Do not even go into the village

I have 2 big fat questions about the gospel reading today. Why did Jesus take 2 times to heal the man and why did he lead the man outside the village?

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. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

Today’s homily refers to the 2 times. Jesus is obviously able to heal at once. The problem is, we  are not always ready to receive;

He heals according to our capacity to absorb the grace. Maybe the blind man’s faith was partial, so he first receives initial clarity and needs a second encounter to fully soak up the healing. Many of us are still waiting for the second healing. Or rather, He is waiting on us to be ready. It’s a message about persevering. Through it, what has begun can be brought to perfection in us.

By the way, Christ tells the man, “Do not even go into the village.” This reminds me of the parable of the new wine in new wineskins, which is found in 3 of the gospels by the way: Matthew, Mark, Luke:  People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” 

That is, don’t go back to the the place, people, circumstance that caused your blindness in the first place.

Photo by Philippa Lowe on Unsplash