As Jesus passed by, 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. But it happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  (John 9:1–5, MEV)

Our small group is working through the Gospel of John. As I have stated of late, massive dividends abound in John if one knows a bit of the Tanakh.

That said, I am certain most have read this account. So, let’s go!

The disciples set up the scene as a blind man walks past, they ask Jesus if his blindness stems from someone’s sin. The idea comes from the Jewish belief sickness that things like this came as a curse from sin. The proverbs say a curse is not without cause, and the Israelis considered sin a curse.

Of course, we know that all of creation suffers under the bondage of corruption that came from Adam’s sin. He introduced sin into his dominion. This is why the man is blind.

Suffering is not purposeless, though. Jesus gives a hint into something deeper, saying that the works of God would be displayed in the blind man. Already, it is easy to discern some word play afoot. One needs sight to see what is displayed.

The next point comes as an aside. Jesus says He must do the works, the translation literally means “us, it behooves” to do the works. There is a synergy present there. Yet I draw attention to phrase “of Him Who sent me.” Jesus is the Sent One, speaking of Himself that way many times already as John records. That is significant. Remember that.

The final thought reinforces the necessity of light needed to see and do work. Finally, Jesus declares He is the Light of the world.

When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away and washed, and returned seeing.  John 9:6–7

In a simple gesture, which for some may be unsettling, Jesus spits on the ground. He makes clay and anoints the blind man’s eyes. He then instructs him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.

Here… There is a translation crutch given, which hints at something that needs attention. The word Siloam is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word Shiloah. Shiloah means sent. Think sent waters. The Pool or Siloam was fed from the Gihon Spring by an aqueduct installed by King Hezekiah.

An important point that may be overlooked is that the naturally flowing waters from the spring to the pool would qualify it to be used as a mikveh. That is, a place for ritual bathing. A mikveh was used to make one ritually clean.

Shiloah may bring to mind another idea.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes;
and to him will be the obedience of the people.  Genesis 49:10

The Hebrew word Shiloah is similar to Shiloh. Yet they do not share the same root word, at least not directly. Shiloh brings the idea of peace. The words do not share the same etymology, though some seem to think they do. It would be difficult to connect the Pool of Siloam as a type and shadow of Jesus that way.

However, there is a clear connection with the idea of mikveh and Jesus. There is also the clear witness of Jesus as the One sent. Siloam means sent. The living water from the spring is sent to the pool.

What am I getting at?

Het out the Torah. Go back to the beginning… Well, shortly thereafter…

And to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
Cursed is the ground on account of you;
in hard labor you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you will eat bread
until you return to the ground,
because out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you will return.”  Genesis 3:17–19

The consequences of Adam’s sin resulted in the ground being cursed. It is the very dirt that Adam is made from that is cursed.

To put all of this together… Jesus spat on the cursed ground and used the clay He made to remove the curse of the man after instructing him to bathe in the sent water…the Living Water.

The former is what happened at the cross. Jesus demolished the curse of sin… Death. The latter cleanliness comes by His resurrection.