1. The Name and Location of Siloam
Siloam comes from the Hebrew word shiloach, meaning "Sent." The pool is located in the southern part of ancient Jerusalem, in the Tyropoeon Valley. It was fed by the Gihon Spring through a tunnel carved by King Hezekiah to bring water into the city during the Assyrian siege. The pool served as a reservoir for the city's water supply and was used for ritual purification. John's Gospel notes that Siloam means "Sent," which is significant because Jesus, the One sent by the Father, used the pool to send the blind man to wash and receive his sight.
2. Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring
When King Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib of Assyria was coming to attack Jerusalem, he stopped the water from the Gihon Spring and brought it by tunnel into the city. The tunnel winds for approximately 1,750 feet through solid rock, carrying water from the spring to the Pool of Siloam. This engineering marvel is described in Scripture and can still be visited today. The water of Siloam was thus a lifeline for Jerusalem during siege, symbolizing God's provision and protection for His people.
3. The Pool of Siloam in Old Testament Times
Isaiah refers to the waters of Shiloah that flow softly. He contrasts them with the mighty floodwaters of Assyria. The gentle, faithful provision of God through the waters of Siloam was a picture of His steadfast love, while the roaring flood of Assyria was a picture of judgment. The pool was also mentioned by Nehemiah as part of the wall and the city's restoration. The Pool of Siloam was not merely a utilitarian reservoir; it was a symbol of God's quiet, sustaining presence among His people.
4. The Man Born Blind
As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." The disciples assumed that blindness was a punishment for specific sin. Jesus corrected them, explaining that the man's condition was an opportunity for God's glory to be displayed. The man had been blind his entire life, never seeing the sun, the sky, or a human face. His healing would be a sign of the greater spiritual healing that Jesus brings.
5. The Method of Healing: Clay and the Pool of Siloam
Jesus spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva, and anointed the man's eyes with the clay. He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, "Sent"). The man went away, washed, and came back seeing. Jesus used physical means—spit, clay, water—to accomplish the healing, but the power was not in the clay or the water. It was in His word and His authority. The act of washing in Siloam was an act of obedience. The man had to trust Jesus enough to go and wash. His obedience was the evidence of his faith.
6. The Reaction of the Neighbors and Pharisees
The neighbors and those who had seen him begging said, "Is this not he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." They asked him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." They brought him to the Pharisees. It was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.
7. The Interrogation of the Healed Man
The Pharisees said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and received his sight until they called his parents and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." They said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed that if anyone confessed that Jesus was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. They called the man a second time and said, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."
8. The Spiritual Blindness of the Pharisees
They reviled him and said, "You are His disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. Jesus later found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" Jesus said, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." The Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."
9. The Significance of the Name "Siloam" (Sent)
John explicitly notes that Siloam means "Sent." This is not a casual detail. Jesus, the One sent by the Father, sent the blind man to the pool called "Sent." The man's physical washing in the pool of the Sent One resulted in physical sight. But the deeper meaning is that all who come to the One sent by the Father—Jesus Christ—receive spiritual sight. The pool of Siloam points to Christ as the source of illumination. The man washed in water; believers are cleansed by the Word and the Spirit. The healing at Siloam is a sign that Jesus is the Light of the world.
10. The Spiritual Application for Believers Today
The Pool of Siloam teaches several lessons. First, human suffering is not always the result of specific sin; it can be an opportunity for God's glory. Second, faith requires obedience. The blind man had to go and wash. Third, Jesus is the Light of the world. He came to give sight to the blind. Fourth, spiritual blindness is more dangerous than physical blindness. The Pharisees could see physically but were blind spiritually. Fifth, the testimony of a transformed life is powerful. The healed man said, "One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." Every believer can say the same.
Conclusion
The Pool of Siloam, whose name means "Sent," is the reservoir in Jerusalem where Jesus healed the man born blind. Jesus made clay, anointed the man's eyes, and sent him to wash in Siloam. The man obeyed, washed, and received his sight. The miracle led to controversy with the Pharisees, who were blind to their own spiritual condition. Siloam points to Jesus, the One sent from the Father, who gives sight to the blind. Let every sinner come to the Sent One, wash in His Word, and receive spiritual sight.