"After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing." -John 9:6-7
The cultural milieu of
John 9:1-12 is Jewish. That is to say the text has a combination of
individual perceptions of politics and intentions as well as the
community of persons perceptions of politics and under the influence of
social culture of the Jews. There were some Greco-Roman influences in
the time period, but in this text we only see evidences of the Jewish
culture and its traditions. Thus, I have chosen to focus this study on
the Pool of Siloam.
Waterways
were very important in the ancient cultures. Just as in today, we need a
fresh supply of water for the basic needs of life: to drink, to cook,
to clean, and to bath. In our text of John 9, we learn that Jesus uses
water to test the blind man’s faith. The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land states of a pool:
In
prehistoric and early historic times man was very limited in his choice
of sites for dwelling places, since he had to be in the immediate
vicinity of permanent sources of water such as rivers, springs or
freshwater lakes. But he learned at an early date to excavate cisterns
in order to store water for long periods, thus greatly increasing the
number of places where he could settle. In the biblical period, however,
rivers, lakes and springs were still the most important sources of
water, though artificial devices gradually came into use.1
The
pool of our text has a great deal of historical significance and it was
well known for providing for the well being of the community around it.
It
should also be noted that it took a great deal of effort to collect
water in the Palestinian region. The geographical location is well known
for being a dessert like terrain even today. In the early New Testament
time period things were not much different. The New Bible Dictionary
described the work that went into the collection of such water. It
states, “During the summer, water which had collected in pools during
the winter and spring formed an important source of supply. The ability
to collect and keep water in artificial pools enabled the Israelites to
settle uninhabited parts of Palestine (*Cistern). Artificial pools were dug inside walled cities (the *Moabite Stone records one) often fed through a tunnel leading from a spring outside, ensuring a supply in time of siege”2
Thus, unlike our modern culture of running water through a focet in the
kitchen or restroom, the people of this culture understood the
necessity of water and the work that it took to get a pool.
Many
pools were made of tunnels and used to flow water to a larger group of
people. Siloam was no different. Siloam can also be known as Shiloah or
translated as sent.3 Siloam was is recorded in the New Bible Dictionary as:
One
of the principal sources of water supply to Jerusalem was the
intermittent pool of Gihon (‘Virgin’s Fountain’) below the Fountain Gate
(Ne. 3:15) and ESE of the city. This fed water along an open canal,
which flowed slowly along the SE slopes, called šilôaḥ (‘Sender’; lxx Silōam,
Is. 8:6). It followed the line of the later ‘second aqueduct’ (Wilson)
which fell only 5 cm in 300 m, discharging into the Lower or Old Pool
(mod. Birket el-Ḥamra)
at the end of the central valley between the walls of the SE and SW
hills. It thus ran below ‘the wall of the Pool of Shelah’ (Ne. 3:15) and
watered the ‘king’s garden’ on the adjacent slopes.
This
Old Pool was probably the ‘Pool of Siloam’ in use in NT times for sick
persons and others to wash (Jn. 9:7–11). The ‘Tower of Siloam’ which
fell and killed 18 persons—a disaster well known in our Lord’s day (Lk.
13:4)—was probably sited on the Ophel ridge above the pool which,
according to Josephus (BJ 5.145), was near the bend of the old wall below Ophlas (Ophel). According to the Talmud (Sukkoth
4. 9), water was drawn from Siloam’s pool in a golden vessel to be
carried in procession to the Temple on the Feast of Tabernacles.4
Within
the Jewish culture, the Pool of Siloam was a significant place. Jesus’
choice to use it for the man to wash the spit/mud combination is
interesting to note. Jesus grants the man an opportunity to exercise his
faith and follow through with what Jesus told him to do. It worked and
the man eyesight was restored. The water did not save him, but that he
was willing to be sent and then followed through demonstrated his belief
that he could be made to see. The special location of Siloam heightens
our appreciation in that we too are sent and need our faith by following
through.
Have a great day! Together we can seek out, reach out, and step out on faith to where Jesus is sending us. You know I love ya, Don
1 Negev, A. (1996). The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press.
2 Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (941). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
3
Cornwall, Dr. Judson & Smith, Dr. Stelman (1998). The
Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names. Gainsville, FL.: Bridge-Logos.
4 Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (941). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
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