HCK-TOO!

I came across two stories of Jesus that I hadn't really paid attention to before. In Mark chapter 7 and chapter 8, Jesus is recorded as healing two people, one deaf and mute and the other blind, by first touching them with His spit. I haven't found much on these two instances in the way of commentaries, but here's what I can glean about Christ's peculiar actions.

Both times, Mark says that people brought these men to Jesus so that he could touch them and heal them. And both times, Jesus leads them away from the crowd or outside the city (presumably also away from the crowd) before He heals them. By spitting on them, Jesus demonstrates that God will heal however He wishes to. We cannot tell God what to do. The healing work of God is both unpredictable and intensely personal.

What I also find interesting is that to be spit upon is normally a cultural symbol of degradation. Jesus Himself was spit upon when He was mocked before His crucifixion. That Jesus used spit to heal these men speaks to me of His redemptive power. He can take what is scorned and make it a beautiful thing.

I shudder to imagine being the blind man though... to hear the noise of Jesus spitting and then feeling the slimy wetness on my eyes?! Blech. But then again, discomfort is a small price to pay to be able to see Jesus.