John 9:1-7 | What's the connection?

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
-Isaiah 35:5-6

When it comes to these healings the Jesus does, it is of critical importance that we recognize how they reflect signs of the messianic era. This is essential to the argument that John is making throughout his gospel. Jesus is in fact the Messiah. He is the Lord. The signs that follow Jesus highlight this reality. The amazing thing about this is that Jesus does not just one type of miracle. He doesn't have a specialty with the blind or something like that. He heals the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the mute. They are all restored by Jesus. He is the living water that is found in the wilderness.

Among other connections, another important note that reinforces the God-narrative of Jesus is how Jesus goes about this particular healing. We may view it with a lens of disgust, but Jesus spits into the dirt and makes clay. Using the clay upon the eyes of the blind man and having him was in this pool known for its purification properties has some very strong allusions back to creation. Man was made from the clay of the ground. In using the clay, Jesus "remakes" the eyes of this man, purifies his eyes, and makes him to see again.

What connections are you seeing?