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This miracle is recorded only by Mark and there is something particular about the circumstances. There does not appear to be a great faith on the part of the blind man as there was in a previous account, The faith is here demonstrated by the man's friends. Note, they brought him to Jesus and they believed that if Jesus touched him, he would be healed of his blindness. Thus we see the power of prayer and intercession by believing friends for the spiritually blind.
Notice Jesus took the man by the arm and led him out of town. The question is, why? Two answers are suggested. One, Jesus did not want to honor Bethsaida with this mighty work. Matt. 11:21 says that all the mighty works that He had done there was in vain and even though He could have gone into a house there to get the privacy that it appears that He wanted, He left the town and went out into the country. It also appears that the country afforded a better place for the man to try his newfound sight.
Notice some interesting facts about the cure. First, He spat upon the man's eyes and touched them. He could have healed him as he did others by simply speaking the word, but this time he gave the man "a sign". This, most scholars believe, was to aid the man's faith which was very weak. The spit was symbolic of the "eye-salve" spoken of in Rev. 3:18, with which Christ anoints the eyes of those who are spiritually blind.
Secondly, notice that the cure was done "gradually" which was very unusual in Christ's miracles. When Jesus asked the man if he could see, He was asking for a testimony. The man could see, but not well enough to tell the difference between trees and people. Again Jesus put His hands upon the man's eyes and this time he could see everything clearly.
Why did Jesus heal the man this way? He did this to show that He was at liberty to heal any way that He wanted to. He is the "potter", we are the "clay". It is His prerogative to do as He pleases in the way that He pleases. Secondly, our faith often determines the speed of the cure or the development of our talents. At first, the man's faith was small; he probably got healing, at first, according to his expectations, then his faith grew and the healing was complete.
Notice the instructions that Jesus gave him after he was healed. He instructed him not to go back into the town of Bethsaida nor to tell anyone who lived in the town of his cure. Probably many had seen Jesus lead the man out of town and were waiting to see the man return and find out what Jesus had done to him. Notice he did not forbid the man to tell others, only the people of Bethsaida. They were the ones that had treated His work so lightly. Christ will not always strive with people. There is a time and a place where we must respond to the work of the Holy Spirit.
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