Jesus amazed the crowds who followed him with incredible miracles. These “signs and wonders” encouraged the people to then listen carefully to his teaching. Jesus began with their “felt needs” (temporal and physical) so that they could understand their “real needs” (eternal and spiritual). Some of his miracles were wet (walking on water). Some were fun (water turned to wine). And some were scary (healing a leper). But, one was downright messy. Let’s take a look at “the muddy miracle”.
A blind beggar
You’ll find this story in the Gospel of John (chapter 9). Jesus is in Jerusalem, the capital and biggest city of the province of Judah. As he walks along, he meets a man “blind from birth” (verse 1). Because of his disability, this man was a poor beggar (verse 8). He survived only because some people pitied him and tossed him a few coins each day.
The disciples assume this man’s plight is some sort of punishment so they ask Jesus, “Who sinned – the blind man or his parents?” Followers of eastern religions (eg. Hinduism, Buddhism) would assume the same. Someone’s bad “karma” (deeds) from a previous life must be responsible. Jesus refutes their assumption when he answers, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (verse 3) He then adds that he has been sent by God to be “the light of the world” to those living in spiritual darkness. The symbolism is obvious.
A bizarre remedy
The next two verses tell us what happened next. Jesus bent down and “spit on the ground” (you can get fined in Singapore for doing that). He then “made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes” (are you grossed out yet?). The people looking at this must have been intrigued. The only one who probably didn’t know exactly what was happening was the blind man. All he knew was that this special person (whom he had undoubtedly heard about) had taken a personal interest in him and had anointed his eyes with some sort of salve.
Jesus then “sends” him to wash in the “Pool of Siloam” (meaning “Sent”) which is also probably symbolic. The blind man (no doubt guided by friends) does what he’s told and “came home seeing” (verse 7). We can safely “read between the lines” and also assume that he returned home amazed and overjoyed as he now sees everything around him for the very first time.
A bewildering reaction
The rest of the chapter (verses 8-41) describes how various people reacted to this miracle. The line of questioning centres around two questions – “Who really is this man who claims he was healed of blindness?” and “Who really is Jesus who supposedly healed him?”
Opinion is divided on both questions. To the first one, some people claimed that the healed man was in fact the blind beggar (verse 9). Others concluded that he must be a “look alike” (which reveals their anti-supernatural bias). And, of course, the healed man knows the truth and exclaims, “I am the man!”. The man’s parents also affirm that this is their son who was born blind (verse 20).
To the second question, the legalistic Jewish religious leaders (Pharisees) quickly conclude that Jesus is “not from God” and a “sinner” because he performed the miracle on the Sabbath (Saturday) when work (including healing) is not permitted. Some onlookers disagree and reason, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” The healed man answers by saying he thinks Jesus is a “prophet” (and therefore a good, holy man). The man’s parents duck the question fearing they will be excommunicated from the synagogue (and thus society).
We then see the surprising boldness of the healed man when he asks the Pharisees a sarcastic question (verse 27) and employs sound reasoning skills (verse 30-33). Not bad for an uneducated beggar. He’s probably so happy that he can now see that he doesn’t really care about the consequences of his words. As expected, the Pharisees lash back in arrogant anger (verses 28-29, 34).
The closing verses are beautiful. Jesus reveals his true identity (Son of man) to the healed man who responds in faith and worship. The man’s testimony is simple – “I was blind but now I see!” (verse 25). The application for him was both physical and spiritual.
What about you? Spiritually speaking, can you say the same?
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
