Day 36-Wednesday, March 20th
John 9:1-17
Stirring the Pot

Jesus and His disciples are walking past a blind man who had been begging in His community for many years. He was simply part of the landscape of daily life as he sat on the side of the road begging for money because he would have no opportunities for employment to support himself.

In Biblical times, to be born with a disability was thought to be the result of some type of sin on the part of the person or the parents. (It is strange to think that an unborn baby could be blamed for a disability from sin committed in the womb.) The disciples question Jesus about this very thought.

As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:1-2 NIV
Jesus states that no one sinned but that this blindness would give an opportunity to see the power of God at work in Him. Jesus can heal this man of his blindness because He is the “light of the world”.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:3-5 NIV
In the Gospel of John, we have previously seen Jesus change water into wine with a word (2:5-8), heal an official’s son with a word (4:49-53), heal a lame man with a word (5:5-9), and feed 5000 people with a prayer (6:10-13). Yet here Jesus does something unusual and different.
After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:6-7 NIV

Couldn’t He have simply spoken a word of healing as with the other miracles? Why did Jesus make clay, rub it into this man’s eyes, and have him wash in a specific pool?

Another detail given in the story gives us a hint-Jesus heals this man on a Saturday which is the Jewish Sabbath day. It was forbidden by the Pharisees to “knead dough” on Saturday. The Greek word for “dough” is the same word used here for “mud”. In other words, Jesus healed this man in this way to intentionally break the law and violate the prohibition from working on the Sabbath.

Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, wants to emphasize that the Sabbath was created for rest and healing. While the Pharisees were ultra-focused on the letter of the law, they missed the intention of the law altogether. Jesus intended to challenge the Pharisees with this healing of the blind man on the Sabbath. Not only did Jesus actively and purposely break the law, he had the blind man also break the law by walking to the Pool of Siloam and washing the mud off his eyes.

As a point of application for our own lives, Jesus knew exactly what the man needed but chose to involve him directly in the process. It is entirely possible that Jesus has been pressing into your life encouraging you to take the next step in your restoration and healing, but you have been delaying the process with your indecision. You won’t be able to move forward until you respond to His leading.

Questions to consider:
What about in your life? Is Jesus calling you to act on something that could bring healing, but you haven’t responded to His call?
What to you need to act on today?

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