Mark 8:25

Why did Jesus heal the man gradually in stages? Perhaps He did so to show that He could heal in any manner He chose. [Note: Calvin, 2:285.] Perhaps the man was fearful, and Jesus healed him as He did to accommodate his needs. [Note: Alexander Maclaren, "St. Mark," in Expositions of Holy Scripture, 8:326.] Perhaps He did so to illustrate for the disciples that He chose to give spiritual perception one step at a time. Perhaps He wanted to present Himself as the Great Physician. Probably Jesus had more than one reason.

"Is this miracle paradigmatic of Jesus’ struggle with the disciples? Is Jesus’ earthly ministry stage one, during which time Jesus must contend with the disciples who are at once committed to him but afflicted with incomprehension? Is the time following Easter stage two, when Jesus shall have led the disciples, like this man, to ’see everything clearly’?" [Note: Kingsbury, p. 102.]

Mark was careful to record that the man "looked intently" (NASB). Human responsibility played a part in this healing as does gaining spiritual understanding. Nevertheless it is God who is ultimately responsible for the perception. Perhaps Jesus healed the man’s optic nerve completely at first, but, as with children, the man had to learn to focus on objects. So Jesus touched the man’s eyes a second time, which gave him the ability to see clearly. [Note: J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, p. 248.]

"The primary focus of this story, however, is on the man’s total healing. The disciples show themselves to be in need of the second touch, and the story bespeaks their experiencing it. A time must come when they see all things distinctly." [Note: Guelich, p. 436.]