UNCLEAN MEANS

John 9:6-11
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”


If you have had to visit a hospital ICU (Intensive Care Unit), you probably know that upon entering the unit you are required to wash your hands. Upon leaving, the same washing requirement exists. They do everything they can to protect the patients and protect the visitors.

It doesn’t appear that Jesus had these same concerns. He used spit and mud to heal. We probably find that repulsive. The blind beggar couldn’t see what Jesus was doing. I suspect he heard Jesus clear His throat and spit but his concern was not about being that. He just wanted to be healed and see. He obediently followed Jesus’ instructions and received his sight. In giving his testimony, the mud is there but there is no mention of the spit.

The means God uses to heal are up to Him. Doctors … nurses … hospitals … labs … lasers … miracles … or mud and spit. We praise God for being The Healer!