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?”

This story might seem random or out of place at first, but it is not. The Greeks used to tell stories like this, placing a short story at the beginning, followed by a longer seemingly unrelated story, and then finally another short story at the end. The short stories served as bookends to the main story. In this case Mark has given us several stories in short succession, the feeding of the 5000, the story of Jesus healing the deaf man, the feeding of the 4000 and then later Jesus healing the blind man. These stories are are not independent, they are woven together in a beautiful message about how the lord Jesus came to bring the word of God to the whole world and open us up to the truth of His divinity.

In the first “bookend” story Jesus heals the deaf man in one step. This “one step” is a metaphor about the jews and how Jesus came to open their ears to the truth, and it correspond to the feeding of the 5000 that was done in jewish territory, and was meant for the jewish people to learn about Jesus. The jews had for too long been listening to the law of man (the pharisees and scribes), and not to God. He is telling them to be opened to the truth that He (Jesus) has come to tell them. He does this in one step because the jewish people already know the one true God, and only need be opened to the truth that Jesus is that same God.

After that reading, we get the story of the feeding of the 4000, which takes place in gentile territory and is meant for the gentiles, and Jesus’ disciples. They needed to be healed in two steps. The short story that we get today (the final bookend to this series of stories) is of a blind man that has to be healed in two steps, first he goes from blind to cloudy vision, and then from cloudy to clear vision. By this time his disciples have witnessed two miracles, feeding the 5000 and then later the 4000, But they are still blind to the truth and are constantly seeking more signs. So their eyes have to be opened first to the fact that the signs are all around them, leaving their vision cloudy about the real truth (the one true God), and then second time to clear their cloudy vision by showing them that Jesus is that one true God, but their vision on this subject will not be fully clear until after the ressurection. This two step process also applies to all the gentiles. They needed to first learn who the judeo-christian God is, and then later to understand that Jesus is that one God, made incarnate, sent to save us from our sin.

So what do these metaphors have to tell us all today? This is a story of creation, or maybe more accurately re-creation. There are several references in this reading today that point to the original creation of the universe. First, Jesus groans, which refers back to God speaking the world into creation. Second Jesus spits, which is a clear reference to how God made Adam out of clay. So we have a clear analogy to how man was created from nothing at the beginning of time, we also have Jesus aligining himself with God, as the divine creator.

And finally we have the words of Jesus, for the deaf man he says “be opened.” This aramaic word (Ephphatha) is not a request, it is a command. We are in this moment to both recognize His divinity as our creator and our total dependence on Him for everything, as His creation. For the blind man he asks “what do you see?” This is a simple question about how you see Jesus. After He has cured your blindness, and shown you the truth about Himself and the world, He simply wants to know if you see it, if you accept it, and if you will go forward from the moment changed or if you will return to your sins. That is the re-creation he wants for us, that is what happens in baptism, and that is what happens when we atone for our sins through confession, and that is what happens when we partake the eucharist, and live our lives in accord with His will for our them.

Jesus is asking you too today, to “be opened,” and “do you see?” Whether you were born into a christian family and are already friends with God, or you never knew God and want to learn about Him, we must all struggle to find the truth, recognize God the Father in heaven, and Jesus Christ His Son. We must learn to reject the lies of the world, and to convert our hearts to Him in all that that means! But it all starts with coming to Jesus and asking Him for healing. Do not wait another minute, get baptised if you are not already, get to confession as soon as possible, and be healed. Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him, so that He can re-create you in His divine image.

Oh lord help me to see you for who you are and to accept and love you for that, amen.