After answering the disciples' Weird Question, Christ healed a man born blind:
“He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:6-7
Why did Christ use this unusual method when He could simply have said, “Be healed”?
Some Bible scholars believe He did this because stirring mud was seen as a “work” forbidden on the Sabbath. Christ was proclaiming man-made Sabbath laws as excessive and pointless (Mark 7:8).
Some scholars believe Christ was showing that healing can take many forms, letting us know He’s the Healer even if our healing comes through medicine and doctors.
I believe that one important reason for this unusual method was based on Christ's understanding of the man being healed. Perhaps it was important that the man participate in the healing. Perhaps God knew that there were certain things that would be on his mind as he was led to the pool. Perhaps there was significance in the man using his own hands to remove the mud, seeing his surroundings for the first time in his life. God didn't simply want to heal the man. He wanted to save him.
God knows each of us personally and deals with us individually. We may not always understand his methods, but we can trust His wisdom, love, and purposes (1 Corinthians 13:12).
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I encourage you to read Can You Hear the Shepherd's Voice as a reminder of how deeply God cares for us. And Anytime, Day or Night will also encourage you.
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