As Jesus and his disciples escaped the grasp of the Jewish authorities who wanted to arrest him (John 8:59; 9:1), they paused at the gate, as they exited the Temple, perhaps to contribute to the blind beggar, who was sitting there. However, when it became known that he was born in this condition, the disciples wondered and asked Jesus, whose sin caused such a tragedy. Normally, it was understood by many Jews, as noted in the Apocrypha, that a man’s own sin caused his mishap (cp. Sirach 18:19-21), but how could the man who was born blind have sinned prior to his birth? Was his condition then caused by the sins of his parents/ancestors (John 9:2)?
Jesus replied that neither was true, but his condition, rather than the result of sin, was to be addressed by him to magnify the work of God (John 9:3). Jesus often used what was in the surrounding area to drive home a point he had been teaching. In his Sermon on the Mount, it was the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28); when he wished to emphasize the need to follow him, he used the pulling up of stakes (used at the Feast of Tabernacles) to paint that picture (cp. Matthew 16:24; where cross is translated from stauros (G4716) meaning stake). Here, in John 9, Jesus used the man born blind to show what the work of God could do for all those born spiritually blind, and those works must be done now, while it is yet day, for the night will come when those works could no longer be done (John 9:4).
Jesus claimed to be the Light of the world (John 9:5), and as long as he was in the world, that would continue to be so. In other words, as long as Jesus was alive, the world had spiritual Light, but the night would come, and that referred to his death in his analogy. Later, Peter would write about this, pointing to Jesus as the daystar, vis-à-vis the sun, the light of our physical world, that would arise in the believer’s heart as a spiritual Light in a dark place (2Peter 1:19; cp. 2Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 5:8).
Jesus’ purpose was to open the man’s eyes (cp. Acts 26:18), but he did it by making clay with his spittle, something that was an accepted medical practice of that day (John 9:6). Moreover, the miracle/sign would be used to challenge the doctrine of labor on the Sabbath, as understood by the spiritually blind Pharisees (cp. John 9:14). The blind man must have known what Jesus meant to do with the clay, so Jesus’ method, no doubt, encouraged his faith. He then told the man to wash in the pool of Siloam, whereupon he gained his sight for the first time in his life (John 9:7)! The pool of Siloam was used for rituals practiced during the Feast of Tabernacles, and the name referred to He who was sent. In other words, it pointed to Jesus, who was sent by God (John 8:16, 18, 26, 29, 42). Thus, the miracle pictured what could have been true, had the Jewish authorities repented, saying they could not see (spiritual matters).
When the man returned with those who had taken him, those who had been with him in the gate wondered: was he the man born blind who begged with us at this gate? Some thought so, but others thought he was similar. Having no context in which a man born blind could somehow see, they denied it was him. Nevertheless, the man said he was, indeed, the man they knew (John 9:8-9).
When they asked him how he gained his eyesight (John 9:10), he rehearsed with them what had taken place. “A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight” (John 9:11). Thus, although a man is born spiritual blind and unable to see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3), if he believes Jesus, trusting that he is their Messiah, God, himself, will speak to that one, teaching him and drawing him to Jesus, so he can become his disciple (John 6:44-45).
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4 responses to “Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind!”
The Greek work σάλια pronounced SAL YA means saliva, spittle. SAL in Hebrew means basket and Ya means God. SAUL was blind. In Spanish Saul is pronounced SAL OOL. Thus it is interesting to note that Jesus opens the eyes of the blind person by making some mud with the spittle, bringing this mud to the blind person’s eyes, and then commanding the blind person take a mikvah, in the Pool of Siloam. In Jewish society, only women were commanded to take ritual baths to prepare themselves for their wedding or sexual relations. Mens visits to the baths were voluntary.
Greetings Linda, and thank you for reading and offering a comment.
I’m not certain what your point is, however. It doesn’t seem you are aware of the spiritual point in the text, which happens to be, if a man isn’t born again, he cannot **see** the Kingdom of God. The chief priests and Pharisees claimed to be able to **see** but, in fact they were blind. They were born blind, like the man in the text, whom Jesus healed not only physically, but spiritually.
According to Mark 7:3-4, the Pharisees don’t eat unless they wash often during a meal. This doesn’t sound like it is a voluntary matter, as you claim. So, as I said above, I’m not sure what your point is in this comment, but thanks for taking the time.
First off, many scholars believe the pool of Siloam was a big pool like a MIKVAH. My point is Sal was and is the Saliva, the Salt, the Light, and very spit of the Gospel that was lowered over the wall in a SAL, a BASKET. The Hebrew word for basket is SAL. The Latin word for Salt is SAL and the Italian word for Salt is Sale (pronounced Sally). No one lights a light and puts it under a basket. One puts it on a Pole, a STICK, a BRANCH as a LAMP STAND. So Jesus dramatizes this by showing how Jesus the Teacher the Son of the Father made mud with spittle by uniting it with the dust of the ground…the Son of man. Then as the Teacher of Israel ie Moses, commands and sends the Mother of the Gospel first made known in the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Saul to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam to prepare for her wedding and be restored to Christ the Father who belongs to the Bride forever. Yes many will reject this explanation and will remain Spiritually blind, unable to see spit as an essential ingredient that brings soil alive. Without water, earth would be a dustball. Yes the Spirit, Energy and Light can come from burning fossil fuel and from hovering over dark waters and from Photini sent from the Sun. Yet the Spirit also needs to ρουφώ (roufos) suck and spit to aspirate (draw up and expel water vapour) and breathe to create and sustain life.
Greetings Linda, and thank you for taking the time to reply to me. Lord bless you.
We do disagree, concerning the message of chapter 9 in the Gospel of John, which has to do with who is and who is not spiritually blind. Of course, I don’t doubt your sincerity, but I do doubt your reply helps reveal the message the author of John wishes to convey to the reader. He unveils his message around eight signs. The healing of the man born blind is the sixth sign. Perhaps you can show how your explanation helps to interpret the sixth miracle.