Evaluate truth

This well-known account of the healing of the man who was blind from birth, contains many interesting points of contemplation for us.

It is certainly one of the strangest ways of healing that Jesus used, even though using spit as medicine on the eyes was common in ancient times (classical writers like Pliny the Elder and Celsus noted saliva’s healing properties). Jesus actually used His saliva to do two other healings as well, as recorded in Mark 7:33 Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. And in Mark 8:23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

What made this healing different from others is that it is the only recorded instance where someone who had been born blind, was healed. It sent a very clear message to the learned men of the time that Jesus was indeed God Himself, as they knew Ps 146:8 the LORD gives sight to the blind… Further proof lay in the fact that opening the eyes of the blind was a sign of the coming Messiah, according to prophecies like Isaiah 35:5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. No wonder they were running around in confusion – the evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah was mounting up before their very eyes! It is the same situation today. Even when confronted with the undeniable truth that Jesus is God, people choose not to believe what is clearly shown in the Bible.

I have often thought that this man showed determination and courage to obey Jesus. Firstly, Jesus did not explicitly promise him his healing – He only commanded him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Then, while still not being able to see, he had to grope his way to the Pool, find the steps and go down them to reach the water, all the while probably wondering what people thought about the mud layers on his eyes. His faith was rewarded, and he could see!

Pearls to ponder:

What would your reaction be if you had to receive the treatment that Jesus applied to bring about the healing of this man? Would you be offended by His ‘method’; would you rather not obey because you thought, “What would people say if they saw me now?” Would you have walked all the way to the Pool, or stopped halfway thinking, “What am I doing here, this is ridiculous!” Also, when confronted with truth that conflicts with your education/culture/religious upbringing – would you search for your own answers based on the Word of God, or would you stubbornly cling to old beliefs?