Surprising Miracles! …Hello Hump Day readers. Al and I got home from New Mexico on Sunday. The drive was fine, considering I-40 is usually a pain in the butt!! There is one phrase I often share when we arrive with no problems: It’s another miracle—Jesus surprised us again and all is well.

I love the miracles our Savior gives us. Whether it’s from simple to BIG…we are surprised with those miracles. Most of the time we don’t even ask for a miracle or miss the miracle in our busy days. Let’s dive into one of Jesus’ more surprising miracles…

An Unexpected Way to Heal … Jesus’ disciples assumed the man’s blindness was the result of sin—his own or his parents. Jesus told them neither was true. You can imagine how hard this was for people in their day. Some got it, many more others didn’t and Jesus knew very well that would happen. So, what did Jesus do for this man’s blindness? HE HEALED HIM!

Jesus was our healer and still is today. Whether this was from ages old or a problem today, think of what Jesus did with healing…

Sometimes Jesus healed with a word…
Sometimes Jesus touched someone…
Sometimes Jesus worked in ways that might surprise us!

In John 9:6-7, using the The Passion Translation, the Apostle John gives us an unusual detail in this Scripture…so get ready for some spit!

“Then Jesus spat on the ground and made some clay with his saliva. Then he anointed the blind man’s eyes with the clay. And he said to the blind man, ‘Now go and wash the clay from your eyes in the ritual pool of Siloam.’ So he went and washed his face and as he came back, he could see for the first time in his life!”

Why clay and saliva? The passage doesn’t tell us why Jesus chose to heal this way, but here is a possible connection: Jesus originally made human beings out of the dust of the ground so why not use the clay to fashion a new pair of eyes-or anything else Jesus decided to heal! But the study note isn’t giving us a definitive explanation. Instead, it gives us another passage to explore—Genesis 2:7 [TPT]

“YAHWEH-God scooped up a lump of soil, sculpted a man, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The man came alive—a living soul!”

Read Genesis 2:7 alongside John 9:6. What do you notice when you compare the two? For me, it reminded of creation—with Adam being the first man sculpted with clay by Jesus! From John’s washing with the man who was blind—it seemed crazy to clean your eyes with clay, but he obeyed Jesus and then went into the water and he was cured!

Consider these three things:
Am I open to God working in ways that surprise me?
Where do I need Jesus’ help in my life right now?
What does this encounter show me about Jesus’ care for people and their real needs?

O Lord, we pray that no matter what Jesus wants us to use or do—let’s do it! AMEN.