Anointed with clay

It’s significant that Jesus is said to “anoint” the blind man’s eyes with the clay-and-spittle (John 9:11). We wouldn’t normally think of clay as a promising material to “anoint” someone with, but this is the way that the man describes Jesus’ action.

The word is often associated with the work of the Spirit, and so this strengthens the connection with John 3. The man receives water, and is anointed not with the Spirit but with clay.

Elsewhere in John, however, anointing makes reference specifically to anointing for burial. Lazarus is anointed at his death (11:2), and when the woman “anoints” the feet of Jesus, He says that it is “for the day of My burial,” and goes on to say that He is not going to be with the disciples forever (12:1-8).

The blind man too is anointed for death; he is reborn and anointed so that he can have a share in the death of Jesus, so that He can experience the death of Jesus in his own life.