RBWords

     The story yesterday of the blind man who needs to be treated twice by Jesus before he can see clearly highlights the story today of the confession of faith by Peter.  Jesus asks the disciples what they are hearing from the people about him.  The replies seem all over the place:  John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the other prophets.  The people still do not see clearly.  In the Gospel According to Mark, that clarity will only come with the crucifixion of Jesus.  Jesus tries to give the apostles a preview of this, but Peter rejects the idea of Jesus' suffering.  This earns Peter (and the other disciples) the rebuke that is quoted above.  Peter is thinking as humans do, not as God does.  He and the others are like the blind man who initially sees "walking trees."

     It can be difficult for us to take a "God's eye" view of life.  As one of my old philosophy professors once said, "It's hard to get the big picture when you're living inside the frame."  How partial is our knowledge, or even our faith, in Jesus?  If we read the whole Bible, it would give us a large chunk of the big picture, but we must still digest it and make it a part of who we are and how we treat our neighbor.  We can take courage, however.  Jesus didn't give up on the blind man or his disciples, despite his frustration at their lack of understanding and inability to "get it" about him.  We can always learn more.  AMEN