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.
John 9:6-7
This is a fascinating miracle. Of course, Jesus can just speak something, and it happens. He can create by fiat–thus says the Lord and it shall be. No one has to help him make it happen; he relies on no process. Let there be light, and boom. There is light.
Without question Jesus could have looked at this man and said, “See.” And his sight would be restored. But he doesn’t do that.
He spits on the ground and makes some mud. He takes the mud and puts it on his eyes. He says, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.”
Some theologians see an allusion to Genesis 2:7 where God makes man from the dust of the Earth. Here is God acting in his own creative power. Now, there’s also something going on with that term Siloam. John gives us an editorial comment to emphasize it. The one who has been sent by the Father, a key idea in John, gives healing and restoration. The pool itself points to the Sent One who brings healing in his wings.
I think there’s a powerful pastoral point to be made here about the life of faith. Note how faith is functioning in this interaction. Jesus could heal this man any way he wants. But Jesus has ordained a certain process that this man will undertake, and after going through it, he will be healed.
He will be anointed with mud. He will walk with mud on his face all the way to the waters of Siloam. There he will wash his face, and there his sight will be given.
If his sight will be restored, he’s going to have to walk with some mud on his face. Faith requires us to submit to God’s process even when it does not make sense to us. Healing comes on his terms, not ours. Healing comes by his power, not ours. A little mud in the hands of Jesus is stronger than a million dollars in the hands of man.
Healing is on the other side of obedience. Our friend in the story receives this anointing from Jesus and obeys the commands of Jesus before he is healed by Jesus.
Some of us what faith’s outcomes without submitting to faith’s processes. Often, we want to receive what Jesus gives, but we don’t want to do what he says.
We want things in our lives to get better. We want joy, we want peace, we want hope. But we don’t want to do what Jesus says (things like loving our enemies, dying to ourselves, pursuing holiness, righteousness, and justice) because that seems counter-productive. It’s a little like walking to a pool with mud on your face because you want to be able to see.
But there is freedom in obedience to Jesus. This blind man has received sight from the Light of the World.