Week 6 of Ordinary Time, Wednesday – 19th February — Gospel: Mark 8,22-26
Being led by His hand
As often happens, Jesus establishes a personal contact with the blind man by taking him by the hand and laying his hands on him. Again for the second time he lays his hands on him and now the healing is complete. This shows that Jesus will not leave the man with only a partial restoration. The distinctive mark of this story lies in the repeated reference to touch and laying hands on the person. This personal gesture of Jesus recalls the Old Testament theme that God himself leads his people by the hand (Is 41,13; Jer 31,32). Particularly in Mark, where there are more references to laying on of hands than in any other Gospel, all but this instance occur in the context of healings. In some instances the infirm and troubled seek to touch Jesus (3,10; 5,27-31; 6,56), and in others Jesus extends a healing touch to them (1,41; 7,33; 8,22). Sometimes healing is accompanied by the actual laying on of Jesus’ (5,23; 7,32; 8,23 &25) or the disciples’ hands (6,5; 16,18). The only instance of laying on of hands as a blessing is the blessing of the children in 10,13. Whether Jesus takes over the laying on of hands from the OT is unclear, for he lays on hands for different purposes than for those prescribed in the OT, i.e. to transfer the profane to the sacred by consecrating them to God. However, when he lays his hands on, he bestows God’s holy and healing presence on ordinary, common, and even sinful people, in this way Jesus brings the sacred to the profane.
