What is the Significance of Seeing Men as Trees in Mark 8:24

[jhwatts]

I'm curious about peoples thoughts on Mark 8:24. What is the meaning of the blind man seeing men as trees?

 

[1stcenturylady]

I'm curious about peoples thoughts on Mark 8:24. What is the meaning of the blind man seeing men as trees?

I heard something on that not long ago, about the significance of trees, and it made perfect sense. Now I can't remember... I'll ask tomorrow at church.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I'm curious about peoples thoughts on Mark 8:24. What is the meaning of the blind man seeing men as trees?

I don't see any underlying significance in that at all. We must not read into a verse some underlying spiritual meaning that isn't there. The man was partially healed and he saw distorted images of people. He reported it to Jesus, and so Jesus ministered to him again to fully restore his sight.

What it does show is that physical healing can be gradual and one dose of ministry might not be enough to achieve the full result. That is the fairly simple and obvious reading of the verse.

 

[Almost there]

They were blurry.

 

[Almost there]

I think a lot of Christians are guilty of this sort of thing:

 

[RaymondG]

He was healed too good.......He saw in the spirit.... After being touched the second time...he came back to natural.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. And ye shall know them by the fruit they bare......

 

[Babe Ruth]

The man was partially healed and he saw distorted images of people. He reported it to Jesus,.. Jesus ministered to him again to fully restore his sight..

I'm with you. I think the blind man's dawning vision was initially blurry. The people appeared stiff & lacked definition (like a plain tree trunk).
I can't remember, & wonder tho, if the man had been blind since birth.. what was his frame of reference for recognizing/referencing trees (?) Or am I forgetting the blind man's backstory (?)

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I'm with you. I think the blind man's dawning vision was initially blurry. The people appeared stiff & lacked definition (like a plain tree trunk).
I can't remember, & wonder tho, if the man had been blind since birth.. what was his frame of reference for recognizing/referencing trees (?) Or am I forgetting the blind man's backstory (?)

The reference doesn't say that he was blind from birth. The fact that he could refer to trees implies that he once was able to see but went blind some time in his life.

 

[bling]

I'm curious about peoples thoughts on Mark 8:24. What is the meaning of the blind man seeing men as trees?

Jesus presents living parables to help us remember the spiritual meaning, Jesus just got through talking to the twelve about limited understanding:

Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”


“Twelve,” they replied.


20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”


They answered, “Seven.”


21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

 

[mozo41]

a tree is a picture of our soul and its leaves our thoughts we cover/clothe ourselves in ...