John 9:6
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
The healing followed immediately upon Jesus declaring Before Abraham was, I AM in the temple, which the Pharisees called blasphemy and met with an attempt to stone Him, yet as the I AM He veiled their eyes so they could not see Him as He passed through their midst and out of the temple. As He passed through the multitude He saw the blind man and healed him.
The man had been blind from birth. One account describes him as blind from his youth.
Jesus spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, and anointed the blind man's eyes with the clay. After anointing his eyes, Jesus sent the man to wash, and when he washed he was healed and his sight was restored. The place where he was sent to wash was Siloam.
The clay itself had no healing power; the instantaneous cure came through the power of Christ, the great Healer, who chose to use a simple thing from nature. The act was a practical answer to the disciples' question about the cause of the blindness, making God's works and Christ's power and mercy manifest instead of speculating about who sinned. The miracle was convincing evidence that Jesus' mission was divine.
The blind man was despised by the self-righteous Pharisees, yet Jesus in tender compassion as the compassionate Shepherd was anxious to save him, and the man represents the lost sheep whom the Shepherd seeks to save. At the time of the healing the man did not yet know who had healed him, and Jesus later revealed Himself to him as the Son of God. The healing connects with Christ's work of bringing relief and redemption to people in darkness and misery.
Simple remedies from nature may help inflamed eyes without the harmful effects that can follow substances that weaken and eventually destroy sight, for the eye is delicate and should be carefully treated.