Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: … As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9: 2-3)
Jesus was offering the miracle of sight to the man born blind, but he was also offering new sight to his apostles, who followed the common thought of the day that a handicap from birth was some form of punishment. He brought light to the world in that He corrected foolish traditions, and He also brought healing and salvation.
Jesus then had to get His hands dirty. The Savior spit in the dirt and made mud with His hands to anoint the eyes of the blind man. I can also see Him in Gethsemane and on the cross, where He would truly get His hands dirty on our behalf. His hands were made dirty, so that ours could one day become clean. The Light of the World endured the darkest of nights so that He would have the power to offer us life, light, and sight.
Sometimes the path the Lord takes to heal us is hard to understand. I’m sure the blind man questioned, “What are you doing? Why are you putting mud on my eyes?” A lot of times we experience trials and we think, “What are you doing? How could this possibly be good for me?” And we just have to move forward in faith.
This miracle then required a physical act of faith. Jesus tells the man to go wash in the pool Siloam. We likewise are blind to the one who is asking us to “go and do”. This blindness demands faith, and faith always requires action. It is not enough just to hear the words of the Savior and believe, we also must move our feet, and when we do we will witness miracles.
36" x 60" oil on panel
Limited Edition Print - only 100 copies in the first run
Used by permission by Intellectual Reserve