Pool of Siloam

In John 9, Jesus made some mud, put it on the eyes of a blind man, and sent him to the Pool of Siloam. The pool was located by archaeologists in 2005 and is still under excavation today. Assuming Jesus sent him on his way from the general area of the Temple Mount, the man would have walked down a wide, well-traveled road about half a mile (.8 km). The pool had been built at the base of the City of David. It was fed constantly by the Gihon Spring, channeled there by Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Pilgrims coming from distant areas would have washed in the pool or one of the ritual washing pools closer to the Temple Mount, before approaching the Temple. Ritual washing had long been a part of Jewish practice, as represented by the words of Psalm 24:3-4. The practice of washing priests at the Tabernacle or Temple had also been common practice for centuries. Therefore, Jesus sent the blind man to a place where people ritually washed in order to be in a right relationship with God. When he obeyed, he received the miracle of his life. The miracle had happened on the Sabbath, bringing the ire of religious leaders. They also may have been infuriated with mud-making, since this had been the way God had made the first man (Genesis 2:7).