Further, anyone who studies the word of God should know that the particles "in order to" are often used in Scripture to designate not the cause, but the event itself. For example, David says: "So that (yes) Thou art righteous in Thy judgment" (Psalm 50:6). David did not sin in order for God to be justified. But because of David's sin, God had to be justified. For when God had given David so many gifts as he was not worthy, and when he transgressed the commandment of God, and committed murder and adultery, and used the king's power to offend God, what consequence did it follow but that God, who judged and rebuked David, was justified, and was victorious over the condemned king, because he transgressed the law of him from whom he received the kingdom? Did he violate it because he was a king? Being an honest man, he could not have committed two such great crimes so easily. So, you see, in the sentence "so that Thou art righteous" (Slavonic: as thou shalt be justified), the particle does not mean a cause, but an effect. You will find many such figures of speech in the Apostle's writings. For example, in the Epistle to the Romans: "What can be known about God is manifest to the Gentiles, so that they are unanswerable" (Slavonic: in order to be unanswerable) (Romans 1:19, 20). God gave knowledge to the Gentiles not so that they would be unaccountable when they sinned, but so that they would not sin. And because they sinned, because of this, knowledge made them unanswerable. And again: the law came after, "that transgression may abound" (Romans 5:20). Though the law was not given to increase sin, but to diminish; but since those who accepted the law did not want to reduce sin, the law served them to increase sin. For their sin became more important and grievous because they had the law, and yet they sinned. So here, too, the expression "that the works of God may be revealed" indicates not the cause, but the effect. For through the healing of the blind man God was glorified. Often another builder of a house will do one thing, and leave the other unfinished, so that he who does not believe that he has built the first part can prove by arranging the unfinished that he is also an artist of what was previously built. In the same way, our God Jesus, in healing the injured members and bringing them to their natural (normal) state, shows that He is the Creator of the other members as well.

"That the glory of God may be revealed," says this of Himself, and not of the Father. For the glory of the Father was manifest, but it was necessary to manifest the glory of Jesus, and to the fact that He who created man in the beginning was He. And there is no doubt much glory in this, when it will be revealed that He Who is now man, in the beginning as God created man. What He says about Himself, listen further. He adds: "I must do the works of Him who sent Me." I, he says, must manifest Myself and do works that can show that I do the same thing that the Father does. Look, He did not say that I should do the same works as the Father does, but the same ones that the Father does. I, he says, must do the very works that He who sent Me does. I must do them "while there is a day," as long as real life lasts, and people can believe in Me. Then "the night will come when no one can work," that is, believe, for he calls faith a deed. So, in the age to come, no one can believe. The present life is the day, because during it, as in the daytime, we can do; although the Apostle Paul calls it night, partly because those who do virtue or vice are not known here, and partly in comparison with the Light that will illumine the righteous. The age to come is night, because no one can do there; although the Apostle Paul calls it a day, because the righteous will appear in the light and the deeds of each one will be revealed. Thus, in the age to come, there is no faith, but all will obey, those who desire and those who do not.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world," for by teaching and the manifestation of miracles I enlighten souls. Wherefore even now it behoveth Me to enlighten the souls of many, through the healing of the blind man, and the illumination of the pupils in his eyes. As light, I must enlighten both sensually and spiritually.

And when he had said this, he spat on the ground, and made clay out of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, Go and wash in the pool of Siloam, which means "he who is sent." He went and washed himself, and came back seeing.

Having said this, Jesus did not stop at words, but added to them the deed. He spat on the ground, made clay out of spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay, showing through clay that He also formed Adam's body from clay. The mere words that I had created Adam might have seemed tempting to the hearers, but when the words were confirmed by deeds, there was no cause for temptation. He makes his eyes out of mortality, using the same method of creation that He created Adam. Not only did He arrange His eyes and open them, but He gave them vision, which showed that He also breathed a soul into Adam. For without the action of the soul, the eye would never have seen, even though it had been arranged. He also used spittle to endow him with vision. Since He intended to send the blind man to Siloam, so that they would not attribute the miracle to the water of the spring, but would know that the eyes of the blind man were formed and opened by the power that came out of His mouth, for this purpose He spat on the ground and made clay out of the spittle of the mouth. Then, so that you do not think that the miracle depended on the earth, He commands you to wash yourself, so that the clay will completely fall behind. However, some say that this mortality did not fall away at all, but turned into eyes. He commands the blind man to go to Siloam partly in order to reveal the degree of his faith and obedience, for he did not reason that he should not go to Siloam or wash himself, if the spitting and spitting make him fully see, but he obeyed Him who commanded; partly to stop the mouths of the foolish Jews, for naturally many looked at him as he walked with eyes anointed with clay, and gazed at him attentively, so that they could not afterwards say, "This is he, this is not he; and, finally, in order that, by sending him to Siloam, he might testify of himself that he was not alien to the law and the Old Testament.

Why did the Evangelist add an explanation of the name Siloam? So that you may know that Christ healed the blind man here too, and that Siloam is the image of Christ. For Christ is as a spiritual Stone (1 Cor. 10:4), so is Siloam spiritual; and as the brook of Siloam by its strange course represented something sudden and striking, so the coming of the Lord, hidden and unknown to the angels, by its power drowns all sin.

Then the neighbors, and those who had seen before that he was blind, said, "Is this not the one who sat and begged? Some said, "This is he," and others, "He resembles him." And he said, "It is I." Then they asked him, "How did your eyes open?" He answered and said, "A man called Jesus has made clay, anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.' I went to wash my face and regained my sight.

The neighbors, amazed at the extraordinariness of the miracle, did not believe it. Although his procession to Siloam with eyes anointed with clay was so that many would see him and then not deny ignorance, yet even now they do not believe. The Evangelist, not without intention, remarks that he was begging for alms, but in order to show the Lord's ineffable love for mankind in that He condescended to the poor as well, that He healed the poor with great care, and from this we would learn not to despise our lesser brethren. And the blind man, not ashamed of his former poverty, not afraid of the people, openly says: "This is I," preaches the Benefactor and says: "The man called Jesus." He calls the Lord Man, because until now he knew nothing about Him, and what he has now learned, he confesses. How does he know that it is Jesus? From His conversation with His disciples. The disciples asked the Lord about him, and He answered them for quite a long time: "I must do the works of Him who sent Me; I am the light of the world." No one else taught this except Jesus alone, and He often used such speeches. It was from this that the blind man knew that it was Jesus. That He made the clay and anointed his eyes, He knew from the touch, and said. He kept silent about spitting, because he did not know, and as he did not know, he did not add. Apparently, this man was righteous.

Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He answered, "I don't know." They took this former blind man to the Pharisees. And there was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He has put clay in my eyes; And I washed my face and saw. Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said: how can a sinful man work such miracles? And there was strife between them.

Since the Lord, in granting healing and performing miracles, usually hid Himself in His modesty, the blind man, when asked where Jesus is, says "I do not know," in order to be completely faithful to the truth.

They take him to the Pharisees in order to subject him to a more detailed and strict interrogation. The Evangelist remarks that "it was the Sabbath" in order to show their malice, how they seize every incident against Christ: they accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath and thus attempt to obscure the miracle. Therefore they do not ask him how thou didst receive thy sight, but how he opened thy eyes, slandering the Lord in all things, as one who acted on the Sabbath. The blind man himself is forced to remember that He made the frailty on the Sabbath. He, answering those who have already heard, does not mention the name of Jesus, nor what the Lord said to him, but only says: "He has put clay in my eyes, and I have washed and see." For it is probable that the Pharisees had heard from those who had brought the blind man to them, and perhaps they had slandered the Lord, and said, This is what Jesus does on the Sabbath. The courage of the blind man is worthy of remark, that he fearlessly speaks to the Pharisees. He was brought in so that, stricken with fear, he would reject the reality of healing, and he very clearly exclaimed: I see.

Of the Pharisees, some, not all, but more bold, said: "This man is not of God." And others said: how can a sinful person work such miracles? You see, under the influence of miracles, many are softened. These people – the Pharisees, the rulers, but as a result of this miracle, they are ashamed and somewhat defend.

"And there was strife among them." This strife used to take place among the people, for some said that He deceived the people, and others that He was good (John 7:12, 43), and now it begins among the rulers. And so many Pharisees, separating themselves from the rest, defend the miracle. However, even after the separation, they speak for Christ very weakly and more doubtfully and double-minded than firmly. For listen to what they say: how can a sinful man work such miracles? Do you see how weakly they object? Look also at the cunning of the slanderers. They do not say that He is not of God, because He heals on the Sabbath, but that He does not keep the Sabbath; they constantly expose not a beneficence, but a violation of the day. Note also that the rulers are slower to do good than the people. The people had already been divided in opinion, and not all spoke against Christ, and the leaders came to this laudable division after the people. For it is good sometimes to divide, as the Lord also says: "I have come to bring a sword to the earth" (Matt. 10:34), that is, without a doubt, disagreement because of goodness and godliness.

Again they say to the blind man, "You, what will you say about Him, because He has opened your eyes?" He said, "He's a prophet." Then the Jews did not believe that he was blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of this man who had received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, of whom you say that he was born blind?" How does he see now?