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An Odd Way to Heal

John 9 opens by telling us about a man who was born blind. We don’t know how old he was, but he’d spent his entire life blind. After discussing the situation with His disciples, Jesus performs this healing in a very odd way. He spit on the ground, made some mud, and then rubbed the mud on the blind man’s eyes. Yes, you read that correctly. Then, He told the blind man to go and wash the mud off in a nearby pool. When the blind man returned, he could see! 

This story probably made the disciples and others gasp in disbelief. They may have even laughed. Here’s Jesus, the Son of God, who has performed many miracles by speaking words and touching people, and this time, He puts mud on a blind man’s eyes and has him walk to a nearby water source to clean it off. Only then would the man be able to see. Odd or not, this was the way Jesus chose to heal him.

There’s an important part of this story that we just can’t afford to miss. At the beginning, the disciples asked Jesus a question that might shock us: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2 NIV) Most of us would never assume that someone’s sin or their parent’s sin caused them to be born with some type of disability or illness. But, when Jesus walked the earth, it was a typical worldview for people to assume that the actions of someone caused their fate. Here’s how Jesus responded to the disciples:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 NIV

This should make us rejoice just as much as the man’s sight being restored. What a hope-filled verse for all who experience diseases and disabilities in need of healing! The devastating illnesses, injuries, and disabilities we experience that come in the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional realms can be a vessel by which God’s power is displayed. In the hardest moments—where we  wonder if God is even listening—we can still trust that one day our struggle will yield fruit. Through your pain and disappointment, there's an opportunity for someone to see how good God is and how He works in and through our circumstances.

So, let’s hold onto hope that the things in our lives that cause the most disappointment may be the very way someone sees the love and hope of God.