There are moments when we would give anything to see more clearly—our future, our mistakes, the people we love. The story of the man born blind in John 9 invites that longing into the light: it asks whether we want mere physical sight or the steadier, costly vision that comes from encountering Jesus. What if the blindness you most need healed isn’t an ailment but an attitude, a comfort zone, or a prejudice you protect?
In John 9:1–41, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth. He makes mud with his saliva, spreads it on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (the name means “Sent”). The man goes, returns seeing, and the neighbors and Pharisees argue over what happened. The healed man testifies that Jesus did it; the religious leaders, offended and threatened, dig in and eventually expel him. Jesus finds the man again, reveals himself as the Son of Man, and the man believes. Jesus then speaks about spiritual sight and blindness—those who claim to see may be blindest of all. This episode appears only in John’s Gospel (not in Matthew, Mark, or Luke), and John uses it to unfold themes about light, sight, belief, and unbelief.
This passage shows Jesus both as sovereign healer and subversive truth-teller. He doesn’t simply fix a problem; he stages a revelation. The mud and the journey to Siloam are almost theatrical—God’s work often requires obedience and movement on our part. Notice, too, how Jesus reverses assumptions: suffering is not necessarily punishment, and spiritual “insiders” can be spiritually blind. The grace is unmistakable—Jesus seeks out the outcast, gives sight freely, and invites testimony—yet the cost of following him can mean being cast out from familiar communities.
Practically, ask God today to show you one blind spot. Don’t just pray—do a small, concrete thing: tell a trusted friend one truth you’ve been avoiding, or reach out with kindness to someone typically overlooked at work or church. If you sense resistance, name it aloud and ask Jesus to open your eyes. The Gospel heals our sight so we might see and serve with humility and courage.
In John 9:1–41, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth. He makes mud with his saliva, spreads it on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (the name means “Sent”). The man goes, returns seeing, and the neighbors and Pharisees argue over what happened. The healed man testifies that Jesus did it; the religious leaders, offended and threatened, dig in and eventually expel him. Jesus finds the man again, reveals himself as the Son of Man, and the man believes. Jesus then speaks about spiritual sight and blindness—those who claim to see may be blindest of all. This episode appears only in John’s Gospel (not in Matthew, Mark, or Luke), and John uses it to unfold themes about light, sight, belief, and unbelief.
This passage shows Jesus both as sovereign healer and subversive truth-teller. He doesn’t simply fix a problem; he stages a revelation. The mud and the journey to Siloam are almost theatrical—God’s work often requires obedience and movement on our part. Notice, too, how Jesus reverses assumptions: suffering is not necessarily punishment, and spiritual “insiders” can be spiritually blind. The grace is unmistakable—Jesus seeks out the outcast, gives sight freely, and invites testimony—yet the cost of following him can mean being cast out from familiar communities.
Practically, ask God today to show you one blind spot. Don’t just pray—do a small, concrete thing: tell a trusted friend one truth you’ve been avoiding, or reach out with kindness to someone typically overlooked at work or church. If you sense resistance, name it aloud and ask Jesus to open your eyes. The Gospel heals our sight so we might see and serve with humility and courage.
John: 9:1-41
Jesus heals a man born blind by making mud, instructing him to wash in the pool of Siloam, which sparks a fierce dispute with the Pharisees and leads to the man's excommunication when he testifies that Jesus is the healer. Through the episode Jesus contrasts physical sight with spiritual insight, revealing himself as the Son of Man who brings light and exposing the Pharisees' spiritual blindness.
Open Verse