John 9:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

NIV: "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

NASB: and said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which is translated, Sent). So he left and washed, and came back seeing.

CSB: "Go," he told him, "wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means "Sent"). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.

NLT: He told him, 'Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam' (Siloam means 'sent'). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Jesus is performing the sixth of seven miraculous "signs" recorded in the gospel of John. This event is giving sight to a man born blind. This state is unique for several reasons. First, it means Jesus is about to grant this man an ability he does not naturally possess (John 9:1–2). Second, it corresponds to Old Testament predictions that the Messiah would give sight to the blind (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). This is a category of miracle Scripture credits only to Christ (Matthew 11:5; 12:22–23). Third, Jesus uses this moment as an example to teach the disciples that not all suffering is punishment for sin (John 9:3–4). Lastly, this miracle occurs on a Sabbath day (John 9:14), further irritating the Pharisees whom Jesus is deliberately antagonizing.

Jesus heals blindness in several biblical passages (Matthew 9:27–31; Mark 8:22–26). In each case, His methods differ. This dispels any suggestion that Jesus was using ritual magic or advanced medicine. It also prevents modern people from claiming they can achieve the same results by using "the Jesus method." Here, the use of mud not only reflects man's creation by God (Genesis 2:7), it also directly contradicts the Pharisees' traditional law which forbade mixing clay on the Sabbath. Further, having gritty clay packed into one's eye-sockets is hardly comfortable, giving the man ample motivation to obey Jesus' command to wash it out.

The resulting miracle becomes a signature moment for Jesus' public ministry. Until Jesus resurrects Lazarus, this will be seen by many as the primary evidence of His power (John 11:37).

John 9:1–12 contains the sixth of this gospel's seven miraculous ''signs'' of Jesus' divinity. This miracle is the healing of a man who has been blind since birth. Jesus corrects His disciples' misconceptions about sin and suffering, then grants this man an ability he has never had before. This will lead to more angry confrontations with local religious leaders. Critics continue to purposefully ignore the spiritual message being proven by Jesus' works.

Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his entire life. Consistent with notions of that era, the disciples assume the disability is due to some specific sin: either the man's or his parents'. Jesus challenges this idea and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation. The Pharisees try to discredit Jesus' miraculous work. The healed man's simple, straightforward perspective embarrasses the religious leaders, who excommunicate him in frustration. Jesus meets with the healed man, explaining more about His identity and the purpose of His ministry. Jesus also reminds the Pharisees that those who ought to know better, spiritually, will be held more accountable as a result.

Jesus has begun to actively confront the false teachings of local religious leaders. His most recent debate included a heated exchange with the Pharisees. There, Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy (John 8). Here, Jesus continues to antagonize religious hypocrites by healing a man who was born blind. The ensuing ruckus further exposes Jerusalem's religious leaders as shallow, prejudiced, and false. This event launches Jesus into another lengthy discussion of His ministry. That, recorded in chapter 10, includes several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.