Who Is Greater? Jesus and His Band of Toddlers
Ezrica
In my commentary on last week’s lesson, I highlighted that Jesus healing the deaf and mute man displayed God’s ability to perform complete healing. Sunday’s lesson shows us something unprecedented in Christ’s ministry: Jesus heals a blind man in two phases. A blind man is brought to Jesus by a group, begging Him to touch the man. Jesus proceeds to spit in the man’s eyes, touch them, and ask “Do you see anything?” The blind man responds that he sees people who look like trees walking around. Jesus puts His hands on the man again, and the man’s vision is fully restored.
Several ideas come to mind. First, this man was not blind from birth. We know this because he recognizes what people and trees look like. The Bible says his vision was restored, indicating that he got eyesight back. Second, I found myself wondering why Jesus performed this miracle in two phases. My initial speculation is that it demonstrates His power over healing itself. It shows that He can administer total or partial healing at His discretion. The more I studied, however, it became clear that this was less about the man being healed and more about the teaching moment it provided.
The Sabbath school lesson suggests that this miracle was a metaphor for insightful discipleship. Jesus’ tactic, asking the man a question while knowing the answer, set the stage for the man to articulate his state of blurred vision. The lesson points out that Mark chapter 8 is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. I believe that in this case, the blind man represented the disciples and Jesus used healing to metaphorically explain that the disciples were initially blind. Through the miracles highlighted in previous chapters, their sight was somewhat restored, but they still didn’t have a clear image of who Jesus was. Henceforth, Jesus’ ministry would focus on giving them clear vision.
Right after performing this miracle, Christ asks His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” They give various responses, but Peter acknowledges Him as the Messiah. In “Jesus the King,” an in-depth study of the Book of Mark, author Timothy Keller explains, “Here at last, Peter begins to get the answer to the big question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ He proposes to Jesus, ‘You are the Christ.’ Peter is using a word that literally means ‘anointed one.’ Kings were traditionally anointed with oil as a kind of coronation, but the word ‘Christos’ had come to mean the Anointed One, the Messiah, the King to end all kings, the King who’s going to put everything right.”
The grand events set the stage for partial understanding. Now, Jesus was digging deeper with His disciples. The Sabbath school highlights that this is the first time someone acknowledged Christ as the Messiah without being demon-possessed. I find that both intriguing and beautiful.
What I love about this turning point is, despite all the miracles Jesus performed, alone, they were not enough to give the disciples clear vision. Jesus proceeds to identity-based teaching, focusing not just on what He can do but who He is. This shift is crucial because no amount of blessings will draw us to the depth of Christ’s heart. Only by accepting Him as the Anointed One can we fully understand and connect with Him.
Krystalynn
I love the story of the blind man in Mark 8. It speaks to the fact that sometimes our healing is an ongoing process. Many times, we have an encounter with Christ, but we still see others as “trees,” especially those that may seem different from us. At times we refuse to see them for the sacred beings they are. I see this story as part of the process of sanctification, which is a healing that takes time as we unlearn preconceived notions of others. I also love how the man was honest with Jesus when asked, “Can you see anything now?” He could have replied, “Yes Jesus, everything looks great!” But in humility, he tells his Healer that he sees a bit, but he knows it’s not completely right yet. It only took Jesus’ touch to see other humans clearly again. I love Jesus’ words to him: “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.” Stay focused on Jesus. Don’t return to society’s normalization of objectifying others.
Monday’s lesson looks at Jesus and Peter’s interaction concerning the cost of discipleship. Jesus appears to be revealing the beginning of His mission to His closest friends, explaining that He will be rejected by the religious leaders, suffer, die, and rise again. Peter, who has just proclaimed him the Messiah, pulls Jesus aside and begins to rebuke Him. Mark doesn’t write what Peter said, but Matthew 16:22 says, “This will never happen to you!” Jesus rebukes Peter right back, calling him “Satan” and tells him that his concerns are not of God but rather are “merely human concerns.”
If I were Peter, I would have been confused by this response. I also would have been startled to be called “Satan!” Now that Peter knows Jesus is the Messiah, I imagine he is making plans to utilize this for the freedom of the Jews. He can see the successful campaign unfolding brilliantly! However, as Jesus points out, using God for our own gain is not of the mind of God. How many times do we take God’s name in vain within our church to make a name for ourselves? Rather than crucifying our egos for the cause of following Christ. How often do we inform God of our plans for His church, rather than listen to His call for us as a disciple?
Tuesday’s lesson follows the story of the transfiguration. This story could easily take a week of the Sabbath school quarterly! I love that this story follows the interaction between Jesus and Peter and that Peter gets to be one of the special people that Jesus takes on this incredible experience. This decision shows just how grounded Jesus’ discipline is. Peter doesn’t have to re-earn Jesus’ trust.
Personally, I feel that the Sabbath school quarterly didn’t dedicate enough time to the awesome healing that happens after the transfiguration. This story should have been put into at least two different lessons rather than crammed into a couple of paragraphs. Regardless, the phrase “Lord I believe, help my unbelief” is such a powerful prayer of man to Jesus. The raw vulnerability of the Father’s cry was a prayer not only for His son to be delivered, but for His faith to be restored. This beautiful prayer connects the stories of this lesson so far. From the man who saw people as trees to Peter needing to see God’s mission apart from his own ego, the prayer “Lord I believe, help my unbelief” is a prayer that resonates with us all. A prayer that is timeless, indeed.
Ezrica
Something I love from Monday’s lesson is that Jesus did not reveal His full mission until His disciples were ready for it. I find it comforting to think about the preparatory phases of ministry: the idea that what we are going through today, even without our full understanding, is preparation for something beyond our comprehension. This is apparent in the lives of the disciples; their encounters, miracles, and blessings were all preparing them for the painful challenges they would face.
I find myself intrigued by Peter’s confidence and audacity. What led him to attempt to rebuke Christ publicly? In Matthew 16, the narrative is recounted a little differently. After Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, Christ blesses him, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” The text goes on to show Peter being further celebrated for his answer. It seems that Peter may have internalized this validation in a self-aggrandizing way, leading him to think he could correct Jesus. It makes me wonder how many of us elevate ourselves above others because of the “knowledge” we have of Christ. Clearly, knowledge alone wasn’t enough for Peter, as he still didn’t fully grasp who Christ was or what He came to do.
In Wednesday’s lesson, we see the disciples arguing among themselves, asking, “Who is the greatest?” I resonate with this on a personal level. During my undergraduate years, I did extensive mission work. On two separate occasions, I took a full year off from school to travel with the same group of young adults across the nation doing ministry. If you assume that living with the same people for a year was a daunting task, you would be correct. One of the conflicts that frequently emerged was the question of who was the greatest—not always in those exact terms, but there was a constant undercurrent of who was essentially “better” at ministry. Who was chosen to speak on stage, sing, or lead programs—these were the things that caused friction.
Similarly, when the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, there was a growing perception that some were more chosen than others. Three disciples were selected to witness the transfiguration, Peter was praised for identifying Christ as the Messiah, and he even walked on water. The emerging trend was that, while all twelve were chosen, some seemed to be more favored. In any community, it hurts to feel like you are less important. While they were concerned with being the “most chosen,” Jesus was focused on walking a path of humility rather than glory.
Jesus’ solution to their question of “who is the greatest” was to bring a child into the midst. His beautiful illustration reveals the tenderness of a father’s heart. Our desire to be seen as the greatest often stems from deep childhood wounds, whether from abandonment, feeling unwanted, or excluded.
On Wednesday, we reflect on Mark 9:42-50. In it, Jesus warns that anyone who harms a child would be better off dead. I appreciate how fiercely protective He is of the innocent. Jesus goes on to urge His disciples to eliminate anything in their lives that cripples them spiritually, emphasizing that it’s better to enter the Kingdom without all your faculties than to miss out entirely. This ties back to the question of who is the greatest. Christ urges His disciples not to get caught up in finding validation in insignificant matters. They should have found joy in the fact that they all were chosen by the Master. Instead, they were more interested in fleeting titles. In many ways, we too are asking, “who is the greatest?” We seek to find that answer through our careers, relationships, and financial status. But as Christ urges in Mark 9:42-50, no possession, no acquisition, no accomplishment is worth missing out on the Kingdom of Heaven.
Krystalynn
I love your point about Jesus’ response to the disciple’s quarrel about who is the greatest. It’s interesting to me that when Jesus asks the disciples what they are discussing among themselves that they don’t answer him. It’s as if they already knew that the quest for self-grandeur was not aligned with the way of Jesus.
Jesus’ act of holding a child on His lap is a powerful illustration following this interaction. Most children at a young age call out to those closest to them “Watch me!” “Did you see that?” “Look!” it is the human cry asking, “am I seen?” According to psychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel and social worker Tina Payne Bryson in their book “The Power of Showing Up,” a key scientific predictor for a child’s success in happiness, academics, leadership, and relationships is having at least one adult who consistently shows up for them. Showing up makes a child feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure (the four S’s). This supportive environment helps them build resilience and a sense of belonging, which are essential for realizing their potential and greatness. By truly seeing and understanding a child, there is an invitation to extend the same compassion to ourselves. As we bring our own inner child’s unmet needs to Jesus, we will become grounded in who we are in Christ and won’t even need to ask who the greatest is, because we have found it to be in Christ alone. As our needs are met at a core level, we become grounded in what Henri Nouwen calls our “belovedness” and live authentically from that place.
I appreciated you sharing about ministering and how we tend to compare ourselves with others. As Friday wrapped up, there was a great quote shared from Ellen White that ties to this topic: “. . . The most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor for God . . .” (The Desire of Ages, p. 436). This begs us to ask a few important questions. Do we withhold ministry opportunities or titles from others because we think they are not good enough for it? Do we treat some ministries as more important than others? Do we constantly call on the same folk to do the work rather than utilizing the whole body of Christ? Returning to the story of the blind man at the start of this week’s lesson, we have an invitation to be honest with God and ourselves and admit that we can see people, but they look like trees. In fact, sometimes the person that we aren’t seeing clearly may be ourselves and our own worth. May we slow down and let Jesus touch our eyes again and again to see ourselves and others in the way He sees us, as beloved children of God.
About the authors
Ezrica Bennett
