And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
John 5:9,16 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath…
John 7:21-23 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel…
Matthew 12:1-14 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat…
was a Sabbath.
The mention of the Sabbath is crucial in understanding the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. The Sabbath, a day of rest and worship, was strictly observed by the Jews, based on the commandment in Exodus 20:8-11. By performing this miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' legalistic interpretation of the law, emphasizing the spirit of the law over its letter. This act highlights Jesus' authority over the Sabbath, as He declares in Mark 2:27-28 that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." The healing on the Sabbath also foreshadows the new covenant, where Jesus fulfills the law and offers rest and restoration to all who believe in Him.
• The word signals a real, historical moment that follows directly after “As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth” (John 9:1).
• It reminds us that the narrative is unfolding in time, underscoring God’s ongoing work—“My Father is working still, and I too am working” (John 5:17).
• By anchoring the miracle in the present tense of the story, John invites us to watch Jesus act with purposeful immediacy, just as He did when He “reached out His hand and touched” the leper without delay (Mark 1:41-42).
• John highlights a specific calendar day, preparing us for the controversy that will follow.
• Other healings are marked this way—“At once the man was healed… Now that day was the Sabbath” (John 5:9).
• The phrase reminds us that God’s timing is never random; “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4).
• Earlier, “He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes” (John 9:6).
• Forming something from earth recalls creation, when “the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7).
• The physical action shows that the Lord of creation can use the simplest material—much like He used five loaves and two fish (John 6:9-13).
• It also underscores personal involvement; Jesus does not heal from a distance here, but stoops to touch, echoing the intimate methods seen in Mark 7:33-35.
• The result is unmistakable: a man born blind now sees (John 9:7).
• Isaiah foretold, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened” (Isaiah 35:5); Jesus fulfills that promise.
• Physical sight points to spiritual light—“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness” (John 8:12).
• This miracle illustrates the gospel mandate: “Go and report… the blind receive sight” (Luke 7:22).
• The Sabbath command is clear: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8-11).
• Religious leaders defined healing as work, sparking conflict: “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16).
• Jesus consistently places mercy above man-made restrictions—“It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12).
• He also claims authority: “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28).
• By healing on this day, He reveals the true intent of the Sabbath: rest in God’s restorative grace, mirrored in the man’s newfound rest from blindness.
John 9:14 emphasizes timing more than technique. It records an actual day when Jesus crafted mud, restored sight, and did so on the Sabbath. Each detail—“now,” “the day,” “made the mud,” “opened his eyes,” and “was a Sabbath”—builds a composite picture: the Creator steps into time, uses earth’s simplest elements, brings promised healing, and demonstrates that the Sabbath ultimately celebrates His redemptive work.
(14) And it was the sabbath day--i.e., most probably, the last day, that great day of the feast of John 7:37. Nothing has taken place which makes it necessary to suppose any interval, and though the discourses seem long, they would have occupied but a short time in delivery. The whole narrative follows in unbroken order, which makes it difficult to suppose that a week intervened.When Jesus made the clay.--This is mentioned as a servile work which contravened the Sabbath law. The anointing the eyes with spittle on the Sabbath was specially forbidden by the decrees of the Rabbis. They held that no work of healing might be performed on the Sabbath except in cases of immediate danger.
On the question of our Lord's relation to the Sabbath day, comp. Notes on John 5:16 et seq., and on Matthew 12:10; Luke 13:11-16; Luke 14:1-5. . . .
Verse 14. - Now it was sabbath on the day that Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The phrase is peculiar, and implies that the day may have been a festival sabbath. The introduction here shows that the difficulty of the neighbors and other friends had already been raised, and something more than a desire on their part for religious guidance actuated their appeal to the Pharisees. Why should the healed man be taken to the Pharisees, or the synagogue-court at all, unless some question of casuistry had been raised? The movement was one unquestionably adverse to Jesus. It could have had no other motive. Nor can any doubt arise that Jesus had violated the rabbinical rules of the sabbath, though his act had been in perfect harmony with the spirit and even letter of the Mosaic Law. The making of clay with the spittle and the sand was an infringement of the rule ('Shabbath,' 24:3). It was curiously laid down in one of the vexatious interpretations (preserved in Jerusalem Gemara on 'Shabbath,' 14) that while "wine could by way of remedy be applied to the eyelid, on the ground that this might be treated as washing, it was sinful to apply it to the inside of the eye" (Edersheim). And it was positively forbidden (in the same Gemara) to apply saliva to the eyelid, because this would be the application of a remedy. All medicinal appliances, unless in cases of danger to life or limb, were likewise forbidden. Consequently, the Lord had broken with the traditional glosses on the Law in more ways than one (see Winer, 'Bibl. Realw.,' 2:346; Lightfoot, ' Ad Joan. 9; 'Wetstein on Matthew 12:9; Wunsche, in loc.).