Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:1-7).
In the previous chapter, Jesus stated that He is the great I AM (John 8:58), the name God had told Moses that He was to be called by (Exodus 3:14). To the Jewish people, to make such a declaration was unthinkable! How dare He say that He was God! They were so angry at His statement about Himself that they began stoning Him for blasphemy (John 8:59). He also stated in the previous chapter, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). He said this about Himself while in the temple courts (John 8:2), more than likely before the four giant candelabra’s symbolizing God as the One who had been their light leading them in the darkness during the wilderness wanderings. Notice that He didn’t say I am a light, but I am the Light of the World. He claimed exclusively to be Israel’s Light. Now He set out to prove it as He left the Temple precincts.
Put yourself in the shoes of the man born blind. He could hear the conversation between the Lord and His disciples, but couldn’t see what was going on. More than likely, he heard Jesus collecting spittle in his mouth and spitting it on the ground. I would think the Lord told him He was about to put something on his eyes. Did he know of Jesus before the mud was put on his eyes? I think not. He explained later on, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see” (verse 11).
Sometimes the Lord tests our obedience to His voice. He will offend your mind to reveal your heart. How would you feel about someone rubbing mud in your eyes? Do you think he was offended as he stumbled along with mud on his eyes trying to find his way to the Pool of Siloam? I’m sure there were a few on the way that probably offered to give him water to wash off his face while he was going. It’s possible, also, that there were a few who laughed at his obedience to the Lord. Was someone leading him on the way? We do not know, but no matter what was on the way or who was leading him, he was determined to do just as Jesus said. He was well rewarded when he found his way down the steps to the pool of water (The Pool of Siloam is at the bottom of the hill of Zion). He washed and was instantly healed.
How determined are you to hear God’s Word and do His will? What if he had washed his eyes before He got to Siloam? I don’t think he would have been healed and we wouldn’t be reading about his obedience to the Lord. Can I encourage you today not to compromise your faith in Christ? Hold on to Him in the midst of the darkness as we stumble towards Siloam. We might not see everything we would like to see, but obedience to Christ pays big dividends! The end of our faith is well worth listening to His Word. Keith Thomas
Taken from the study of John 9:1-41, Jesus and the Man Born Blind, found in the All Studies box under the heading of the Gospel of John.
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