(1) "And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth. (2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? (3) Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (4) We must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work. (5) When I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. (6) When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, (7) and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing. (8) The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? (9) Others said, It is he; others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am he. (10) They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? (11) He answered, The Man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."
Golden Text.—"I am the Light of the world." Verse 5.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What afflicted man is mentioned in this lesson? In what place was Jesus at this time? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What did the disciples ask concerning this man? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) What did Jesus say about the sin of this family? What good did He propose to bring out of this man's affliction? Verse 3. Note 3. (4) When must the work of God for sinners be accomplished? Verse 4. Note 4. (5) What did Jesus say of His own mission in the world? Verse 5. Note 5. (6) What then did He do to the blind man? Verse 6. (7) Having anointed the man's eyes, what did Jesus tell him to do? What was the result of his washing? Verse 7. Note 6. (8) What did some of his acquaintances ask concerning the man that was healed? Verse 8. (9) What did others say? What did the man himself say? Verse 9. (10) Then what question was asked of him? Verse 10. (11) How did the man reply to this query? Verse 11. Note 7.
NOTES.
1. Jesus was still at Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles, where He was on the occasions mentioned in the last two lessons. This is the seventh blind man which is specially noted as having been healed by Jesus—two at Capernaum (Matt. 9:27-31); two at Jericho (Matt. 20:29-33; Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43); one at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26), and one at Capernaum (Matt. 12:22, 23), besides the one here mentioned at Jerusalem. But this is the only instance in which the sufferer is said to have been born blind.
2. It was an impression among the Jews, as in the days of Job, that bodily affliction is the direct result of personal or parental sin. And sometimes it is, as Jesus Himself recognized in some instances. See Mark 2:5; John 5:14; Luke 13:1-5. But the question as to the man's being born in affliction because of his own sin was quite unreasonable, and showed a desire to say something without knowing what to say, as Peter's suggestion on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:5, 6).
3. Jesus did not say that neither the blind man nor his parents were sinners, but that their sin was not the cause of the affliction. Neither did he mean that the man was afflicted on purpose to show the work of God; but that the fact of his blindness was an occasion for doing the work of God in relieving the suffering. Not only was the man's affliction made the means of bringing him to a knowledge of the Saviour, but of showing to others the mercy and power of God. So the Lord is able to overrule the consequences of Satan's work for His own glory.
4. The day of man's probation is the only time that work can be done for the salvation of souls. Not only does the day of probation in general close before the Lord's coming to execute judgment, but men's lives are passing away every day, which forever closes their day of grace. Then let us work the works of God while it is day. He has given us the light of the Gospel for this very purpose.
5. Not only is Jesus Himself the "Light of the world," lighting "every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9), but He so imparts this light to His true disciples that they also become the light of the world. See Matt. 5:14-16; John 3:12; 8:12; 12:35, 36; Eph. 5:8.
6. Jesus could have healed the man with a word, but He chose to use other means to test the man's faith. There is no reason in supposing that Jesus used the clay because there was any virtue in it; yet we are not to neglect known remedies for disease, when seeking the direct aid of divine interposition. The anointing with the clay may have encouraged the man to go and wash. Moreover, it gave him a part to act in the matter, thus uniting his effort with the word of Jesus, making him a co-laborer. The name, Siloam, means "sent;" thus the pool became a symbol of Him who was sent into the world to work the works of God.
7. The process of working out the miracle was a complete success, and may be taken as an illustration of the growth of faith—one step, or stage, leading to another (Rom. 1:16, 17). The story shows how the sinner is brought from the darkness of sin and ignorance to the light of Christian light and hope.
