Jesus Heals A Man Born Blind (John 9:1-12)

As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. 4 We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see. 8 His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” 10 So they said to him, “[So] how were your eyes opened?” 11 He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” 12 And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”'

On the Sabbath, Jesus gave sight to a man born blind.  In OT times the Israelites believed that physical illness, handicaps, and deformities resulted from sin so the disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned (v. 2)?”  If the man was born blind either he, even while still in the womb, or his parents had sinned.  Jesus told the disciples that the man was blind from birth so that the works of God may be “made visible” through him (v. 3).  Jesus also told his disciples that he is the light of the world, and they have to do the work God sent him to do while he is still in the world.  Darkness would overcome the world if he had not come (vv. 4-5).  

Traditional OT beliefs held that mud from the dust of the earth helped to cure blindness (2 Kgs. 5:10).  Jesus spat on the ground to form mud and placed it on the blind man’s eyes.  The blind man obeyed Jesus to go and wash in the pool of Siloam and his obedience to the words of Jesus cured him (v. 7).  It was Jesus the one sent by God (Jn. 3:17) who is the living water (Jn. 7:37) that healed the man not the pool of Siloam.  Some of the man’s neighbors were astounded and wanted to know how he could now see.  Others thought it was someone who looked like the man.  The man confirmed he was the one and he could only remember the basic facts about what happened – The anointing with clay, the command to go and wash, his obedience, the miracle of sight, and that it was Jesus who gave him sight.  The man not only received physical sight but also spiritual sight.  

Almighty God, grant us the faith to recognize and trust you when you are trying to heal our blindness.  May we be ever mindful of your goodness towards us and strive to bring to completion the work you have begun in us.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.