Spit and salvation!

Mark 7:31-37

³¹ Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. ³² They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. ³³ Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva;

 ³⁴ and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” ³⁵ And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 

³⁶ And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. ³⁷ They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Mark 8:22-26

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 

²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 

²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

 John 9:6-11

⁶ When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,

⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

 ⁸ Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” ¹⁰ So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” 

  

Lots of people chew and spit. Others, rather grossly, spit on to the ground. Jesus’ use of spit to heal, and why he used spit, could easily pass us by because of this. When we add to this that the Bible views spitting as disgusting, even a curse, then we’re even less likely to see Jesus’ use of spit as having more than symbolic meaning. Most are content to think that Jesus used spit as a symbol of healing and that the Jews believed spit, especially the spit of the firstborn, healed. In the above instances, spit does ‘symbolize’ healing, for Jesus spits on someone and then heals the person. However, his spit did not heal anyone; he did! Others say that Jesus used spit like a prophetic act. For example, Elijah raised the widow’s son from the dead, but not before he had stretched himself upon the child three times (1 Kg.17:17-24). I think this prophetic element is on to something, for Jesus is the ultimate Prophet of the Lord, and perhaps Jesus used spit as part of a prophetic ritual that confirmed that his authority was from God himself. Still other writers think that the use of spit was just a bit of drama to magnify the seriousness of the situation. Others again believe that the use of spit was merely another way of saying that God uses means, things, to heal and help people. Whatever truth there is to these values, I think there is a completely different reason for Jesus’ use of spit to heal (the ‘spit-healings’). It is this: he used a symbol of uncleanness to identify with sinners, and to show that healing from sin was through sharing in his ‘uncleanness.’ Put in terms of salvation: we are saved through faith in the One who was cursed for our sake (Gal.3:10-13).

            At the heart of Jesus as a curse is his identification with sinners. We read, for example, in Romans 8:3 that Jesus came in the “likeness of sinful flesh”. Also, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Even so, we can easily miss the extent to which Jesus identified with sinners. Often, we refer to the sufferings of Christ as something that mainly took place on the cross, and here and there in Christ’s life. Not so! He was the Son of Man who had nowhere to lay his head (Matt.8:20). Ever tried lying outside in the cold? His Messianic ministry was rife with suffering, suffering he bore for us in identification with us as sinners. Jesus was baptized in water to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt.3:15), in that this was a symbol of his death for his church, and that they, too, were going to undergo a similar baptism into suffering (Mark 10:39). Jesus taught, in Mark 8:34, that if anyone wanted to follow him, they must take up their cross and do so. This was a reflection of Jesus’ attitude: yes, he went to the cross, but in a spiritual sense he was carrying it all the way to Calvary long before he physically carried it toward Golgotha! The whole of Jesus’ ministry was one of fulfilling righteousness, the righteousness of suffering, for the sake of his people.[1] This brings me to a few leading themes in the New Testament that mark out Christ as One who identified with us as sinners: the Suffering Servant; the One who touched the Untouchables; and, the Son of Man and Great High Priest.

The Suffering Servant

Jesus’ identification with sinners is evident in the Servant Songs of Isaiah.  There are four songs:

1)      42:1-9;   2) 49:1-13;   3) 50:4-11;   4) 52:13-53:12.

All of them depict Jesus’ ministry as the Servant of Yahweh. The New Testament is riddled with quotes and allusions to the Songs. In the Gospels, for example, many passages note the Father’s delight in his Son, that the Son has the Spirit and heals, and that the Son has compassion on many. These, and many other themes, are within the Servant Songs and are brought out in the Gospels. In particular, writers identify Jesus’ hardships with the Suffering Servant as described in the fourth song, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. For example, for theme of suffering in Mark we are pointed to Mark 3:20-21; 9:30-32; 10:32-34, 45; 15:34.

All of this is pretty standard fare, but what is not realized too often is that the Servant Songs of Isaiah anticipated that the whole of the Servant’s (Jesus’) life would be one of suffering.  Christians recognize that the eternal Son by his incarnation was in a state of ‘humiliation’, or lowliness, as theologians call it. Yet, what is sometimes left out is that this state was one of suffering from beginning to end. In other words, Jesus’ sufferings for his people did not begin somewhere close to the cross, or on the cross, but started all the way back at his baptism (and, I would argue, go all the way back to his birth). It is for that reason that the New Testament refers to Jesus’ obedience as being unto death (Rom.5:18; Phil.2:8; 3:9; 2 Cor.5:21; Rom.8:3-4). That is, his whole life was death-obedience, cross-obedience, in that it anticipated and played out the sufferings of God’s Servant who would eventually suffer and die on the cross for our sake. There is a remarkable passage in Matthew 8:16-17:

⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases.”

Matthew cites the fourth Servant Song from Isaiah 53:4 (LXX) and it refers to the Servant bearing the diseases, and taking up the infirmities, of many. This is in the wider context of obedience unto death. Clearly, Jesus’ ministry and his healings were also ‘one’ with his sufferings unto death. This is because as the Messiah, the Suffering Servant, he was breaking the power of sin and dealing with its shame and ignominy throughout his ministry. In casting out demons, miraculously healing many, and other miracles, he was countering the forces of evil and sin that gave rise to those problems in the first place.[2]

The Servant Songs as a whole must be read in this light, that is, as teaching that the Servant was constantly in suffering mode, dealing with the shame and power of sin. The Pharisees opposed Christ, but he was meek, did not lash out, and brought mercy to the multitudes, healing the sick and casting out demons. In that context, Matthew 12:18-21 quotes verses 1-3 of the first Servant Song (Isa.42:1-9):

¹⁸ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
    the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out;
    no one will hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
²¹     In his name the nations will put their hope.”

The second Servant Song (Isa. 49:1-13) refers to the Son’s despair and rejection:

⁴ But I said, “I have labored in vain;
    I have spent my strength for nothing at all….
⁵ And now the Lord says—
    he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
    and gather Israel to himself,
⁷…to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:

The third Song (Isa.50:4-11) is full of the Servant’s obedience and sufferings:

⁵ The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.
⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
    and I know I will not be put to shame.
⁸ He who vindicates me is near.
    Who then will bring charges against me?
    Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
    Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths will eat them up.

I will spare the reader from reading the fourth Song (Isa.52:13-53:12), as it is traditionally the Song that embodies the Servant’s sufferings. All of this suffering is intertwined with the Servant’s joy, God’s delight, the Servant’s vindication, and so forth. Jesus’ life, up unto the cross, was one of suffering interspersed with joy and validation. But it was not until his resurrection that he was truly vindicated by the Father and saw the fruit of his sufferings.

            Now, the Servant Songs do not only relate the Servant’s sufferings; they also describe the Father’s delight and joy in his Servant, and the Servant’s joy, victory, and vindication. But all of this is in pursuit, and as a result, of the Servant’s obedience unto death on the cross, an obedience begun at his baptism. Consequently, the whole life of Christ is in fulfillment of the Suffering Servant, and as such his privations, sufferings, and struggles with evil are part of his sufferings as the Son of Man who obeyed unto death.

            The second part of his identification is the manner in which he physically touched people who were, by the Law of Moses, unclean.

Touching the Untouchables[3]

In Mark 1:41 we read, “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the [leprous] man”. He did not need to do this, as he had the power to heal by a mere word. So, why did he do it? He did it to identify with the ‘unclean’, with sinners. By the letter of the Law, according to the Levitical and priestly rules, anyone touching a leper was unclean until evening (Lev.13:46; 11:40). This is to say nothing of the fact that lepers should remain outside a town and ought to cry, ‘unclean’ (Lev.13:45). None of these things transpired. The leper broke the rules; and Jesus violated the rules. However, he was not a Levite or a son of Aaron. He was, however, a priest after the order of Melchizedek. As such, his obedience to the heavenly Father in his spiritual temple overruled the playbook of Moses.

            Can you imagine the shock, yet huge relief, of a leper, or sick person, by being touched by Christ? In India, within Hinduism, even in the Indian Constitution, there is a segment of society called the Untouchables. They are the pariahs of India. You are, literally, not allowed to touch them. They are socially ‘unclean’. So, they live in their own separate areas, forbidden from mixing with others. Jesus touched many ‘unclean’ people: the dead, the sick, the demon-possessed, those with ‘stuff’ coming from their bodies. In Mark 5, we read of the woman who had been ill for twelve years without any comfort or healing. Along comes Christ, and she makes a beeline for him, ignoring the crowd pressing against her, and she touches Christ’s garment. By the laws of Moses, this made the crowd, Jesus, and the woman unclean! But God’s playbook was being executed here, and the Great High Priest and Physician of the soul immediately healed the woman. Mark comments, “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” (Mark 5:29). Freed! Completely freed! Jesus touched the Untouchables of Israel, bringing to them healing and life. Thank you, Son of David!

The Son of Man and Great High Priest

These healings, through his identification with those who were sick, was to the end that the sick person trust in Jesus as the Messiah and come to God, through him, for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:1-12).

            Hebrews does not focus upon the miracles of Jesus, but his spiritual work of identification with sinners. Hebrews 2 refers to the Son of Man who suffered and died for us, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil….” (Heb.2:14). He was made human so that he could be a merciful high priest. This is in the context of Jesus’ sufferings unto death. But then the writer states, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb.2:18). The temptation here might refer merely to Jesus’ death and its accompanying sufferings, and to the accusation and temptations flung at him during the time leading to the cross and whilst on the cross.  Even so, this temptation was of a piece with, one with, all of his temptations throughout his life. Thus, Jesus’ life is considered one of suffering and temptation leading up to his death and temptation upon the cross. This was for our sake, so that Jesus might be our faithful high priest in heaven to heal us spiritually (Heb.5:1-10; 6:16-20; 7:1-28).

            The Suffering Servant, the Son of Man, the Great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, are titles for One who fully identified with the Untouchables, the unclean, with sinners. With these things in mind, we are better situated to appreciate the significance of the spit-healings. Before expanding upon them, I want to quickly look at what the Bible says about spitting, for this is relevant for understanding Jesus’ identification with us as a cursed One.

Spitting and its significance

In the Bible, spitting on someone was associated with ceremonial uncleanness:

 “If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening” (Lev.15:8); The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back” (Num.12:14).

Yet, there are times that when the spitter was considered righteous and the one spat on/spat out was shameful:

…his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line” (Deut.25:9); “God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit” (Job 17:6); “They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face” (Job 30:10);  “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Rev.3:16).

Most notoriously, our righteous Lord, as our sin-bearer, was considered shameful and was spat upon:

I offered my back to those who beat me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting. (Isa.50:6)

“who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise” (Mark 10:34; see Luke 18:32); Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him (Mark 14:65); Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him (Mark 15:19).

This information has led commentators to say that Jesus’ use of spit had no significance beyond a superficial form of symbolism.

But I want to lay out an alternative, one based upon Jesus’ identification with sinners. Here it is. Jesus gladly ‘broke’ all the ceremonial rules in pursuit of identifying with those who were rejected by society, or were on its fringes. He did those things in his role as the Son of Man, the Great High Priest, and the Suffering Servant. He was not flouting Moses’ Law but fulfilling it by executing the greater will/playbook of the Father in heaven. Touching the leper is a classic case.[4]  And the use of spit falls into the same category. Spitting on someone was a curse, but Jesus turned it into blessing; after the same manner, according to the Old Testament, no one was to touch a leper, yet Jesus touched the leper and made him whole. The ultimate sign of disgust, namely, spitting on someone, was turned around into a blessing! What does this imply Christologically? The irony is thick, and the will of God exquisite: the One who was spat on becomes the One who ‘spits’ on us! This is merely another form of what is said in 1 Peter 2:24. It says that we were healed, spiritually, by Jesus’ stripes or wounds. And just as Jesus was spat on, and cursed, it is through that curse and shame, that we are spiritually healed and made one with God. ‘My Savior and my Great High Priest!’

That sigh!

In Mark 7:34, it says that Jesus “sighed”. Why did he sigh? It was because, as the Suffering Servant, he bore the sickness of many. He was wrestling with the sin behind the sickness as the Son of Man. It weighed so heavily upon his soul that sickness has struck man down, so, with deep emotion he sighed, and then called upon his Father in prayer.

            Famously, we read that the shortest verse in the Bible is, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). The context gives no indicate that he was weeping with joy. On the contrary, many were weeping because Lazarus was dead (v31). So, some think Jesus wept because Lazarus had died. However, we are told what was behind Jesus’ weeping, “He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled” because Mary was weeping and those with her were weeping. One could understand that Jesus were deeply moved in his spirit because others were crying. But, what this does not say is that he was deeply moved because Lazarus had died. Also, the verse says Jesus was “troubled” by the crying of Mary and her group. The word “troubled” conveys terror, fear, upset, worry.[5] Why would Jesus be terrified, or afraid, or upset, or worried, about Mary and the group crying? There was another instance where Jesus was troubled. It happened at the Last Supper, for we are told that he was “troubled in his spirit” because Jesus knew who was going to betray him (John 13:21). It seems to me that Jesus was troubled because they were indeed crying. Why were they of so little faith? Jesus had explained to Martha that he was the Resurrection and the Life. He stated that her brother will rise again. Martha was satisfied with this knowledge. She then went and called her sister. Mary was distraught, flinging herself down at his feet, weeping. It was then Jesus became troubled.[6] He was troubled in spirit by their unbelief. He asked where Lazarus was lying, for he was moving in his mind to perform a miracle. They said to him, “ “Lord, come see” ” (John 11:34). It is then we read that Jesus wept. Was he weeping at the thought of seeing Lazarus? By no means! Was he crying because Lazarus was dead? No! He was crying at the fact that he had to go through this spectacle, that he had to ‘prove’ himself and his message by raising Lazarus. Where was their faith? Did they not understand anything? Mary kept complaining. So we read, in verse 38, that Jesus was again deeply moved; like in verse 33, the word embriaomai is more akin to grumbling within.[7] Jesus was grumbling within that the Mary and her group were lacking faith.

            The indicators are there within the chapter. In verse 4, Jesus states, “ “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ” So, Jesus had informed his disciples of the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness: Jesus was intimating that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why he stayed two days longer where he was before he joined Martha and Mary (11:6). Upon leaving to go to Lazarus, Jesus states that he was going to wake up his friend (11:11). Of course, his disciples entirely misunderstand him (11:12-13). To which, Jesus curtly replied that Lazarus was dead, and that he was glad…NOTE THAT…he was GLAD…for the sake of the disciples. For, they would soon enough see his resurrection power in action and come to believe in him. Thomas still doesn’t get it, and comments that the group should go to Lazarus and die with him (11:16). Martha is the first to encounter the Lord. She has sufficient faith to know that her brother will be raised on the Last Day. But she did not understand that the One standing before her was “the resurrection and the life” in himself. She knew he had power- enough to keep Lazarus from dying- but she did not understand that it was the Lord of life who was addressing her. Jesus asks her to believe in him. She does. But you know she is believing on a certain level and is still not penetrating to the depths (11:25-27). Then we have Jesus’ encounter with Mary. She panics. Jesus goes to the tomb of Lazarus. Standing before it he declares, “ “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ” (11:40). He then proceeds to pray loudly and publicly, thanking God that he always hears him.  It is then that Jesus called forth Lazarus in a loud voice. Why “loud”? So that everyone would hear and believe.

            So, Jesus crying was not for his “dead” friend, mourning his passing; the Jews’ observation that Jesus wept for his friend is a typical Jewish misreading of Jesus. Jesus wept at the destructive nature of sin: it had blinded his own disciples, even mankind, and had bitten into his dear friend Lazarus. And now he was going to wrestle with sin and death yet again, and raise Lazarus from the dead. The lack of faith and the deceptiveness and power of sin and death all weighed so heavily upon him.

1 When the poor leper's case I read,

My own described I feel;

Sin is a leprosy indeed,

Which none but Christ can heal.

2 What anguish did my soul endure,

Till hope and patience ceased?

The more I strove myself to cure,

The more the plague increased.

3 While thus I lay distressed, I saw

The Savior passing by;

To him, though filled with shame and awe,

I raised my mournful cry.

4 Lord, thou canst heal me if thou wilt,

Oh pity to me shew,

O cleanse my leprous soul from guilt;

My filthy heart renew.

5 He heard, and with a gracious look,

Pronounced the healing word;

"I will--be clean," and while he spoke,

I felt my health restored.

6 Come, sinners seize the present hour,

The Savior's grace to prove;

He can relieve, for he is power,

He will, for he is love.

(John Newton, 1725-1807)

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[1] See, John Harley, “The Debate on the Active and Passive Obedience of the Christ,” Ridderbos Times (April 8^th, 2018), http://ridderbostimes.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-debate-on-active-and-passive.html, accessed 4/16/18.

[2] Ibid.

[3] John Harley, “Jesus Heals the Leper: The Significance of Matthew 8:1-4,” Ridderbos Times (March 7^th, 2018), http://ridderbostimes.blogspot.com/2018/03/jesus-heals-leper-significance-of.html, accessed 4/16/2018

[4] Ibid.

[5] The Greek word for “trouble” is tarasso. Herod and Jerusalem were “troubled” when he heard the declaration of the magi from the east (Matt.2:1-3). As a result, Herod sought to kill baby Jesus (Matt.2:13-23). The disciples saw Jesus walk on water and were “terrified”. They cried out that they had seen a ghost (Matt.14:26; Mark 6:50). Zecharias saw an angel and was “terrified”, for he was afraid (Luke 1:12). Jesus’ disciples mourned his death and were troubled, and were full of doubts about Jesus and his message (Luke 24:38). Jesus exhorts his disciples not to be troubled in their hearts because of the opposition they face from the world (John 14:1, 27). The Gentile church in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia had been troubled by certain teachers who spoken unsettling words (Acts 15:24). Antagonistic Jews stirred up trouble for the church (Acts 17:8, 13). Some had been troubling the Galatians with a distorted Gospel (Gal.1:7). There was someone in the Galatian church who had been troubling it with falsehood (Gal.5:7-12). Peter exhorts Christ’s followers not to be troubled by those who persecuted them (1 Pet.3:14).

[6] This was not the first time Jesus ignored the open emotions of the crowd during a period of mourning.

[7] In Matthew 9:30, Jesus sternly warned (embriaomai) the blind men who had been healed. Likewise, Jesus sternly warned the leper who had been healed (Mark 1:43). In Mark 14:5, we read that the disciples were scolding Mary Magdalene for pouring perfume on Jesus.