(1) As he went along, 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) "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (4) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (5) While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (6) Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. (7) "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. (8) His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" (9) Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." (10) "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. (11) He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."
Now, you see what I am talking about? (Just a side bar, Jesus also used spit some other times to heal. See Mark 8:22-25 and Mark 7:31-35). Jesus spit into some mud, rubbed it together, and rubbed it onto a blind man's face then told him to wash his face. After that, the blind man could see! Wait a minute here. WHAT??!! OK, OK, let me entertain you for a little bit and I will imagine that I was a disciple with Jesus along with some of my friends (or you can imagine you were a discipline). This is how I think the story would have went:
Jesus, here is a man who had been blind since birth. Now who sinned? Him or his Mom & Pops? "Nobody sinned, but He is blind so that he can see the miracle of God at work in his life. Look it's gonna be dark soon and I still have my Father's business to handle, so let's get to work before night fall. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world". After Jesus spoke he hocked a loogie (spit) on the ground and made mud. The disciples face frowned all up like that was so nasty that Jesus was playing with spit. Not only did Jesus play with mud, He then plastered it onto the blind man's eyes and told him to got wash his face....
Alright, I will stop right here. I know I am using the imagination here, but can you imagine how contorted the disciple's faces were when He spit on the ground to make mud. THEN, he put that nasty mess onto the blind man's eyes. Oh my goodness. That is nasty and not healthy hygiene at all!
I only imagined what the other people felt, but what about the poor blind guy? He's the one that had mud made with spit rubbed onto his eyes. It said the man was blind, but it did not say he was deaf. This means the man probably heard Jesus making mud pies out of spit! I do not know what was going through the blind man's mind, but whatever it was, showed a measure of the highest levels of faith!
See, that man saw past all the social norms of how "unhygienic" it was or how nasty that stuff would feel on his face. What he showed was faith to believe in Jesus no matter what he was told to do. The blind man did not say, "you want me to do what??!!". It did not say that, even though most of us would probably say it even if Jesus (himself) asked us to follow the same steps. I have a question for you though. How much do you really believe in Jesus. How far are you really willing to go in obeying Him who saved you? Are you ready to follow His every commandment or are you happy with visiting church every Sunday just to feel good?
Obedience, despite the outlook is what gave this man sight. He obeyed.....he believed....he received. Could you do the same?
Antoine E. Hall
Blog: http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33
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