The Historic Pool of Siloam Found!
I guess if you dig deep enough, you’ll eventually arrive at the truth. At least that was the case for a group of workers repairing a sewage pipe in the Old City of Jerusalem. Just another ordinary average day at work, when out the blue they stumble across the Pool of Siloam.
Big deal?
Yes, big deal. Not in the sense that you or I didn’t believe the Apostle John when he mentions it. Rather a big deal in the way this story could be used in our everyday lives. This is the spot where Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth. This is the spot where the disciples ask one of the deeper theological questions ever put to Jesus. This is also the spot where a religiously untrained “lay-person” takes the religious “leaders” down to Chinatown…or something like that.
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To recap, Jesus and the disciples notice the blind man and the 12 throw out the age-old quandary-like question of why bad things happen:
“Teacher," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?" (John 9:2)
Jesus immediately refutes the semi-karma theory that what goes around always comes around, and then backs up his astounding words with an astonishing miracle:
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing! (John 9:6-7)
Siloam was a popular place for religious pilgrims, and this pilgrim got to experience holy lasik and take a life-changing journey that opened his eyes for the very first time.
What transpires after the healing is truly classic. Essentially it is a series of Q&A between the Pharisees and the “I Can See Clearly Now” man (we’re never told his name) that plays like an Abbot and Costello “Who’s On First” routine:
“You’re the blind guy?”
“Yes.”
“How come you’re not blind?”
“Because, I’m not.”
“Then you must not be the blind guy.”
“I was the blind guy, but now I’m not since Jesus healed me.”
“Where is Jesus?”
“I don’t know.”
“Third base!”
Sometimes I think the man who was healed was vying to be the first stand-up in Jerusalem- check out this (real) exchange:
Pharisees:
“But what did he do?" they asked. "How did he heal you?"
I Can See Clearly Now guy:
"Look!" the man exclaimed. "I told you once. Didn't you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
Ouch! But very nice. I find it especially witty that a former blind man told them to “look” – especially since they were the ones who couldn’t see!
I guess things haven’t really changed that much…Jesus is still doing amazing things, people’s lives are still being changed by the power of God, and there are folks with 20/20 vision who still miss the moving of the Messiah right in their midst.
My point in this is don’t let a great opportunity pass you by. The news of this finding is pretty significant in terms of backing up the authenticity and reliability of the gospel of John- which incidentally is one of the most maligned of the four. But don’t take my word for it…here’s a quotable quote from a guy who’s forgotten more New Testament history than I’ll ever learn:
“Scholars have said that there wasn't a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit" to illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. "Now we have found the Pool of Siloam … exactly where John said it was."
A gospel that was thought to be "pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history," he said.
Isn’t that a remarkable thought? Theology grounded in history…in ordinary terms this means: “Hey everybody, it turns out our belief in Scripture are more than a simple intellectual leap that smells like an uneducated spirit!”
So you have a choice before you. This can just be another file-it-away-under-miscellaneous-trivia story, or it can be a dynamic conversation starter that can lead to a discussion about the Man who can forever change our lives. Ask your unbelieving friends and family what they think about this story, and if it changes their opinion about the inspiration of the Bible. No, I don’t believe that this discovery is a trump card that will change the opinion of every skeptic. But I do believe that it is a helpful tool in getting people to examine the abundantly available but often ignored historical evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ…you know- the lynchpin of humanity’s existence?
One more thing…let this story take you back to how it all got started in your life. When you think about it, this story is every Christian’s story. We were all born blind, and in one miraculous moment Jesus healed our spiritual blindness and set us free to live the life God intended. Perhaps it is time that we all dig a little deeper and rediscover our personal Pool of Siloam. After all, when was the last time you truly felt and lived these words?
“…I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!" (John 9:25)
Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Find out how Dare 2 Share Ministries and Focus on the Family® are working together to capture the hearts of this generation of teenagers, visit www.capturetheirhearts.com Send feedback to [email protected]. Original source: Dare2Share.org.
