Day 293: Men Like Trees (Mark 8:24)

Through the Bible: Matthew 16, Mark 8

And he looked up, and said, ‘I see men as trees, walking.‘

— Mark 8:24, KJV

Most of Jesus’ miracles happen instantly. One touch, one word, and it’s done. But not here. In Bethsaida, a blind man opens his eyes for the first time and says, “I see men like trees, walking.”

Apart from “Men Like Trees” sounding like an ’80s new-wave band, this is one of the strangest lines in the Bible — a glimpse of sight halfway restored. Why would Jesus heal someone halfway, pause, and then finish the job? Did it not “work” the first time? Oh, and one more thing– why spit?

This wasn’t a failure. Jesus didn’t take a mulligan. And it wasn’t a health code violation. This was a parable in motion — a living sermon about how spiritual sight comes gradually.

From Blindness to Blurry to Clarity

Right before this story, Jesus rebukes His disciples for having eyes that “do not see.” They’ve just witnessed another miraculous meal — the feeding of the four thousand — which followed the earlier feeding of the five thousand. You’d think the repetition might have driven the point home, but it didn’t. Two feedings. Two lessons. Still no clarity.

Don’t miss Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples, especially in light of what happens with the blind man:

¹⁷ And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

Mark 8:17–18 (ESV)

So in context, the Bethsaida blind man becomes a symbolic stand-in for the disciples. The disciples have seen Jesus work–twice– but still don’t grasp who He really is. They aren’t blind anymore, but they aren’t clear either. They see something. They see someone.

But they can’t yet see the cross.

Jesus takes the man’s half-restored vision and turns it into a metaphor for how spiritual insight comes to the first twelve disciple, as well as every disciple who would follow.

We all begin, as Paul would describe it by seeing “as in a mirror dimly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). We see shapes of grace, outlines of truth, but it’s still fuzzy and indistinct.

Men like trees, walking.

Messy Discipleship

Jesus could have healed long distance. He already had just one chapter before, when He healed the Syrophoenician’s daughter from another town (see Mark 7:24-30; also Matthew 8:5-13).

And he certainly could have healed without spitting on the man’s eyes. When Jesus healed the paralytic lowered through the roof (Mark 2:1-12) he didn’t even touch him. So why spit? Well, in the ancient world, saliva was considered to have healing properties, so it wasn’t all that unusual. But there’s also something deeper going on. You can’t get much more “up close and personal” than spitting on a man’s eyes. So this, too, becomes a metaphor for discipleship. Following Jesus means following Him so closely you can see Him sweat. You get covered in His dust.

Staying within spitting distance, so to speak.

Following Jesus means embracing even the parts of discipleship that feel unsavory. Washing feet. Touching lepers, Eating flesh, drinking blood, and calling it communion. Praying so heard you sweat drops of blood.

Going to the cross.

Discipleship is messy.

Related Content: The Gospel is Messy (a Poem)

And it can be–pardon the expression–a little hard to swallow. That’s why Peter rebuked Jesus when Jesus began to describe what awaited him in Jerusalem (Mark 8:31-32). It’s why the crowd went away in John 6, saying, “This is a hard teaching; who can accept it?” It’s why Peter told Jesus “You shalll never wash my feet” (John 13:8).

The Second Touch

None of us get it the first time. We all need second touches from Jesus (and third, and fourth, and eleventy-billionth). Jesus didn’t say to the blind man, “Well, that’s all you get. The rest is on you. There’s not enough for everyone to have seconds.”

Instead, Jesus touches him again. He sees clearly, and Jesus quietly sends him home. No show. No crowd. Just clarity.

The second touch reminds us that spiritual vision doesn’t always come all at once. You don’t go from blindness to perfect sight overnight. Sometimes faith grows in focus — one blurry shape at a time — until Jesus finishes what He started.

Seeing Clearly at Last

The story sits between two turning points: The disciples’ confusion (“Do you still not understand?” — 8:21) And Peter’s confession (“Thou art the Christ.” — 8:29). It’s as though the Holy Spirit tucked this moment right in the middle to show us what revelation looks like–

• A gradual coming into focus,
• a slow unveiling of who Jesus really is.
• And one day, when He touches us for the last time — when faith becomes sight — we’ll see everything clearly.

¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Related Content for this Day

• Day 293: Why Does Jesus Call Peter Simon Bar-Jonah in Matthew 16?
• Day 293: What Did Jesus Mean by “Upon This Rock?” (Matthew 16:18)

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