As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’
“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 9:1-7
Happy New Year’s Eve! A significant year is about to end, and yet in my spirit, I sense this invitation from the Lord to “wash in the Pool of Siloam” before we cross over into a new year. This passage jumped off the page to me, and I want to unwrap what is on my heart as we begin a new year.
Here sits a man born blind. Every day, his world was dark and colorless. He never saw what everyone else saw. I can imagine he learned to see with his other senses, but his world would only be as large as those who would explore it with him. I doubt he ever thought, “One day, my life will bring glory to God.” I doubt he wondered what day he would be healed and would run free. What did running free even mean? That day seemed like just another day, no different than the rest—limited and small.
Here came Jesus, walking up to the man, not the other way around. And He did something so unique for this man. Spitting in the dust, the very substance from which man was created, Jesus did a new thing in this man’s life. There was no formulaic method to Jesus’ healing; He simply responded to the leadership of the Father to the needs of those who stood before Him.
And now the man had to respond in faith. He had to do something with the command of Christ to go and wash. Grabbing the hand of a friend, he had to find his way to the pool of Siloam in order to wash the mud from his eyes. Why? This moment would need the partnership of the man’s faith and obedience. Hope said, “Something could change,” and faith said, “Someone take me to the pool.” Obedience put one foot in front of the other.
When Jesus shows up while we can’t see, hope is restored, faith for impossibility is deposited in us, and faithful obedience becomes the fruit—and the whole town knows!
The Pool of Siloam’s water came through Hezekiah’s tunnel, which William Barclay noted was a remarkable engineering feat for the equipment available in Old Testament times.
“It was called Siloam, which, it was said, meant sent, because the water in it had been sent through the conduit into the city.” –William Barclay
So, what is Jesus inviting us to do as we enter 2026?
I believe many of us have lost our sight. We’ve lost sight of Jesus, and as we live in such a myopic culture, I believe the Church has lost sight that there is an entire world existing outside of America that sits in darkness and oppression. We’ve lost sight of the fact that eternity is our glorious destination. Has our vision been skewed by the taunts of the enemy to long for wealth and comfort more than anything of eternal value? Do we simply see only farther than our two feet when there’s a 360-degree perspective God is asking us to look at? I ask these rhetorical questions from a place of my own struggle and observation, not judgment.
There is a pull at our hearts to seek comfort and wealth and stability that trumps a call to faith and obedience. Our entire culture is tied to this reality. Yet as a follower of Jesus, we are to live counter-culturally. How do we maintain both perspectives? I don’t believe we can. Right in the middle of this passage in John, Jesus obstructs our view: “‘As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work (John 9:4).’”
“Jesus, I can’t see You because I’m buried in building a life I always dreamed I deserved.”
“Jesus, I can’t make my way to the pool to wash because I don’t know if You’re really going to follow through; hope deferred has sabotaged my heart of faith.”
“Jesus, I am comfortable with my life of lack and blindness because then I won’t be responsible for more than You might ask me to do. I’m afraid of what You could really be calling me to.”
Beloved, we have got to make our way to the metaphorical Pool of Siloam and wash the barrier off our eyes so we can truly see. We must know the hour in which we are living and the eternal assignment God has placed in our hands. There’s no time for the endless pondering of “I don’t know what my calling is.” It’s time for you to see and to know. Jesus wants to reveal your end-time assignments while it is still day. We are his sent ones—sent to a world to proclaim the hope of Jesus. The waters were sent to the city; this man was sent to go from his healing to testify to the power of Jesus, and I can imagine the whole city caught wind of this.
Jesus is standing at the threshold of 2026, and He’s inviting you to head down to the pool to wash your eyes. We want to see what He has in store for 2026. Let’s wash off hesitancy, doubt, hopelessness, resistance to His calling and apathy for the lost. Our Bridegroom is coming soon, and we’ve got a field to harvest all over the world!
Happy New Year! May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you! I pray that He will wash our eyes so we can truly see in this new year all that God has prepared for those who love Him.
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