When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. (7) And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is, by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
We now come to the part of this interesting miracle, in which Jesus entered upon the work, of giving sight to the man born blind. The clay, and the spittle, and the pool of Siloam, (which the Evangelist takes care to note, is by interpretation Sent), were the means only, the Lord was pleased to make use of, in this marvellous work. But we must look higher than to means of any kind, to discover the first and great cause of the deed. If we consider the case of blindness in general, and especially in the instance before us, where the man was born blind, and where the loss of sight could nor have been induced from any injury to the organs of vision; it is but a fair conclusion, as in a multitude of blind persons, it is not merely loss of sight, but a total loss of eyes. Hence, if it be only allowed, that a single one of the many blind to whom the Lord Jesus gave sight in the days of his flesh, had eyeless sockets; here was a complete act of creation, and as manifest a display of divine power, as at the creation of the world. So that Christ hereby gave a full demonstration of his Godhead. The Reader will observe, that I do not presume to say that this was literally the case, in the instance of this man, or any other among the blind which Jesus healed. But no one can say that it was not so. And I venture to think, from what the man himself said, that the probability in favor of this opinion is greater than it is against it. Since the world began, (said he:) was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind, John 9:32. I leave the Reader to form his conclusions. But I cannot help observing, that it would be well for every man who hath the last pause in his mind, whether Christ be God, or not; and infinitely more so, for every man who presumes to deny Christ's Godhead, to ascertain this point. For if this blind man, or any other to whom Christ gave sight, had eyeless sockets; (as is, I believe, in blindness more generally the case
than otherwise;) here was, to all intents and purposes, a creation of the organs of vision. And I again repeat, this deed as fully, and as clearly defined the Godhead, as all the other parts of creation.
I only detain the Reader with a short observation more, before that we pass to the next verses in the history, just to remark, that such were the features of character, by which Christ was to be known. Ages before our Lord's incarnation, the Prophet was commissioned to tell the Church, when pointing to his Person, and Character: behold! (said he), your God will come and save you! And how was he to be known? Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. Isaiah 35:4-5.