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Two things concurred towards the cure of this blind man, namely, an act of divine power on Christ's part, and an act of faith and obedience on the man's part.
1. An act of divine power on Christ's part, he tempers clay and spittle together, and anoints the man's eyes therewith, and behold he sees.
What an improbable remedy and means was this to human reason! Much fitter to put out a seeing man's eyes than to cure a blind man's. Had Christ pulled out his box, and applied some medicinal ointment to his eyes, then the praise had been ascribed to his kill, not to his power; but now it plainly appeared, that all the virtue was in Christ, not in the means.
Lord! what great things canst thou do by weak and unlikely means; yea, by opposite and contrary means! but it is the praise of Omnipotency to work by probabilities. From the contemptibleness of the means or instrument, always redounds the greater honour to the agent.
Observe, 2. An act of faith and obedience on the man's part; He went away and washed his eyes in the pool of Siloam, and returned seeing.
Where note, 1. How Christ delights to exercise and try the faith of his people, by their subjection and obedience to difficult commands.
2. That true faith, joined with sincere obedience, never faileth the expectation of them that exercise it: especially in obeying the most hard and difficult commands. Therefore the Evangelist added, that the blind man, after washing, returned seeing.