Mark 8:31-33

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Yeshu addresses his most eager disciple with some of the sternest words that he ever spoke, but at the same time he turns to all of them because they too dream, as Peter does, that he will be a glorious earthly Messiah King.

No. He must take onto himself the negative karma of many by dying – in their stead – a bitter and shameful death.

He could do it. He had no sin, he had only unlimited merit – enough merit to cancel all the sin of believers and be their Saviour.  He could say to the king of hell (gshin rje chos rgyal), “You have no power over me”; and – rising from death and hell after three days – break out of the prison of samsara (‘khor ba).

Mark 8:27-30

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

The realisation that Yeshu must be the longed-for Messiah Christ came forcefully to Peter like new sight. “Now I see it; you are God’s Mashiga!”

And equally forcefully Yeshu now tells them to keep this insight to themselves.

Mark 8:22-26

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spat on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, ” Do not even enter the village.”

See the faith of those who brought the blind man. What of the blind man? was his own faith encouraged by the touch of Yeshu’s hands?

Note the details: Who were the men who seemed to him ‘like trees walking’? Were they Yeshu’s disciples? And was this event related to Mark by one of those who were there, an eye-witness who personally saw and heard everything?