As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
Comment: Jesus had recently announced Himself as the Light of the world. I suspect that remembering this, when they saw a blind man the disciples asked if the man was blind because of his or his parent’s sin. We are led to believe in the Bible that sin (Adam’s rebellion against God) is the cause of all our problems. But each case of sickness is not able to be ‘pinned onto’ a particular sin. Obviously some sins do immediately cause health problems – murder is a sin!
In this instance Jesus says that this man’s blindness is God ordained to show what He can do! Why Jesus used the technique of spitting, mixing the spittle with clay, rubbing it into his eyes and sent him to wash in the pool. He had been talking to the disciples alone and from the follow up Jesus had not stayed to watch and this way every person standing around would see a blind man led to wash come away seeing! A miracle which caused a stir!!!
Prayer: Light up my mind and heart please.
As I read it! 