Scriptural Reference:
"33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue"
Mark 7:33

"After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. "
John 9:6

"23 And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people"
Matthew 4:23

Reflection: Jewish custom and tradition has several consideration of both spittle and mud. There are a range of myths and superstitions that explain how spit can be used. Such as spitting three times when hearing something horrible. So generally spit is an unusual substance to use to heal someone. Yet we read of Jesus the Christ using it as well as mud to heal several people. He didn't use it constantly, though just several times for particular people. So what can we learn from this?

There have been suggested parallels drawn between the act of Jesus in healing the blind man with a paste made of mud and spittle (John 9:6) to the Genesis creation narrative in which God makes man out of the dust of the earth and his own breath (Genesis 2:7). Yet this may be stringing a bow a bit. The comparison seems logical enough. But not necessarily credible. If we agree that it is possible that Jesus used spittle and mud we can than draw a conclusion that he was intending His disciples to understand the connection. Yet He doesn't explain this and the disciples don't ask about it.

There is an easier conclusion that may be derived, and that is that spittle was considered beneficial as a healing agent by many. It had been recorded that saliva had healing qualities. Several ancient literary works provide many examples of the use of saliva by physicians and supernatural healers who thought it possible to transfer healing from their bodies to the sick through their saliva. An example of this is found in the Talmud Baba Bathra (126b, Soncino ed., p. 526). So with this in mind, Jesus may have used spit to communicate His intention to heal. Those being healed would have naturally interpreted Jesus’ spitting as a sign that they would soon be cured.

What can we glean from this unique way of healing? Perhaps we can conclude that with Jesus anything can and will be used to heal those who come to Him. Even something as plausibly dirty and spittle and mud. Just like each of us, who are cleaned and made presentable before God, Jesus is able to utilise things that normally would not be deemed suitable. Well, at least not suitable based on what we know with today's medicine. As a figurative image, imagine if we were the spittle and the mud being used by our Lord to help heal a broken world; we would only be able to do this because Jesus Himself was able to equip us to do so. Even in the dirty state that our earthly bodies are.


Prayer:
Heavenly Lord,
I pray to be;
An instrument of your love.
A healing salve of your grace.
The hands that reach the sick.
And the voice of your word.
I pray these things in your name,
Jesus the Christ.
Amen