JOHN 9:1–7
THE HEALING OF THE MAN BORN BLIND: THE LIGHT GIVES SIGHT
BRIEF INTERPRETATION
Text – John 9:1–7
1 As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
4 We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes,
7 and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
This passage presents the sixth of John’s seven signs, which culminates Jesus’s teaching that He is the Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5). The question posed by the disciples reflects a common Jewish belief in a direct, causal link between sin and severe suffering (v. 2). Jesus decisively rejects this popular theology, stating that the blindness was permitted “so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (v. 3). The physical act of making mud (v. 6) and commanding the blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam (meaning “Sent”) (v. 7) is a symbolic action. The miracle reveals Jesus as the agent of God’s work, the “Sent One” who brings spiritual and physical sight.
Historical and Jewish Context
The common assumption that the disciples put forward (that suffering is always a punishment for sin) was based on passages like Exodus 20:5. This view was so strong that they wondered if the man sinned in utero (before birth). The miraculous nature of this cure—healing someone born blind—was considered a Messianic sign (Isaiah 35:5). The act of making clay (mud) and smearing it on the eyes may have been a known folk remedy, but by performing it on the Sabbath (as the subsequent verses reveal), Jesus deliberately challenged the prevailing, rigid interpretation of the Mosaic Law held by the Pharisees. The name of the pool, Siloam, meaning “Sent,” is a Johannine pointer back to Jesus, the One sent by the Father.
Catholic Theological Perspective
This miracle is profoundly symbolic. Blindness represents the spiritual condition of humanity alienated from God (original sin), and the restoration of sight symbolizes spiritual illumination, which is grace and saving faith. Jesus’s actions parallel the creation account in Genesis 2, where God used earth (clay/dust) to form man, suggesting that Jesus is the Creator performing a new act of creation upon the man. The command to wash in Siloam points to Baptism, where the spiritual blindness of sin is washed away and the individual is incorporated into the Body of Christ and receives the light of faith. The entire passage establishes Jesus not just as a healer, but as the divine Son, the Light of the World, who overcomes the darkness of human ignorance and sin, making salvation visible. The rejection of the blindness-as-punishment theology reaffirms that suffering can be redemptive and a means for God’s glory to be revealed.
Parallels in Scripture
Genesis 2:7 – God forms man from the dust (clay) of the ground, paralleling Jesus’s use of clay here.
Isaiah 35:5 – Prophecy that “the eyes of the blind will be opened” in the Messianic Age.
John 8:12 – Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
2 Corinthians 4:4–6 – Speaking of God enlightening those who are spiritually blind to see the gospel of the glory of Christ.
Key Terms
Sin – The state or action of separation from God; the disciples assume it is the cause of suffering.
Works of God – The saving action of God, here manifested through the miraculous healing by Jesus.
Day/Night – Figurative contrast between the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry (“day”) and the time after His ascension (“night”).
Light of the World – A title and self-declaration of Jesus, the source of truth, life, and spiritual illumination.
Siloam (Sent) – The name of the pool, symbolically linking the physical cure to Jesus, the “Sent One” of God.
Catholic Liturgical Significance
This Gospel passage is traditionally read on the Fourth Sunday of Lent in Year A of the liturgical cycle (often used in the scrutinies for those preparing for Baptism). The Lenten season is one of spiritual discipline and illumination (illuminatio), and the Church uses this miracle to teach catechumens (and remind the faithful) that through the waters of Baptism, Christ, the Light, opens their spiritual eyes to the truth of the faith and brings them out of the darkness of sin.
Conclusion
In healing the man born blind, Jesus demonstrates His full identity as the Creator and the Light of the World, reframing the purpose of suffering as an opportunity for God’s glory to be displayed. The miracle is a powerful sign of spiritual regeneration, foreshadowing Baptism and confirming that Jesus is the One “Sent” by the Father to bring illumination and new life.
Reflection
Do I see the suffering in my life or the world as purely punitive, or can I seek ways in which God’s “works” might be made visible through it? In what areas of my life—morally or intellectually—am I still spiritually blind, and how can I turn to Christ, the Light, for sight? How does my faith in the Sacrament of Baptism reflect the new, divine sight given to me?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Light of the World, You cured the man born blind with simple earth and water. Open the eyes of my heart to see Your truth and glory. Wash away the darkness of my sin and doubt, and help me to be a child of the Light, always giving You thanks for the gift of faith. Amen.
DETAILED INTERPRETATION
(Jn 9:1) As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
Because of disputes with Jesus on theological issues, the Jews attempted to lynch him. Since it was not yet his ‘hour’, he removed himself from harm’s way (Jn 8:59). On his way out of the temple, Jesus met a blind beggar. The beggars wait at the Temple gates (Acts 3:2) seeking alms from the worshippers. Since this man was blind, he did not notice Jesus, but Jesus, since he had compassion for suffering people, reached out to help him.
The speciality of this miracle is that, out of the six miracles for the blind recorded in the gospels, this is the only person who was born blind. All the others had become blind because of some sickness or accident that had happened after their birth. This person had never seen light, nor any person, or anything in the world. He had no education and had not known about Jesus. No one had given sight to a person born blind. “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person who was born blind” (Jn 9:32). Jesus opening the eyes of a blind person was proof that he was the Messiah to come. Isaiah had predicted: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed” (Isa 35:5).
(2) His disciples asked him, “Master, why was this man born blind? Because of his own sins or those of his parents?”
The disciples, who were travelling with Jesus, noticed that Jesus was paying empathetic attention to the blind. In keeping with the prevalent belief, they could view the blind person primarily as a sinner who deserved no compassion. The Jews believed that sin caused sickness. Jesus confirmed this viewpoint when he healed the sick person at the pool of Bethesda saying, “Now you are well; do not sin again, lest something worse happen to you” (Jn 5:14). Sickness could also happen as a punishment for the sins of parents or ancestors. “You shall not bow down to them (idols) or serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God; punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Ex 20:5). Exodus 34:7 and Numbers 14:18 repeat the idea that the punishment for sins travels down the generations. In the disciples’ understanding, there could only ever be two causes for his predicament: personal sin or ancestral sin. Since he was born blind, it could not be the former; therefore it was most probably the latter.
(3) Jesus answered, “Neither his own sins nor those of his parents; he was born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him”
Jesus gave an unexpected answer to the disciples. Though sin and sickness came into the world because of the fall of first parents, Jesus considered that person’s blindness as God’s tool to manifest His glory. The Evangelist John gives importance to God’s glory manifested in Jesus’ ministry. The Book of Job refutes the suffering of innocent people who face severe sickness or calamities. Job was “a blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Still, he went through severe suffering. Because of Job’s fidelity to God and patience, he regained his lost glory. The reverse message is that the gains of a rich man are not because of his merits or those of his parents, but because of God’s generosity. God entrusts us resources to take care of the less fortunate.
(4) While it is day we must do the work of the One who sent me; for the night will come when no one can work
Jesus included his disciples by using “we” to do the works of God who sent Jesus. There was only a limited time for them to do the work. The night was symbolic of losing the opportunity to work because of death or disability to work. We shall not lose any minute to do good for the glory of God because a deadline awaits when we must finish our work and report to God how we used our time and resources.
(5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world
God created the light on the first day of creation before He created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day. God has always been the Source of light. Jesus who originated from the Father came down as the light of the world. Besides giving physical light to a few blind people, he gave spiritual light to many and continues to do the same. Jesus guides us who are spiritually blind to the genuine source of light.
(6) As Jesus said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle and rubbed it on the eyes of the blind man
Treatment with saliva and soil was an old medical practice because people believed in the curing effect of them. Jesus used his saliva also on other occasions. When some people brought a deaf and mute man to Jesus, he touched that man’s tongue with spittle (Mk 7:32-33). He healed another blind man at Bethsaida by using spittle on his eyes (Mk 8:22-23).
Jesus did not need to use the spitted mud or washing in the lake for healing. However, he used some practice of the time to manifest the divine healing by human means. Though God can heal us, we shall use the natural or scientific means of healing that God has provided. Using the clay reminds us of how God created the first man using clay. The blind man experienced the compassion of Jesus by his healing touch with the clay made of saliva.
(7) Then he said, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (This name means sent). So he went and washed and came back able to see
Siloam means sent. Jesus, whom God sent to the world, sent the blind man to the pool of “Sent” to express his faith in the sender. We have a similar instance when Prophet Elisha healed Naaman. Elisha asked Naaman to go to River Jordan and wash seven times to heal from his leprosy. That was a test of Naaman’s faith (2 Kgs 5:10-14). God expects our cooperation and compliance with the Lord’s commandments when we seek His favours. Jesus asked us to forgive others as a pre-condition for God to forgive us.
People considered water as an agent for physical treatment. Jews considered water in the pool of Siloam as holy because priests carried that water in procession to the Temple and poured on the altar on the Feast of Tabernacle. The pool was also used to clean the sheep for Temple sacrifices. The blind man washed his uncleanliness in the water for gaining vision as Jesus had instructed. We received our baptism with water to take away our uncleanliness, so we could offer ourselves to God. The healed man returned to the place where Jesus met him, looking for Jesus to express his gratitude. But Jesus had left the place.