Thursday, March 6, 2008

Why did Jesus Spit and heal the Blind man?

According to the scripture, John 9: 1-38, this man was born blind, to never see a sunset, the face of a child, the face of a loved one would be a terrible thing. Yet this man had lived his entire life in this state of darkness. In the scriptures, we noticed that this man was born not only blind but also in poverty. And he was unable to find employment and as a result he was reduced to begging for what food and money he received. This is a pitiful state. Many would say that he would have been better off if he had never been born. This is the same situation every lost sinner finds himself/ herself in today. Spiritually speaking apart from Jesus, you are hopelessly bankrupt and have no way of providing things you need on a spiritual level. However Jesus told the disciples that this man’s handicap was allowed by God so that God could get glory from this man’s life.

Lets see how he was exposed to the light of Jesus, word. When Jesus passed by, this mans life was forever changed. Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with his saliva, anointed the blind mans eyes with the mud. Why did Jesus spit and heal this blind man in this way? Spit and dirt (clay) mixed and put on the eyes, does not sound very nice. Am I correct? You would not think someone was intending anything good for you in this way. When the soldiers mocked at Jesus, they spit on him to humiliate Jesus. Then why did Jesus spit on the ground to make clay and anoint this blind man’s eyes with that?


I assume that, in the days of Jesus, the Jewish people believed spittle from the first born of every family had a great healing power. As per Jewish tradition, Jesus used His spittle to testify to everybody that He was the first born of God the father and the only begotten Son of God. Since the blind man was born blind, probably he had no eyeballs at all, just empty sockets. So Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with His own saliva and then formed and created 2 eye balls out of the clay, the same way God formed and created Adam(Gen 2:7). As per Jesus instruction, this man went to Siloam and washed his eyes, he was healed of his blindness. Archeologists say that this Siloam is very big with wide steps on 3 sides, where you need more courage and braveness to go into it. I feel that this blind man might have got faith, belief, extra courageous and braveness when Jesus touched his eyes in the first place.

When people asked him what had happened, he never mentioned the spittle. Why not?
The reason is, the blind man had not seen it take place. He was blind. There is a lesson here for every one of us. There are times when God is working in our lives to try and bring us to Him. Often we cannot see the Lords work and even after we are saved, we may never realize all the little things God did to us.

After Jesus exposed the man to the physical light, many Pharisees heard of this miracle and questioned him. This blind man was not theologian but he knew what had happened to him personally. He could not explain what had happened but he knew that he had met someone who had power to make an eternal life.Let’s see this mans testimony very briefly.

  1. A man who is called Jesus did this: this is his very limited knowledge about Jesus but it is a first step to the road of salvation.
  2. He is a Prophet: in other words he is man to be listened to. The blind man listened once to Jesus and that obedience has resulted in his healing.
  3. Man of God: he came with the conclusion that He is a man of God that means he is a man to be followed.


    May the shining light of God, seeking light of Christ and saving light of Spirit fill every one of us to realize little things He did in our lives. Amen.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should never add or subtact from what is written in the Bible. Nowhere does it say Jesus formed new eyeballs, or that the man didn't have eyesballs. Many are born blind that have eyeballs.

Jesus spat on the man's eyes because spitting back then was a common form of insult. Jesus was insulting the works of the devil, canceling the devil's works, thus why he formed his spit with the earth, the devil's domain, and turning it into a miracle of God, thus trumping any works of the devil and showing he had power over this earth and God would get glory out of it.

It also shows that God can heal us any way He wants. Sometimes Jesus heals instantly, other times we have to do something, we have to do our part in manifesting the healing. This example shows how the blind man had to go find the water and clean his eyes...not so easy for a blind man to do. That is the same as telling the crippled man to rise and take up his bed, same thing. Faith is always an action word. Jesus said we are healed by our faith.

Also, I feel that if we are willing to have God spit on us, to humble us, He has promised to exalt us. Those who exalt themselves He will humble, but those willing to be humbled, He exalts.

Anonymous said...

Also Jesus explained that the sickness was not due to a specific sin of the man or of his parents, but is a result of the effect of the curse that is in the world due to the entrance of sin that lead to sickness, disease, affliction and death - all due to the original fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Jesus was stating that because of that fallen condition, the power of God is present and available to the man and, as far as God is concerned, Jesus said, "It should be revealed in him!" The word "revealed," in Greek means "to be manifested, displayed and illustrated." Jesus is saying "that's why I'm here, to establish, reveal, and manifest the power of God in the face of the curse that has plagued mankind for so long."

He then spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva and disgust, disgusted with sin and the curse that had alienated mankind from true fellowship with God and had caused so much suffering and spiritual blindness in the world.

God is love, the highest and purest form of love. When Jesus spat on the ground, He spat with intensity and disgust, with knowing His purpose: He had come into the world to free mankind from the bonds of sin. 1 John 3:8 "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." Jesus was saying, "Curse, you have no hold over me, for I am Love, Light and Life, and I have come to expel the works of darkness."

Then He took the clay made from the cursed earth (Genesis 3:17) symbolizing the curse, anointed or placed it on the blind man's eyes and said to him: "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." The man obeyed the Word of Jesus by faith, and came back seeing - completely healed and free from the curse of blindness.

By anointing the blind man with the clay, Jesus was in effect ing, "you may have been bound by the effects of the curse with no hope, being fully convinced of its hold, but I say that you are anointed to be free and to live in liberty, free from the curse and its effects, for this is the gift of God, eternal and abundant life!" - John 10:10

Enjoy!
Rebirth of a Nation
www.RebirthofaNation.org

Anonymous said...

I beleive that Maybe Jesus was doing both. Tradition in his day was very adamant just like turning the water into wine it was a tradition to have wine at a wedding but it also had a signficant meaning to his disciples, (faith). Tradtion of the first born was the spit from them had healing power and the clay means making anew. It all fits with the above suggestion. Really Jesus didn't have to prove anything about the devil and a curse. REALLY!

Anonymous said...

Even with all the what ifs, and the translations each of the posts from "anonymous" it all comes down to the root of it all...Jesus is King of all things. His miricles were, and still are many.

Anonymous said...

BEST! INTERPRETATION EVER!!

Anonymous said...

It doesn't say a thing about dust or clay-just that He spit on his eyes-and touched them-twice. Where are people getting the dust thing from?

lovechild63 said...

it most certainly does mention clay and spittal in John chapter 9 verse 6 take a look. you blessed my friend

lovechild63 said...

and also inverse 15

dee said...

I see it as Jesus touching what man is made from and making the man's eyes dirty. So that's two reasons; 1. we are made from the earth 2. he was symbolically showing sin. Dirty sin. First time blind man saw as we see now and someday we will see clearly. OR maybe the before cross, and after cross.
Then He told him to wash. Symbolic of accepting Christ (that gets calvanism out of the way) by having faith to go 'wash'. As in clean after cross accepting Him. That's how I see it.