Jesus Heals the Blind Man's Eyes with Clay

“And when he went on his way, he saw a man blind from birth.” — John 9:1

This blind man represents the soul of man in its unawakened state—a state of spiritual blindness, unaware of the creative power within. To be “blind from birth” means to enter this world without knowing that your imagination is God. You walk by appearances, lacking the inner vision that comes from assuming the truth of being.

“And his disciples put a question to him, saying, Master, was this man’s blindness caused by his sin or by the sin of his father and mother?” — John 9:2

This reflects the common but false belief that suffering is divine punishment. But blindness is not punishment—it is potential. It is the dark, fertile ground awaiting the awakening Word. We begin as unformed earth—dust—just as in Genesis: “And man became a living soul.”

The reference to “father and mother” also invites a deeper connection to Genesis 2:24: “For this cause will a man go away from his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they will be one flesh.” Spiritually interpreted, to leave father and mother is to let go of inherited patterns, assumptions, and the conditioning of the world. The man born blind stands at this very threshold—about to leave behind the identity passed to him by lineage, and to join himself to a new state of consciousness, a new union with truth.

“Jesus said in answer, It was not because of his sin, or the sin of his father and mother: it was so that the works of God might be seen openly in him.” — John 9:3

Here Jesus reveals a deeper truth: the seeming limitation is not a curse but a canvas for the work of God. It is precisely through the darkness that God as imagination brings forth light. The blind man’s condition is a symbolic state of dormancy—a spiritual womb in which a higher self is about to be born.

“Having said these words, he put earth, mixed with water from his mouth, on the man’s eyes,” — John 9:6

This is a re-creation. Earth (dust) symbolises the unformed material of man—his beliefs, assumptions, and subconscious patterns. Water from Jesus’ mouth (saliva) is symbolic of the Word of God—creative speech, imagination spoken forth. The act of mixing them recalls Genesis where man is formed from dust, and also Isaiah’s image of God as the potter, shaping clay into a vessel:

“But now, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.” —  Isaiah 64:8

Jesus here, as the awakened imagination, acts as the potter. The man is the clay. He is being reshaped—not physically, but in consciousness.

“And said to him, Go and make yourself clean in the bath of Siloam (the sense of the name is, Sent). So he went away and, after washing, came back able to see.” — John 9:7

The command to “Go” is the inner urge to assume. Siloam—Sent—implies that this action is divinely guided. The act of washing symbolises purification from the old self, the former blindness of belief. Only after obedience to imagination—not logic—does vision appear. The man "comes seeing" only after acting in faith.

“Then the neighbours and others who had seen him when he was a beggar, said, Is not this the man who got money from people’s charity?” — John 9:8

When you change your state, the world no longer recognises you. What once saw you as a “beggar”—a person dependent on outside circumstances—now questions your identity. This reflects the shift that occurs when the old state of consciousness is left behind.

“Some said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am he.” — John 9:9

Here is the moment of full assumption: “I AM he.” The man now speaks from his new identity. His declaration echoes God’s own name in Exodus 3:14: “I AM THAT I AM.” He no longer waits for change—he identifies as the change.

“So they said to him, How then were your eyes made open?”
“His answer was: The man who is named Jesus put earth mixed with water on my eyes, and said to me, Go and make yourself clean in Siloam: so I went away and, after washing, I was able to see.” — John 9:10–11 

This is the method of transformation, told plainly:

1. The Word (Jesus) touches the dust (man’s unawakened state).

2. A new image is formed—clay in the hands of the potter.

3. The man obeys the inner command (Go to Siloam).

4. He acts as if it were already true.

5. He returns with sight—not given from outside, but revealed from within.

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“Then they said to him, You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.” — John 9:28

This statement reveals more than just religious disagreement—it exposes a fundamental divide between two approaches to transformation. The Pharisees represent the old way: the path of Moses, which symbolises external obedience to law, tradition, and effort. In contrast, to be called a disciple of Jesus is to follow the way of inner transformation through assumption.

Jesus, as the awakened imagination, teaches that salvation is not earned by conforming to rules but by believing and assuming that you already are what you desire to be. Moses represents the long journey through the wilderness—the striving, the trying, the outer toil. Jesus reveals the inner kingdom: the I AM within, the immediate reality of imagination fulfilled.

Thus, the healed man is accused of following a radical new path. In truth, he has simply discovered the power within himself. He has left the “discipleship of Moses”—a mindset of external authority—and stepped into the embodiment of divine authorship. He no longer waits for a saviour—he identifies with the Saviour within. He has become the potter’s clay, reshaped by the Word, and now lives by faith in imagination.

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Conclusion: From Dust to Vision

This story is not about restoring sight but awakening vision. The man born blind is each of us, unaware of our power. The mud made from earth and Word symbolises our own mind being reshaped by inner conviction. Just as the potter forms the clay, Jesus—your own imagination—shapes your consciousness through assumption. When you obey that inner command and act from your desired state, the world is made new, and you declare, “I AM he.”