Category: Christ’s earthly ministry

Thursday, May 30, 2024

“And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue” (Mark 7:33 KJV).

Why did Christ spit while healing people?

Re-read Mark 8:22-25. As we can see, Christ again employed spitting as a method of healing. This time, He ministers to a man who was blind. Why did He spit on the man’s eyes? Recall our earlier comments as touching the miracle in chapter 7. These eyes are functionally dead. If they are to work as the Creator intended, He must intervene by imparting life and lubrication (saliva) to them. He does just that, thereby showing Israel how He can restore them to see spiritual truths clearly.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:2; cf. Matthew 4:16). “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18). “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house…. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:6,7,16).

Re-read John 9:1-7. The Lord Jesus cured this blind man by first spitting on the ground, mixing His saliva with the clay/soil, and then placing this concoction directly onto the man’s eyes. Finally, He sent the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man returned with his sight! What we want to see here is Jesus’ spit (life) was again instrumental in restoring organs that were functionally dead. The washing with water rinsed away the dirt and spit. You can see verses 10-15 for additional information. Israel is granted spiritual sight, free from the blindness of sin and Satan!

Still, there is more….

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

“And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue” (Mark 7:33 KJV).

Why did Christ spit while healing people?

Re-read Mark 7:31-35, today’s Scripture in its context. Listening to these verses, we understand this poor man was both unable to hear and speak properly. However, the Lord Jesus healed him… in a most bizarre way. He spit on His finger and then touched the man’s tongue! While we find that rather disgusting, that was the way Jesus chose to cure him. Why?

If we come to appreciate more about saliva, we can get a better understanding of Jesus’ procedure. Approximately 99 percent of saliva is simply water. (The other one percent is made of various enzymes and proteins that aid in tasting and digesting food, and protecting from tooth decay.) The man’s tongue is functionally dead. In Scripture, water symbolizes life. “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6). “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb…. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:1,17). Thus, one way to look at the Lord’s behavior here is Him imparting water/life to the man’s tongue.

Moreover, saliva lubricates our tongue and lips to facilitate our speech. We can also see Christ as moistening the man’s mouth, making it easier for him to talk for the first time in who knows how long! What is being demonstrated here? Israel, now converted from Satan, can speak forth God’s Word to evangelize the Gentiles in the Millennial Kingdom (see Zechariah 8:20-23, for example). Read verse 23: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”

There is still more….

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

“And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue” (Mark 7:33 KJV).

Why did Christ spit while healing people?

Today’s Scripture in context: “[31] And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. [32] And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. [33] And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; [34] And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. [35] And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”

Now, Mark chapter 8: “[22] And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. [23] And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. [24] And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. [25] After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”

Finally, John chapter 9: “[1] And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? [3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. [4] I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. [5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [6] When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, [7] And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”

We study this more fully….