Blind man of Bethsaida

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Christ Healing the Blind Man by A. Mironov.

The Blind Man of Bethsaida is the subject of one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. It is found only in Mark 8:22-26.[1][2] The exact location of Bethsaida in this pericope is subject to debate among scholars, but is likely Bethsaida Julias on the north shore of Lake Galilee.[1]

According to the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus came to Bethsaida, a town in Galilee, he was asked to heal a blind man. Jesus took his patient out of town, put some spittle on his eyes, and laid hands on him. "I see men like trees, walking," said the man. Jesus repeated the procedure, resulting in clear and perfect eyesight. "Neither go into the town," commanded Jesus, "nor tell anyone in the town." (New King James Version). Even though the story is found only in Mark, it is strongly supported by the Criterion of Embarrassment, since early Christians (or Christians at any time, for that matter), would not have been happy that Jesus had to give two blessings to achieve a proper result. We only read of one other miracle done in Bethsaida, the feeding of the multitude in Luke 9:16, but John 21:25 states that many other things were done by Jesus than what is written. In Matthew 11:21, Jesus cursed the city for their lack of belief in Him despite "the mighty works done in you." (ESV)

See also

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Miracles of Jesus by Craig Blomberg, David Wenham 2003 ISBN 1592442854 page 419
  2. Biblegateway Mark 8:22-26
Blind man of Bethsaida
Preceded by New Testament
Events
Succeeded by
Peter's Confession of Christ
Ministry of Jesus