John 9

The Explanation

Jesus is walking through Jerusalem with his disciples when they see a man sitting by the road. He is blind, and he has been blind his whole life. Everyone in the neighborhood knows him. He is a beggar, that is how he stays alive.

The disciples ask a strange question: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Back then, many people thought that when something bad happened, it had to be someone's fault. Jesus says no. This man is not blind because of a punishment. It happened so that God's work would become visible in him.

Then Jesus does something unusual. He spits on the ground, mixes the spit with dust into mud, and rubs the mud on the man's eyes. He tells him: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The man walks there, washes, and suddenly he can see. For the first time in his life he sees colors, faces, the sky.

The neighbors are confused. Is that really him? Yes, it is. They take him to the Pharisees, the religious teachers. But there is a problem: Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the day of rest. Some Pharisees say Jesus cannot be from God. Others say: how could a sinner do such a thing?

They question the man. They question his parents, who are so afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue that they say, "Ask him yourself." Then they call the man back a second time. They try to pressure him to say Jesus is bad. But the man answers wonderfully: "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."

He even dares to tease them a little. "Do you also want to become his disciples?" That makes them furious. They insult him and throw him out.

Then Jesus finds him. He asks, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man says, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" Jesus answers, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you." The man kneels down and worships him.

What Does This Mean?

This story is about two kinds of blindness. The man in the story could not see with his eyes, but at the end he sees more than anyone else, because he recognizes who Jesus is. The Pharisees can see perfectly with their eyes, but they miss the biggest thing standing right in front of them.

Notice something else. Jesus does not answer the disciples' question the way they expect. They want to know whose fault it is. Jesus does not point a finger. He rolls up his sleeves and helps. That says a lot about who God is.

And that answer of the healed man is beautifully honest. He doesn't pretend to know everything. He simply says: I don't know all the answers, but this I do know. Faith does not always mean having every question figured out.

The Common Thread

Jesus calls himself "the light of the world." In the very first pages of the Bible, God said, "Let there be light." Now Jesus, the Son of God, is bringing light into eyes that never saw light before. It is a sign that points to something bigger: Jesus came to open eyes and hearts, so people can see God.

The pool where the man washed was called Siloam, which means "Sent." John writes that on purpose. Jesus himself is the Sent One, sent by the Father. The whole story quietly whispers: this is who Jesus really is.

For You

Sometimes people ask hard questions and expect you to have every answer ready. You don't have to. You may say, like the man in this story: "I don't know everything, but this I know."

And when something difficult happens in your life, you probably want to know why. Jesus doesn't always explain the why. But he does come near. He is the kind of God who steps into the dust, makes mud with his own hands, and gets involved.

Talk About It

Why do you think Jesus used mud instead of just speaking a word, like he did other times?

The man's parents were afraid to say what they really thought. When is it hard for you to say what you believe?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. Open our eyes, so that we may see you. Give us courage to be honest, even when it is hard. And when we do not understand something, help us to trust you anyway. Amen.