Who sinned?
What an odd question we think. Disciples of Jesus ask Him as they observe a man blind from birth. Their rabbi instructs them that neither the sin of the man nor the sin of his parents caused his blindness. Then amazingly Jesus puts mud on the man’s eyes and sends him to the pool of Siloam, where the man will regain his sight!
We have been following John’s gospel where he shows several signs of miracles of Jesus proving He IS the Messiah. (Some count giving this blind man sight as a sixth sign.)
John 9:
3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
John 9:5 NIV – instruction of the Messiah Jesus
6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him,
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent).
So he went away…
Light sent to darkness
Beginning with my title which seems not to translate in English, look once more to John 9:6. “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). – NASB
Therefore: Jesus – True Light (sent to) the Darkness.
Do not miss in His miracle the Messiah’s mission of purpose. Jesus Siloam – Jesus is sent to our world of darkness from which Light has been hidden.
Σιλωάμ – Silōam sē-lō-ä’m, Hebrew שִׁלֹחַ
8:6 יַעַן כִּי מָאַס הָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת מֵי הַשִּׁלֹחַ הַהֹלְכִים לְאַט וּמְשֹׂושׂ אֶת־רְצִין וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ׃
John’s Gospel reminds us of translation into the Greek from Hebrew Scripture. Isaiah 8:6 serves the Jews a background of the famous pool of Siloam (see-low-awm’) in Jerusalem.
Sent to – Jesus sent the blind man with ‘mud in the eyes’ to wash, just as Isaiah chastised those Jews who refuse to obey the LORD.
He did not send the blind man to Siloam to be healed. The pool of Siloam did not give the blind man the Light of his sight. The Lord Jesus sent him to it and by the blind man’s obedience he was healed by the Lord.
translated sent – ἀποστέλλω
First century Jerusalem, Ephesus (where John likely penned the Gospel), Judea and Palestine were all places where many people were multilingual. They had to be. Latin speaking Romans ruled many lands, but Rome governed locally with the international language of the day, Greek.
In Jerusalem where Hebrew remained the language of faith, Jews also conversed daily in several local Aramaic dialects, but the language of commerce was Greek.
When John writes, “Siloam” (which is translated, Sent), the Apostle uses a Greek word which should sound familiar to the Christian of this day: apostellō, ἀποστέλλω related to the word “Apostle,” ἀπόστολος – apostolos.
Later, Jesus will instruct His Apostles:
“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
John 13:15-16 NASB – instructions of Jesus to His Apostles
This cleansing prior to His crucifixion is also related to sending out the Apostles into the darkness of this world.
The Cleansing of Sin
John later writes in his first letter to the church:
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5 Berean Study Bible
What does cleansing have to do with sin? Can purification in the baths and pools wash the guilt from your past? Was John’s baptism more than just ritual purification?
All point to the Light of Life, permanent change sanctifying a sinful flesh to be HOLY in the Presence of the LORD GOD.
The Apostle John later notes at a time the Jews are plotting to kill Jesus what seems an insignificant detail to 21st century readers:
“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. – John 11:55 NIV
The Pool of Siloam
For archaeological photos and some history of The Pool of Siloam visit this source from Bibleplaces.com
This is a tradition-filled history familiar to the listeners of Jesus at the time the Lord healed this man blind from birth.
In order to understand the importance of this cleansing, ritual purification or baptism, next we will examine another mention of Siloam from Luke’s Gospel.
To be continued...
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