“As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth.” “…he [Jesus] spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”
A man walked into a bookstore and asked the sales clerk for directions to the ‘self-help’ section. The clerk responded, “If I told you that, it would defeat the whole purpose!”
Sometimes we just need a little help. What we really need is someone to help us help ourselves. Jesus had no intention of living the blind man’s life for him. The afflicted man was expected to participate in the healing Jesus offered. Jesus did not carry him to “the Pool of Siloam.” The blind guy had to get up and “go… wash” all by himself.
But Jesus knew the man was stuck in the mud of his own dilemma. He could not help himself. He needed a jump start. Jesus took some of the mud that had defined the blind man’s condition since birth, added divine spit, and applied it to the man’s biggest problem. Then Jesus required the guy to do something to help himself. “Go… wash in the Pool of Siloam.”
Willingly give a little help when it’s needed. No need to carry people. They can “go… wash” themselves. They just need some encouragement to get up and take the first step. Don’t begrudge this small gesture of kindness, or expect hurting souls to help themselves alone.
Someday you too may need a small helping hand.
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