“He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”
— John 9:6–7
Why clay?
Why didn’t Jesus simply touch the man and pronounce him healed?
Jesus never did anything by accident.
Clay becomes the central symbol in this living sermon.
In Genesis, we’re told that God formed man from the dust of the earth.
We are, quite literally, made of dirt.
In Jeremiah, God reveals Himself as the Potter, and we are the clay, being shaped and molded by His hands (Jeremiah 18:1–6).
The apostle Paul describes believers as jars of clay, fragile vessels containing a glorious treasure:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV
We are dirt.
Clay is not rare or impressive.
It’s common, fragile, and weak—and throughout Scripture, it symbolizes our humanity and limitations.
When Jesus made clay and placed it on the blind man’s eyes, He was pointing to something deeper than physical blindness. The clay of humanity—our own weakness and earthliness—can cloud our vision, physically and spiritually.
But this wasn’t just about one man.
This man is every one of us.
We are all formed from dust, born into these earthly jars of clay.
And we all need to be born again—made new by God’s Spirit—to truly see.
When Jesus healed the man, He showed us that through divine touch, even dirt can become holy.
Even blindness can give way to sight.
Even fragile vessels can carry the presence of God.
We are children of the Almighty, shaped from the dust, transformed into temples of the Holy Spirit.
With eyes that can see, ears that can hear, and hearts full of His love.
“I was blind, but now I see.”
— John 9:25
