Foundations: New Testament - MarkSample

One important lesson in Mark’s Gospel is Jesus’ investment in His disciples. Jesus wanted to teach His disciples as much as He could while on earth so that they were equipped to continue His ministry after He left. Occasionally, this meant they needed to hear the same lesson more than once, as in the case of the feeding of the multitudes. Like the miracle in Mark 6, this feeding showed Jesus’ power to provide. It also showed that the disciples were slow to learn. Even though they had witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles, they still doubted His power, and they still had difficulty understanding His teaching (see 8:14-21). 

The healing of the blind man in the miracle that followed provided an instructive visual image for the disciples. The man was completely blind, but through a series of actions, Jesus restored his sight to the point that he could clearly see. Similarly, the disciples started out blind to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, the Son of God. But gradually, as they followed Him and learned from Him, they began to see Him for who He truly was. Their level of understanding reached a pinnacle in verses 27-30. When Jesus asked them who they thought He was, Peter correctly answered, “You are the Messiah” (v. 29). Slowly but surely their eyes were being opened to who Jesus was and the hope He brought to the world.