6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
9:6
When He had said these things [verses 4 and 5],
After Jesus’ comments in verses 3-5, He took the initiative to heal the blind man on the basis of His being the light of the world.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva;
There was nothing magical in Jesus making clay with saliva. Neither did the mud pack have anything medicinal in it. The process Jesus used here may have been an aid to the man’s faith.
and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
Jesus applied a mud pack to the man’s eyes. The method by which Jesus healed this man was not important. Jesus used different ways to heal people. He occasionally healed people by not touching them.
9:7
And He said to him,
The man did not ask Jesus to heal him; the initiative was entirely the Lord’s.
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent).
Jesus gave specific instruction to the blind man. He told him to go to the “pool of Siloam,” which was part of the original buildings of Jerusalem, the city of David. This pool was located on the southeastern end of Jerusalem. Hezekiah’s tunnel, which ran from the Gihon spring, funneled water from inside the walls of Jerusalem to the pool.
The word “Siloam” means sent. Jesus was the sent one from the Father. This may be the reason He directed the blind man to go on a journey to the pool.
So he went and washed,
The blind man followed Jesus’ instruction immediately. This is the only record of Jesus healing a person with congenital blindness.
and came back seeing.
The man who had not seen light ever in his life now was able to see the material world. The blind man did not see Jesus until later, after he was healed.
The prophets predicted that when the Messiah would come, He would heal the blind (Is 42:7). Jesus healed the blind on several occasions (Mt 9:27-31; 12:22-23; 15:30; 20:29-34; 21:14).
PRINCIPLE:
Spiritual blindness is worse than physical blindness.
APPLICATION:
Jesus, the Sent One, took the initiative in healing. He did not depend on the faith of the blind man.
People tend to get caught up in methods rather than the reality. The blind man’s experience is not necessary for anyone else. The important point in this story is the salvation of the soul by the “light of the world.”
