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. In this case, the miracle is giving sight to a man who was 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 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 seems to be deliberately antagonizing.

Jesus is recorded as healing blindness in several instances (Matthew 9:27–28; Mark 8:22–26), but in each case His methods differ. This dispels any suggestion that Jesus was using some form of ritual magic, or advanced medicine. It also prevents modern people from claiming that 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 Pharisee's 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 result of this action is a miracle that 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 the gospel of John'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, as they purposefully ignore the spiritual message being proven by Jesus' works.

Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his entire life. In typical fashion for that era, the disciples assume this condition is due to some specific sin--either the man's sin or his parents' sin. Jesus challenges this idea, and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation, as 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 is able to meet with the 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, where Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy. 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, recorded in chapter 10, including several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.