Avoid that Village

22

⁵ When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.

23

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, "Do you see anything?"

24

Looking up he replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking."

25

Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.

26

Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village." (Mark 8: 22 – 26)

 

The above miracle story contains a remarkable sequence of events:

1. Jesus led the blind man by the hand outside the village.
   
2. He put spittle on his eyes.
   
3. "Do you see anything?"
   
4. "I see people looking like trees and walking."
   
5. Then Jesus laid hands a second time on the man's eyes.
   
6. The man then saw clearly.
   
7. "Do not even go into the village."
   

Why these sequences of events?

Is it possible that the man's blindness was caused by a demonic influence inside the village? Could there have been resistance to the man's healing if performed in the village? Was there a danger of relapse if the man went back to the village?

One of the lessons of the above scripture is to avoid unhealthy geographies.