5. Healing the Blind Man

Question 1

1. What happened?

Answer 1

• Jesus rubs mud into man’s eyes and commands him to wash the paste way in the Pool of Slioam. When the man does this, his blindness is cured

Question 2

2. Mud

Answer 2

• Jesus making mud may be a reference to God making Adam out of earth.
• Jesus isn’t curing the man, he is re-making him as a new person

• Jesus may be making a clay paste. Which is forbidden of the Sabbath.
- Jesus breaks this law to provoke the Pharisees

Question 3

3. Spiritual Journey

Answer 3

• Jesus is sending man on spiritual journey that will take him from blindness (spiritual darkness) to sight (light)

• Pool of Siloam: Siloam means “sent” and this refers to Jesus…
-SENT by God, man SENT on a journey of enlightenment.

Question 4

4. Impact on Blind Man

Answer 4

• Neighbours ask where Jesus is. He doesn’t know.
- He knows Jesus has cured him but doesn’t believe in Jesus

• However, he begins to change: His neighbours don’t recognise him
• When he is brought before Pharisees who are investigating JC’s breaking of the Sabbath, the Pharisees are divided.
• On the one hand, JC breaks the Sabbath rules but, on the other, he performs healing miracles. (Jesus does not fit into their legalistic view of God)
• Blind man states: Jesus is “a prophet”

Question 5

5. Reference to Johannine Community

Answer 5

• There is a brief remark about those who believe Jesus to be the Messiah being banned from the Synagogues.
• Brown: argues this is what happened to the Johannine Community
• John’s readers would have identified with blind man. They also would have recognised the parents as people who want to ‘come out’ as Christians.
• Brown: calls these individuals “crypto Christians and argues John’s Gospel was written to encourage them to ‘come out’

Question 6

6. Spiritual Darkness

Answer 6

• Pharisees refused to accept Jesus as Messiah while blind man believed.
• Pharisees are spiritually blind and end up ‘throwing out’ the blind man
• The blind man is no longer spiritually blind. He loses contact with his neighbours who don’t believe and is rejected by Jewish Authorities.

Question 7

7. Implications

Answer 7

• Signs criticises petty Sabbath rules and shows Jesus is the source of Life.

Question 8

Summary

Answer 8

1. What Happened?
2. Mud
3. Spiritual Journey
4. Impact on Blind Man
5. Reference to Johannine Community
6. Spiritual Darkness
7. Implications