The Absolute God has a perfect plan and purpose in all things, even in the allowance of the various causes of evil in the world. The Lord Jesus by opening the eyes of the blind man proves this and, in so doing, also proves He is the Sent One to complete God’s work. The source of the evil that caused the man to be born blind in John 9 brought this issue to the forefront. The disciples saw only two reasons for him to be born blind, his parents and/or himself. Reasoning in this limited way could not resolve the issue. If the cause were his parents, how could it be right to hold the man responsible for what his parents had done? If the man was born blind because of some cause in himself, how could he be responsible before his birth? The disciples were perplexed, for neither of these reasons seemed right. Life is filled with many similar variables that cannot be rightly pieced together without considering God — His purpose and order. This dimension is revealed by the Lord Jesus when He said, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:38). This explanation not only resolves the difficulties, but proves that Jesus is the Light of the world. Jesus is the Son of God who works out everything perfectly. He completed the work whereby God was glorified; He healed the blind man and made him a worshipper of God. No mistake had been made in the man’s being born blind, for more glory was given to God than would have been possible without his being born blind. The Absolute God has a purpose for everything, even in the allowance of evil.
The Clay and Spittle
Jesus anointed the man’s eyes with clay and His spittle. His action and the results verify who He was, as stated in the beginning of the book. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3-4). There was life in His spittle to give sight. Jesus as the Creator from the beginning was there present as the Sent One to complete the story in this man’s life. He said, “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day” (vs. 4). He had come from God to complete His purposed work in this man for the glory of God. The reason for all that happened is made clear; God is just and perfect in every way; the man and his parents are exonerated, and he is blessed.
Throughout the rest of the story those who reject Jesus stumbled over the clear evidence before them, because of their unbelief. There are factors in every situation of life that are affected by and dependent on one another, but it is not possible to put together these relative issues without taking into account the “God factor” — the Absolute God. What Jesus did proved where He came from and who He was. His works made it evident that He was sent from God. Later on, the blind man concluded, “Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. ... Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, He could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).
The disciples showed no indication of difficulty in understanding the Lord’s answer, but the unbelieving Jews continued to stumble over the facts. It was not a lack of evidence, but they were prejudiced against what was before their eyes and would not believe the witness given them. They could not fit together the issues of life because of rejecting the Light from God — the Absolute. All this unbelief really clarifies the reality that Jesus was the Son of God here on earth completing God’s work as the Sent One for a blind man’s blessing. We must accept God as absolute to understand the relative issues of why things happen in our lives.
The Pool Siloam
The process of going to the pool of Siloam and washing gives us practical instruction as to how we come to receive blessing. The Lord could have simply touched the blind man’s eyes or spoken a word and his eyes would have been opened, but He chose a method that would teach us the necessity of obedience. The act of going to the pool and washing was a matter of the obedience of faith. When he obeyed by going and washing in the pool Siloam (Sent) and his eyes were opened, it proved the power of Jesus, who was the Sent One from God to give sight to those who obey His word. Obedience is the means of healing and understanding. How many believers since then have proved the same truth. We first obey and then understand. “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).
The neighbors sought to understand how the man came to see by relying on their understanding and proximity to the situation. They stumbled over the evidence of how the Lord had done the miracle with spit, clay and washing in the pool Siloam. The process did not make sense to them. They did not know who the Lord was. The light was shining and the darkness did not apprehend it. We do not apprehend God by our own intellect in order to know how to put all the facts together; we need light to know the truth. It is imperative first of all to accept the witness of Jesus — the Light. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not” (ch. 1:10). “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (ch. 1:12). Jesus was so close to them, yet they stumbled over the evidence at hand, but the blind man was brought a step closer to seeing Him — his eyes had been opened. He was prepared to see Jesus and really know who He was — the Son of God. He was prepared to fulfill the purpose of God in his life and glorify God as a worshipper.
A More Serious Blindness
The Pharisees and Jews fell into a more serious blindness, not only because of rejecting the evidence concerning Jesus, but also because of making their own absolute statements. They went about seeking to prove Jesus was sinful because He had done a miracle on the Sabbath. They elevate the importance of the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath above the healing of a blind man. But “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). They also reject the Son of Man as “Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). In essence they reason using relative issues concerning the observance of the Sabbath as if it were the only correct interpretation — an absolute. By this they seek to prove that the miracle Jesus had done was sinful and wrong. What blindness! Jesus was the Sent One of God — the Absolute. To use relative issues to deny Him is serious. The Lord summarizes their condition at the end of the chapter by saying, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (vs. 39). No unbelief of man will ever change the purposes of the Absolute God. The Lord Jesus faithfully warned them of the consequences of rejecting the light. Those that believe on Him as the Sent One are blessed, and those who reject Him come under the judgment of governmental blindness. Their profession of being able to see without owning Him for who He was left them blinded in sin, a more serious condition.
May the Lord help us always to relate all issues of life to what God has revealed to us. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). The emphasis on education and the accumulation of information in our day may cause us to assume that with such knowledge we can do without absolutes. But we must begin with the proper respect or fear of God or else all the relevant information will not be able to be joined together correctly. The Bible we have is the Word of God, which is necessary as a standard for a proper understanding of all the issues of life. Jesus said again unto them, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
D. C. Buchanan