John 9:6-7

DISCOURSE: 1659
THE BLIND MAN HEALED AT THE POOL OF SILOAM

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, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

THERE is reason to think that all the miracles of our Lord were intended as emblems of the spiritual blessings which he came to bestow. But in interpreting Scripture it is better to assign to every passage a sense which is clear and determinate, than to wander into the regions of conjecture. In some places however the mystical meaning is pointed out by the inspired writers themselves; and then we may follow them without doubt or fear. Such is the case with respect to the miracle before us; in considering which it will be proper to notice,

I. The historical fact—

[The Disciples seeing a man that had been blind from his birth, inquired of our Lord whether the sins of his parents, or any sins of his own in a former state of existence [Note: It should seem that the Pythagorean notion of the transmigration of souls, prevailed among the Jews of that day.], had been the occasion of that calamity being inflicted on him? Our Lord informed them, that it was owing to a far different cause: that it had been ordained of God on purpose “that the works of God might be made manifest in him,” and that in him the Messiah might be glorified. What a consoling thought is this to those who have endured long and heavy afflictions, that God perhaps has sent those afflictions on purpose to glorify the riches of his grace and love by means of them! Who would not submit to be reduced to the state of this blind beggar, in order to be made the honoured instrument of glorifying God, and the happy monument of his power and grace?

Our blessed Lord, determining to heal him, made clay of his own spittle, and put it on his eyes, and bade him wash in the pool of Siloam. How strange a remedy was this! In itself, it was more calculated to put out the eyes of one that could see, than to give sight to one that was blind. Whether the Lord Jesus intended by this act to shew, that men who are born blind are, as it were, still farther blinded by their intercourse with this present world, and that no power but his could remove this double veil from their eyes, I cannot say: but this is clear, that he did it, to shew, that he can work by any means, however inadequate; that we must submit to use the means which he prescribes; and that in the use of his instituted ordinances, of whatever kind they be, we may expect his blessings.

The man complied with the injunctions given him, and found the desired blessing. One would suppose that the sight of this stupendous miracle must have convinced all, that Jesus was the Messiah: but a determined infidel nothing will convince. The Pharisees were determined not to believe in Jesus: they therefore endeavoured at first to disprove the miracle. When that was established beyond a possibility of doubt, they made the performing of the miracle on the Sabbath-day a ground of accusation against Jesus, and cried out against it as a scandalous violation of the Sabbath. When they saw the conviction that was fastened on the minds of the more ingenuous, they enacted a law, that every one who should confess Jesus to be the Messiah, should be excommunicated. Such are the weapons with which ungodly men have ever combated the truth of God: when they fail in argument, they have recourse to authority, and establish that by pains and penalties, which they have in vain laboured to maintain by an appeal to reason or Scripture.
The parents of the man were intimidated and silenced; but the man that had received the benefit, boldly vindicated the character of his benefactor. His arguments were irresistible: but they served only to incense the haughty Pharisees, and to bring upon himself the sentence of excommunication. Thus will every truly enlightened man confess his Saviour; and, when called to suffer for him, will take up his cross with cheerful resignation, yea, and rejoice that he is counted worthy to bear it.
Our blessed Lord soon found his faithful confessor, and amply rewarded his fidelity by a fuller manifestation of himself, and a more abundant communication of grace to his soul. And thus will he recompense all who suffer for his sake: they shall have a hundredfold now in this present life, and “in the world to come life everlasting [Note: Mark 10:29.].”]

Forbearing to notice the more minute incidents, we pass on to,

II.

The typical interpretation—

We cannot conceive why the Evangelist should give the typical import of the word Siloam, unless to intimate, that the whole miracle had a typical reference. The word Siloam means, Sent; and was intended to prefigure the true “Shiloh [Note: Genesis 49:10.],” “the messenger of the covenant [Note: Malachi 3:1.],” the sent of God [Note: John 10:36.], the Messiah that should come into the world; and the miracle wrought there typically represents,

1. The state of mankind by nature—

[The man by the special providence of God was born blind, in order that he might more fitly characterize the state and condition of unregenerate men. They are universally blind by nature, and as blind with respect to spiritual things as this poor man was with respect to all the objects around him. He could form some crude notions about them by means of feeling; but he could discern no one thing aright: so the men of this world may, by reading, obtain some faint idea of spiritual things; but they have no just apprehension of them at all. To prove that all natural men are blind, we need not descend to particulars, or shew that they cannot discern this and that particular truth; there is one question that may determine the point at once; Do all, or do any of those who are in the broad road, see whither they are going? do they not universally think, or hope at least, that notwithstanding all which God has spoken [Note: Matthew 7:13.], they shall go to heaven when they die? If further proof be wanted, let an appeal be made to Scripture, and God himself will put the matter beyond dispute [Note: Revelation 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:14.]. Nothing can more justly represent our state than the man on whom this miracle was wrought.]

2. The end for which Christ came into the world—

[Our Lord himself gave this exposition to the miracle, at the very time he wrought it [Note: ver. 5.]; and enforced it afterwards by more express declarations. He was not only to be a light to lighten the world [Note: Luke 2:32.], but was to open the eyes of the blind [Note: Isaiah 42:6.]. He was not only to set before men truths which they were unacquainted with before, but to open their hearts, that they might give attention to them [Note: Acts 16:14.], and their understandings, that they might understand them [Note: Luke 24:45.].

The very manner in which he imparts his blessings, is also not obscurely intimated in the miracle before us. As the means he used were very inadequate to the end proposed, so, for the advancement of his own glory, he uses the ministry of weak and sinful men, and by their word he turns men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God [Note: Acts 26:17.]. Even supposing that we were able of ourselves to convince the judgments of men, we can no more give them spiritual discernment, than the clay and water could give organs of vision to the blind beggar. But, as an ordinance appointed by Jesus, and accompanied with his Spirit, our preaching is made instrumental to the enlightening and saving of many souls. And the weakness of the instruments used by him, is rendered subservient to his more abundant honour [Note: 2 Corinthians 4:7.]

Our blessed Lord has given us a yet further insight into the miracle, by suggesting to us,

III.

The spiritual improvement—

[There was to be a judicial discrimination in the ministry of our Lord for the purpose of encouraging the humble, and confounding the proud [Note: ver. 39.]. The great line of distinction between men is this; some are sensible of their blindness, and desire to be divinely enlightened; and others imagine that they already see, and therefore disregard all offers of spiritual illumination.

With respect to the former, Christ came to give them sight: and, if they will apply to him in the use of his appointed ordinances, he will assuredly vouchsafe to them the benefit they desire. He declares that this was the very intent of his coming into the world [Note: Luke 4:18.]: and he counsels all to apply to him for the eye-salve that shall effectually remedy their wants [Note: Revelation 3:18.]. If they do this, their want of education, or even weakness of intellect, shall be no obstacle in their way; he will “reveal to babes and sucklings the things which are hid from the wise and prudent [Note: Matthew 11:25.].”

With respect to the latter, he will leave them to the operation of their own minds, and give them up to their own delusions. He will not actively mislead them; nor is there any need that he should in order to produce the increase of blindness in them: for if left to themselves, they will bewilder themselves in their own reasonings, and confirm themselves more and more in their own errors. Their prejudices, their passions, and their interests, will concur to lead them astray, and their great adversary the devil, will obstruct the entrance of light into their minds [Note: 2 Corinthians 4:4.]; and thus they will eventually be “taken in their own craftiness [Note: 1 Corinthians 3:19.],” and “utterly perish in their own corruptions [Note: 2 Peter 2:12.].”

The improvement then which our Lord himself teaches us to make of this miracle is, to cultivate a sense of our own blindness, and to “become fools in order that we may be wise [Note: 1 Corinthians 3:18.].” If we be “wise in our own conceits, there is more hope of a fool [Note: Proverbs 26:12.],” or of any other character in the universe, than of us. On the contrary, if we be deeply humbled before God as destitute of all spiritual discernment, the “scales shall soon be made to fall from our eyes,” and the “Spirit of the living God will guide us into all truth.”]

Address—

[All of us must of necessity resemble the man while his blindness continued, or after it had been removed. Let us then inquire whether we can say with him, “This I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see [Note: ver. 25.]?” If we cannot, let us remember, that the Saviour is nigh at hand, and that the means used for our illumination, weak as they are, are quite sufficient, if accompanied with his power. Let us take encouragement to ask the influences of his good Spirit, and to pray with David, “Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law [Note: Psalms 119:18.].” On the other hand, if our eyes have been opened, let us boldly confess our benefactor, and willingly bear whatever infidel rulers or persecuting bigots may inflict upon us for his sake. Let us, like Christ himself, endure the cross, and despise the shame. Let us “be faithful unto death, and he will give us a crown of life.”]