Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - Wednesday in the 6th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 8:6-13, 20-22 and Mark 8:22-26]When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, "Do you see anything?" Looking up the man replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking." Then he laid hands on the man's eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
When I was a lad oh so many years ago, my brothers and I would attend the Saturday cowboy movies at the local "picture show." Inevitably a line would appear during the action that would say, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch...." So, meanwhile, back at the gospel scriptures from the Gospel According to Mark, a very interesting incident occurs where Jesus has to try twice to get a blind man to see!
Scripture scholars point out that the significance of this story arises from where it appears in the gospel. Jesus has just finished multiplying the loaves of bread, but his disciples don't seem to understand the significance of his action. This is in keeping with the Marcan "agenda" that not even the disciples will fully know who Jesus is until his crucifixion. The story of the double-effort to remove the blindness of the man in today's gospel is a reflection on how hard Jesus' task was to remove the blindness of the people who saw him merely as a wonder-worker, and this blindness included the disciples.
What does it take to remove our "blindness?" In regard to Jesus' teachings, are there things that we simply don't "see" or choose not to see? AMEN