The Blind Man Washes in the Pool of Siloam, James Tissot (1836-1902)Patrick Comerford
John 9: 1-41
1 Καὶ παράγων εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ γενετῆς. 2 καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱμαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες, Ῥαββί, τίς ἥμαρτεν, οὗτος ἢ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα τυφλὸςγεννηθῇ; 3 ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς, Οὔτε οὗτος ἥμαρτεν οὔτε οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἵναφανερωθῇ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ. 4 ἡμᾶς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τοῦπέμψαντός με ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστίν: ἔρχεται νὺξ ὅτε οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι. 5 ὅτανἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὦ, φῶς εἰμι τοῦ κόσμου. 6 ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔπτυσεν χαμαὶ καὶ ἐποίησενπηλὸν ἐκ τοῦ πτύσματος, καὶ ἐπέχρισεν αὐτοῦ τὸν πηλὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς 7 καὶεἶπεν αὐτῷ, Υπαγε νίψαι εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ Σιλωάμ {ὃ ἑρμηνεύεταιἈπεσταλμένος}. ἀπῆλθεν οὖν καὶ ἐνίψατο, καὶ ἦλθεν βλέπων. 8 Οἱ οὖν γείτονεςκαὶ οἱ θεωροῦντες αὐτὸν τὸ πρότερον ὅτι προσαίτης ἦν ἔλεγον, Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁκαθήμενος καὶ προσαιτῶν; 9 ἄλλοι ἔλεγον ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν: ἄλλοι ἔλεγον, Οὐχί,ἀλλὰ ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐστιν. ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι. 10 ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ, Πῶς [οὖν] ἠνεῴχθησάν σου οἱὀφθαλμοί; 11 ἀπεκρίθη ἐκεῖνος, Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰησοῦς πηλὸν ἐποίησεν καὶ ἐπέχρισέν μου τοὺςὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶπέν μοι ὅτι Υπαγε εἰς τὸν Σιλωὰμ καὶ νίψαι: ἀπελθὼν οὖν καὶ νιψάμενος ἀνέβλεψα.12 καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Ποῦ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος; λέγει, Οὐκ οἶδα.
13 Ἄγουσιν αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς Φαρισαίους τόν ποτετυφλόν. 14 ἦν δὲ σάββατον ἐν ἧ ἡμέρᾳ τὸν πηλὸν ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἀνέῳξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς.15 πάλιν οὖν ἠρώτων αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πῶς ἀνέβλεψεν. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Πηλὸν ἐπέθηκέν μου ἐπὶτοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, καὶ ἐνιψάμην, καὶ βλέπω. 16 ἔλεγον οὖν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων τινές, Οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος παρὰθεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι τὸ σάββατον οὐ τηρεῖ. ἄλλοι [δὲ] ἔλεγον, Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλὸςτοιαῦτα σημεῖα ποιεῖν; καὶ σχίσμα ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς. 17 λέγουσιν οὖν τῷ τυφλῷ πάλιν, Τί σὺ λέγεις περὶαὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἠνέῳξέν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὅτι Προφήτης ἐστίν.
18 Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν οὖν οἱἸουδαῖοι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἦν τυφλὸς καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν, ἕως ὅτου ἐφώνησαν τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦἀναβλέψαντος 19 καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτοὺς λέγοντες, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμῶν, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τυφλὸςἐγεννήθη; πῶς οὖν βλέπει ἄρτι; 20 ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπαν, Οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁυἱὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη: 21 πῶς δὲ νῦν βλέπει οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἢ τίς ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺςὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμεῖς οὐκ οἴδαμεν: αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε, ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλήσει. 22 ταῦτα εἶπανοἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐφοβοῦντο τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ἤδη γὰρ συνετέθειντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἵνα ἐάν τις αὐτὸνὁμολογήσῃ Χριστόν, ἀποσυνάγωγος γένηται. 23 διὰ τοῦτο οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπαν ὅτι Ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸνἐπερωτήσατε.
24 Ἐφώνησαν οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκ δευτέρου ὃς ἦν τυφλὸς καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Δὸς δόξαν τῷθεῷ: ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν. 25 ἀπεκρίθη οὖν ἐκεῖνος, Εἰ ἁμαρτωλός ἐστινοὐκ οἶδα: ἓν οἶδα, ὅτι τυφλὸς ὢν ἄρτι βλέπω. 26 εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ, Τί ἐποίησέν σοι; πῶς ἤνοιξέν σου τοὺςὀφθαλμούς; 27 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς, Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε: τί πάλιν θέλετε ἀκούειν; μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖςθέλετε αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ γενέσθαι; 28 καὶ ἐλοιδόρησαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπον, Σὺ μαθητὴς εἶ ἐκείνου, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦΜωϋσέως ἐσμὲν μαθηταί: 29 ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι Μωϋσεῖ λελάληκεν ὁ θεός, τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθενἐστίν. 30 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν ἐστιν ὅτι ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατεπόθεν ἐστίν, καὶ ἤνοιξέν μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. 31 οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἀκούει, ἀλλ' ἐάν τιςθεοσεβὴς ᾖ καὶ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιῇ τούτου ἀκούει. 32 ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσθη ὅτι ἠνέῳξέν τιςὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου: 33 εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ θεοῦ, οὐκ ἠδύνατο ποιεῖν οὐδέν. 34 ἀπεκρίθησανκαὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Ἐν ἁμαρτίαις σὺ ἐγεννήθης ὅλος, καὶ σὺ διδάσκεις ἡμᾶς; καὶ ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω.
35 Ἤκουσεν Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω, καὶ εὑρὼν αὐτὸν εἶπεν, Σὺ πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦἀνθρώπου; 36 ἀπεκρίθη ἐκεῖνος καὶ εἶπεν, Καὶ τίς ἐστιν, κύριε, ἵνα πιστεύσω εἰς αὐτόν; 37 εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁἸησοῦς, Καὶ ἑώρακας αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν. 38 ὁ δὲ ἔφη, Πιστεύω, κύριε: καὶπροσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ. 39 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰς κρίμα ἐγὼ εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἦλθον, ἵνα οἱ μὴβλέποντες βλέπωσιν καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τυφλοὶ γένωνται. 40 Ἤκουσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων ταῦτα οἱ μετ'αὐτοῦ ὄντες, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τυφλοί ἐσμεν; 41 εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰ τυφλοὶ ἦτε, οὐκ ἂνεἴχετε ἁμαρτίαν: νῦν δὲ λέγετε ὅτι Βλέπομεν: ἡ ἁμαρτία ὑμῶν μένει.
Translation:
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’
The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains.’
Introduction
The readings provided in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) for the Sunday after next, 3 April 2011, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, are: I Samuel 16: 1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41. There are alternative readings for Mothering Sunday.
By now, we are all familiar with the seven “I AM” sayings in Saint John’s Gospel. The phrase “ego eimi” is used with a nominative predicate seven times in this Gospel:
● I am the Bread of Life [John 6: 35, 41, 48-51];
● I am the Light of the World [John 8: 12, 9: 5];
● I am the Door of the Sheepfold [John 10: 7, 9];
● I am the Good Shepherd [John 10: 11, 14];
● I am the Resurrection and the Life [John 11: 25];
● I am the Way, the Truth and the Life [John 14: 6];
● I am the True Vine [John 15:1, 5].
In addition, there are Seven Signs. Some scholars, including Stephen Smalley, want to link the seven “I am” sayings to the seven signs, although it is not that simple. For example, he links the Water into Wine with “I am the true vine.” However, different scholars associate different signs with different sayings.
In any case, the seven miracles in John are referred to as "signs." These signs are given to confirm the deity of Jesus. The seven signs in Saint John’s Gospel are:
● John 2: 1-11, water into wine
● John 4: 46-51, healing with a word
● John 5: 1-9, a crippled man at Bethesda
● John 6: 1-14, the feeding of 5,000
● John 6: 16-21, walking on water
● John 9: 1-7, the man born blind
● John 11: 1-46, the Raising of Lazarus.
In addition, some scholars talk about Seven Themes in this Gospel: Life, Truth, Faith, Light, Spirit, Judgment and Love.
So, this reading includes one of the “I AM” sayings, I am the Light of the World (verse 5; see also John 8: 12), and tells us of the sixth of the seven signs, the healing of the man born blind. On the following Sunday [10 April 2011, the Fifth Sunday in Lent], we have the seventh sign, the Raising of Lazarus (John 11: 1-45).
The setting
The physical or geographical setting for this story is Jerusalem, near the pool of Siloam, a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of David, outside the walls of the Old City, to the southeast. The Pool of Siloam is mentioned several times in the Bible – Isaiah 8: 6 mentions the pool’s waters; Isaiah 22: 9 ff refers to the construction of Hezekiah’s tunnel.
As a fresh water reservoir, the Pool of Siloam was a major gathering place at the time of Christ for people making religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and the water from the pool was used for purification rituals in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles or Succoth. So this is a very public setting for a “sign,” with many witnesses present.
The other setting that is important to take account of is the mindset of the people of the time – and not just the Pharisees – who believed that severe physical disablement was a natural and just consequence for the sins of the past, even the sins of past generations. In some way, we could explain the inexplicable way God had allowed other people to suffer was because of their sins or the sins of their ancestors.
Siloam is an interesting place for Christ to challenge this “received wisdom.” Recall the story in Saint Luke’s Gospel, where Christ couples the execution of Galilean insurgents with the tragedy surrounding the collapse of the Tower of Siloam (Luke 13: 1-5). Many may have expected him to say that their deaths were punishment for their rebellious or collaborative behaviour. Instead, he taught that death comes to everyone, regardless of how sinful they are, regardless of birth, politics or social background, and went on to teach how we each need to repent.
Here too he rejects this traditional belief (see verse 3), but the story reaches its climax when we are told that spiritual blindness is a greater affliction than physical blindness, and that seeing the way but not following it is worse than not seeing the way at all.
Christ tells us at the beginning of this reading to be prepared to link this man’s congenital blindness to the revelation of God’s works. And once again he speaks of himself as the light of the world (verse 5; c.f. John 8: 12).
The healing:
How does the healing take place? And who initiates the healing?
Notice how the man does not ask for healing. It is Jesus who sees him; it is impossible for him to see Jesus, and so he does not ask Jesus for healing; nor does Jesus ask him what he wants. This is an act of pure compassion, not just for the man because of his physical disability, but stirred too by the social judgment that has been passed on him.
Nor does Jesus ask the man about his faith or his beliefs. He is not asked to say he believes in God, nor is he asked to say who Jesus is.
Christ spits on the ground, makes a potion or a poultice, spreads in on the man’s eye, and tells him to go and wash in the pool. The man obeys, goes to the pool, washes, and comes back able to see.
Who are the witnesses to healing? Christ is not there. Nor are the Pharisees, nor the disciples, not even the man’s family or neighbours. Despite the Pool of Siloam being a very busy place, no-one asks for any witnesses who have actually seen the man washing himself in the waters. This makes another connection between seeing and believing, not seeing and refusing to believe.
He has not been asked to return, but like the one Samaritan among the Ten Lepers, he does come back. But by the time the man got back, Jesus has gone.
Those who see that he can now see include many who refuse to believe their own eyes. And when he speaks out, they refuse to believe their own ears. Our prejudices can be so ingrained that even in the face of incontrovertible evidence we can refuse to believe what we see and hear – and this is true particularly when it comes to our received and inherited social, political and religious prejudices.
The consequences and the lessons
What are the consequences of the healing: the man moves from being blind to having sight, from being a beggar to being free, from being dependent to being independent, from being regarded as a sinner to knowing that he is free of the sins that others have laid on his shoulders. Yet he is reviled and driven cast out.
In his first condition, people thought he suffered as a consequence God’s judgment on him and his past. Now he truly suffers because of what God has done to him.
We might ask whether he might been better off if he had never been healed? At least then he might have continued to have an income as a beggar, a place (albeit a not very desirable place) in society, and he would not have come to complete rejection.
Three questionings
A quieter man might have slipped away quietly, found a new job, and settled down nicely. But instead, this man comes back, and faces the consequences.
There are three series of questionings and interrogations that reveal the consequences for this man’s faith and belief?
First of all, he is brought before the Pharisees and he says Christ is a prophet (verse 17). It is interesting to note that this is a confrontation between the healed man and the Pharisees about Christ, and not a confrontation between the Pharisees and Christ about the healed man.
No-one believes the man, and so his parents are called. They too are not believed (verses 18-23), so the man is called in for interrogation a second time.
On second questioning, Jesus and the blind man are linked together in the same fate as sinners, but he rebuffs the suggestion that Jesus is a sinner (verses 24-25). Then, in a deeply psychological way challenges them to think if they are not protesting too much: “Do you also want to become his disciples?” (verses 25-27) Jungians would say he has pointed to the shadow side of their personalities.
Undeterred by the way he is being reviled, his own deep faith comes to life as he links true worship with obedience and discipleship, and confesses his faith that Christ is sent by God (verses 28-33).
Frustrated and angered by his resilience at this second questioning, his interrogators drive him out.
On reading this, the Johannine community would have immediately drawn comparisons with those who were driven out of the synagogues in Asia Minor for their faith in Christ, and this story would have had many resonances for the Johannine Church.
The man faces a third set of questions when Christ, on hearing what has happened, searches him out and finds him (verses 35-41). When Christ reveals himself as the Son of Man, the once blind man confesses a simple faith: “Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped him.
It is similar to Thomas’s confession on seeing the wounds of the Risen Christ: “My Lord and My God!” (John 20: 28).
Healing on the Sabbath
Christ prepares the healing poultice late in the afternoon, and the healing takes place on the Sabbath.
By preparing and applying the poultice on a Saturday, he violated four rules about the Sabbath:
● ploughing: he rolled mud and spittle on the ground;
● kneading: he mixed them together to make the potion;
● anointing: he put the poultice on the man’s eyes;
● healing: this was not a life-threatening condition, yet he healed the man.
But as one of the seven signs in Saint John’s Gospel, the healing of the Blind Man at Siloam has more significance than the miracle itself.
The miracles follows the “I AM” saying, “I am the light of the world” (verse 5), and so serves to validate it. He brings light and sight not only to those who visibly and physically need them, but he brings it to all, even to those who do not realise that they sit in darkness.
Some conclusions:
Seeing and believing, blindness and revelation, are important themes running through the Fourth Gospel.
Think how, at the end of the Gospel, Thomas refuses to believe in what he hears until he sees for himself.
Christ tells us at the beginning of this reading to be prepared to link this man’s congenital blindness to the revelation of God’s works.
Notice too how Jesus puts the poultice of saliva and mud on the man’s eyes on the Sabbath, when new life is about to begin and healing actually takes place. The blind man’s eyes are opened on the Sabbath itself (verse 13), before the new week, before a new life, before what is for him almost a Resurrection.
Compare this with the Johannine setting for the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and compare too the questioning of the man with the trial of Jesus.
Some questions for discussion:
If you were preaching from this reading on Mothering Sunday, how would you relate that theme to the relationship between man who was healed and his family, or to how people judge us and what we inherit from our families?
How often do we say someone has got their “come-uppance” or their “just desserts”?
How often do we think someone has brought their own plight on themselves?
Or how often do we pass by someone in real need and think that their plight has been exacerbated by their failure to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”?
How often do others seek evidence for our faith, but when presented with Christian living, love and discipleship as the only real evidences, do they continue to reject it?
Are prejudice and bias things we inherit, or things we chose to live by?
Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. This essay is based on notes prepared for a bible study in a tutorial group with MTh students on Wednesday 23 March 2011
