John 9 Verses 1-12 

John 9:1 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 8 The neighbours therefore, and  they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. 10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? 11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. 12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.” 

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”  The question raised by the disciples illustrates the misunderstanding many people of today have concerning sickness and disease.  Many people think if someone has a health anomaly or disease that is a direct result of a specific sin that was committed.  However, the Lord’s answer shows us that not all sickness, disease or anomalies are the direct result of a specific sin.  In the case above where the man was born blind it was not the result of a specific sin by the man or his parents that he was born blind.  While some diseases are the result of specific sins, such as immoral sexual activity sometimes leads to specific diseases, many times the problems of disease, sickness, and health anomalies is not due to a specific sin on behalf of the person plagued.  In the above case, the works of God would be manifest in the blind man.  

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  While Jesus walked on the earth he demonstrated the great power and compassion of God by performing many miracles.  While Jesus walked on earth he was the spiritual light and spiritual day of his disciples.  It appears to me that the Lord was saying that the time would come when no man would be able to perform the miracles that he was performing manifesting the great power of God.  Certainly, God still performs miracles even in our day, but they are not performed by the hands of men but by the sovereign God that we worship.   

“When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”  The Lord could have just spoken the word and the man would have been healed.  However, the Lord chose to do things the way he did.  We do not have to understand the why or how that God chooses to do things.  After that the Lord made the clay of spittle, he told the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  The Lord gave the man specific instructions and he was to follow those instructions.  The healing was by the power of God, yet the man was to have faith and follow the Lord’s instruction.  This is an example to us today.  We don’t always know the why or how following the Lord’s instructions work, yet, it is important that we do things the Lord’s way and not our way.  That is called walking by faith.  After the man followed the Lord’s instruction he came seeing.   

“The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.”  The man on whom the miracle of healing was performed was an adult man and had been blind from his birth.  His neighbors and others who had seen him, before as he sat and begged, were no doubt astonished that the man could now see.  This gave rise to the questions asked above.  Some said it was he and others said it is like him, but the man gave testimony that he was the one who previously had sat and begged.  The man had a marvelous testimony to tell.  

“Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?  He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.  Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.”  The neighbors and others who had known him had two questions that they asked.  The first question was “how were thine eyes opened?” To this question the man answered “A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.”  The second question was “Where is he?”  The man’s answer to that question was “I know not.”  The man had not seen Jesus before he was healed and had not seen Jesus after he was healed, therefore, he could not have known where he was.