In the Gospel of Mark we have two cases of particular healings of blindness. The first case is that of the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida (8:22-26). After the Lord spit in the blind man’s eyes and laid His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” (v. 23). The man replied, “I behold men; I see them as trees walking.” Then the Lord laid His hands upon his eyes, and the man “looked intently and was restored, and he saw all things clearly” (v. 25).
Immediately after the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida, the Lord Jesus went with His disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” (8:27). They answered, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, one of the prophets” (v. 28). Then the Lord questioned the disciples further: “But you, who do you say that I am?” (v. 29). This question indicates that the Lord was healing His disciples’ seeing organ.
The second case of the healing of blindness recorded in Mark is the case of blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52). It is significant that this case comes immediately after the Lord’s dealing with the request of James and John to sit at His right and left in His glory (10:35-45). The fact that they could make such a request proves that they were blind and in need of the Lord’s specific healing. The disciples needed the healing of their seeing, hearing, and speaking organs.
Beginning in chapter eight, the Lord Jesus began to help the disciples to see His Person, His all-inclusive death, and His marvelous resurrection. Three times He spoke to them concerning His death and resurrection (8:31; 9:30-32; 10:33-34).
On the Mount of Transfiguration the Lord Jesus gave a demonstration to Peter, James, and John concerning who He was. “He was transformed before them; and His garments became brilliant, exceedingly white, such as no fuller on earth could whiten them” (9:2-3). On the mountain “there appeared to them Elijah together with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus” (v. 4). Not knowing what to say, Peter took the lead to say to the Lord Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three tabernacles—one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (v. 5). What Peter spoke was according to the Old Testament. He did not realize that the Old Testament things had been buried with the Lord Jesus in chapter one. From the human point of view, there was nothing wrong with Peter’s suggestion. Moses and Elijah were both great men. Moses represented the law, and Elijah represented the prophets. Nevertheless, from the point of view of God’s New Testament economy, Peter spoke in a nonsensical way.
Mark 9:7 says, “And a cloud came overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him!” This word is our basis for saying that Christ is the entire, universal replacement. This One should replace Moses and Elijah; that is, He should replace the law and the prophets. He should replace the old things, which were terminated and buried in chapter one. Chapter nine of the Gospel of Mark indicates that Christ is the universal replacement.
The Lord Jesus gathered the disciples to be the soil in which He sowed the Triune God as a seed. The Lord healed the disciples’ organs of seeing, hearing, and speaking. Then He brought this soil with Him when He was examined, judged, and crucified. He brought it with Him through His all-inclusive death and into His wonderful resurrection.
We need to consider the Gospel of Mark from the point of view of the Epistles of Paul. According to Ephesians 1:4, God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This indicates that in eternity past God put us into Christ, for He chose us in Christ. The fact of His choosing us in Christ indicates that He had already put us into Christ. Hence, we were put into Christ before the foundation of the world.
According to our experience, we may say that we were put into Christ when we believed into Him and were baptized into Him. This understanding is correct, and it is according to the New Testament. We are told in the New Testament that we are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27). This is a word concerning being in Christ in a practical way. Ephesians 1:4, however, is a word concerning God’s selection of us in eternity, a word that indicates that before the foundation of the world God had already put us into Christ.
We need to view Mark 1 in the light of Ephesians 1. In chapter one of Mark the Christ into whom we were put by God in eternity past came to be baptized by John the Baptist. Since we had been put into Him before the foundation of the world, Christ did not come alone. Rather, He came with us. Therefore, when He was baptized, we were baptized in Him.
Do you believe that you were put into Christ by God the Father before the foundation of the world and that you were in Christ when He was baptized? If you see this, you will praise the Lord and say, “Hallelujah, when the Lord Jesus was baptized in Mark 1, I was baptized too! I was in Him when He was baptized in the Jordan.” If we have the view presented in Paul’s Epistles, we shall realize that we were baptized in the Jordan with the Lord Jesus. We all need to see this.