touches him again does his sight fully return. What’s going on here?

This miracle is one of the most unique in the entire New Testament—and not because Jesus lacked power. Instead, the healing at Bethsaida paints a vivid picture of spiritual blindness, progressive revelation, and how Jesus patiently brings light into our darkness. To truly understand this moment, we need to dive into the cultural setting, the condition of the man, and the larger message Jesus was sending to His disciples—and to Israel.

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Bethsaida: A Town of Miracles and Missed Opportunities

The setting of this miracle is crucial. Bethsaida was a small fishing village on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name literally means “house of fishing.” It was home to at least three of Jesus’ disciples: Peter, Andrew, and Philip (John 1:44). Despite witnessing many of Jesus’ miracles, Bethsaida became known for its hard-heartedness.

In Matthew 11:21, Jesus pronounces judgment:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Bible scholar John Walvoord notes that Bethsaida represents Israel’s general spiritual condition during Jesus’ earthly ministry—witnessing signs but remaining unbelieving. In this light, Jesus’ actions in Mark 8 make even more sense. He takes the man out of the village before healing him (Mark 8:23), symbolizing that the miracle was not for the crowd, but for a deeper purpose.

The Blind Man: Passive and Needing Help

Unlike Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52, who passionately calls out to Jesus, this blind man is brought by others. He doesn’t initiate contact. This hints at a weak or underdeveloped faith, or perhaps no faith at all. Some scholars believe the man may not have even known who Jesus was.

Dispensational teacher J. Dwight Pentecost explains that Jesus often varied His healing methods based on the condition of the person or the audience. Here, the use of spit and physical touch wasn’t random—it was personal and intentional. Spittle was commonly seen in the ancient world as having medicinal properties. Jesus didn’t validate folk remedies, but He met people where they were—culturally and spiritually—to lead them toward deeper faith.

Jesus doesn’t simply heal the man with a word, as He had done in other instances (see Matthew 8:8–13). He guides him out of the village, uses physical touch, and engages him in conversation, asking, “Do you see anything?” (Mark 8:23). The healing process is layered and interactive, not automatic.

Seeing in Stages: The Mystery of Partial Sight

The man’s answer is startling:
“I see people; they look like trees walking around” (Mark 8:24).

This is the only miracle in the Gospels where the healing happens in two stages. Why would Jesus allow for a blurry, partial result before completing the miracle?

Here’s where context unlocks the meaning.

Just before this event, in Mark 8:14–21, Jesus warns the disciples:
“Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?” (Mark 8:18)

He had just multiplied food again (the feeding of the 4,000), and yet the disciples were still confused about His identity and mission. The two-stage healing mirrors their own spiritual condition. Like the blind man, the disciples were starting to see, but everything was still blurry.

Charles Ryrie, who provides commentary on Scripture as published in the Ryrie Study Bible explains:

“The gradual healing was not due to lack of power, but served as a parable of the disciples’ own spiritual understanding, which was in process but not yet complete.”

Jesus was using this miracle not just to heal a man, but to teach His disciples a profound truth: spiritual sight is not always instant. It often unfolds in steps, as we walk with Him, listen to Him, and allow Him to touch our lives again and again.

Peter’s Confession: Full Sight Just Ahead

Immediately after the healing at Bethsaida, Mark’s Gospel shifts. In Mark 8:27–29, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Messiah.”

This moment is no coincidence. The two-stage healing of the blind man leads directly into Peter’s full spiritual confession. The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles, calm storms, and raise the dead—but only now were they beginning to fully grasp who He really was.

Many see this turning point as crucial to understanding the unfolding Kingdom program. The nation of Israel, like Bethsaida, had largely rejected Jesus despite His signs. But the faithful remnant—pictured in the disciples—were being prepared to carry the message forward. Their spiritual sight would be completed after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2).

Spiritual Blindness and Israel’s Future Restoration

From a dispensational standpoint, the healing at Bethsaida also foreshadows Israel’s national condition. Romans 11:25 says:
“Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

Just as the blind man first saw “trees walking” and only later received full sight, Israel currently exists in partial spiritual blindness. But that blindness will be removed in the future, during the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom. The healing at Bethsaida becomes a prophetic picture: God has not finished with Israel. There will be a second touch.

Isaiah 29:18 prophesies:
“In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.”

Application for Today: Don’t Settle for Blurry Faith

While this miracle is not about the Church, there are powerful truths here for believers today. Many followers of Jesus live with half-formed understanding. They believe in Him, but their spiritual vision remains fuzzy. They know He’s powerful, but they haven’t allowed Him to open their eyes completely.

2 Corinthians 3:16–18 says:
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away… and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.”

Jesus doesn’t want us to settle for blurry. He invites us to keep walking with Him, to let Him keep touching our hearts, until we can truly see Him clearly—not just as a miracle-worker, but as Messiah, Savior, and Lord.

Just like the blind man, we may need more than one touch. But Jesus is patient, personal, and persistent.

Closing Scripture: Jesus Heals the Blind, Then and Now

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”
—Isaiah 35:5–6

The miracle at Bethsaida is a promise of what’s coming—a day when all blindness will be removed, when Jesus reigns as King, and when every eye will see clearly.