LEARNING DAILY

John 9:6-7, When He 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. 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.

The blind man in this passage is an interesting study. The obvious was that he could not see Jesus, but Jesus could see him. There must have been other blind people in Israel, but Jesus stopped when He saw him. What was Jesus thinking when He stopped and looked at this blind man? Why did He open his eyes and give him sight? The man was blind from birth; giving him sight was not about restoring sight he once had; He was going to give the man an awareness of the Savior.

This man did not know what it was like to see. Since he had never seen before, he had no idea what that sense was like; because of that, seeing was not a loss to him. Does that make sense? He was content to do what he had done day after day. I wonder if he had the same attitude when it came to spiritual things. Did he know about them? And if he did, did he understand them? But then Jesus comes along; Jesus knows the value of what it means to see. He knows the changes that the “light from heaven” can do to change each individual whose eyes are opened to it. I do not see where this man prayed and asked for sight, but that is just what Jesus did for him. Isn’t that what Jesus does? Isaiah 65:1 tells us, “I was found of those that did not seek Me”. I wonder, in a spiritual sense, if Jesus was one day passing by and saw you, saw me and looked upon us with compassionate eyes and with mercy. Perhaps, it was that day we sensed our eyes being open to the saving grace Jesus alone offers to us.

Jesus spits on the ground, making mud that He applies to the man’s eyes. It was divine power that gave the man sight. His method reminds us that man was formed from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). His instructions were then for the man to go wash the mud from his eyes in the Pool of Siloam. The man could not just sit back and wait for a miracle to happen; he had to go do what Jesus told him to do. The man trusted Him because he was commanded to. When the man did, his eyes were opened and “he came back seeing”.

There is no doubt about what happened to the blind man. Read on and read in verse 30 the man said, “He opened my eyes”! Do you read or sense any uncertainty? No! The man’s eyes had been opened by Jesus – only Jesus! Do I need to explain the relevance for each of us today? The tomb is still empty! Jesus has risen and sits at the right hand of the Father. He is clothed with infinite power and majesty and desiring to open the eyes of all who are blind spiritually. Because of that, His desires express the love He has for each person who has not confessed their desire to be forgiven, saved and changed by Him. He desires each Believer to place their faith and trust in Him as they walk the narrow way, facing the challenges of this evil and dark world. When Jesus told the man to go wash, He was teaching him the importance of obedience, obedience by faith. Isn’t that same teaching essential to Believers right now? Paul writes that salvation comes to those who hear the Word of God. May I suggest that continuing to read/study/meditate on the Word of God is the only way to continue walking on the narrow way into God’s eternal kingdom. Isn’t that the message of “Go”, for Believers today?

The man went and did what Jesus commanded. Believers are commanded “to be doers of the word, not just hearers” (James 1:22). So, Believers must do what the blind man did – be obedient! I believe we are certainly in days where obedience will be challenged; those who continue in obedience will be rewarded.