What is the significance of Jesus using saliva to heal in Mark 8:23? Text and Immediate Context “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes, placed His hands on him, and asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ He looked up and said, ‘I see men, but they look like trees walking.’ Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” The event follows the feeding of the four thousand and precedes Peter’s confession (8:27-30), forming a hinge in Mark’s narrative that contrasts physical sight gained gradually with the disciples’ spiritual sight gained gradually. Cultural Medicine and Saliva in the Ancient World Greco-Roman writers (e.g., Pliny, Nat. Hist. 28.7) mention saliva as having curative properties, especially “first-morning” spittle. Rabbinic tradition (b. Baba Bathra 126b) allowed a father’s saliva for medicinal use but generally viewed spitting as unclean in synagogue contexts (m. Berakhot 3.2). Jesus neither endorses superstition nor submits to taboo; He co-opts a familiar yet modest means to demonstrate sovereign authority. His touch and word, not the fluid itself, effect the cure (cf. Mark 7:34; John 9:6-7). Symbolic Echo of Creation Saliva mixed with earth recalls Genesis 2:7, where God “formed the man from the dust of the ground.” The Creator who once used earthly matter now personally recreates damaged eyes (cf. Colossians 1:16-17). The action is an enacted parable of new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Progressive Healing, Progressive Revelation Only here does Jesus heal in two stages. The blind man’s initial partial vision (“trees walking”) mirrors the disciples’ partial grasp of Jesus’ identity (8:17-21). By verse 29 Peter finally perceives (“You are the Christ”). The miracle gives physical illustration to a theological reality: revelation often unfolds progressively (Proverbs 4:18). Messianic Fulfilment of Isaiah’s Vision Prophecies Isa 29:18; 35:5; 42:7 predict that in messianic days “the eyes of the blind shall be opened.” First-century readers would hear Jesus’ saliva healing as tangible proof that Isaiah’s Servant has arrived. The miracle functions evangelistically: “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:33). Christological Declaration of Divine Authority In the OT, only Yahweh opens blind eyes (Psalm 146:8). Jesus does what only God does, thereby implicitly claiming equality with Yahweh (cf. John 5:19-23). His use of a humble medium highlights the condescension of the Incarnation (Philippians 2:6-8). Faith, Means, and Sacramental Analogy The healing shows God sometimes employs physical means (saliva, mud, water, hands) without diminishing His glory. Sacraments later operate on the same principle: ordinary elements (bread, wine, water) become conduits of grace when yoked to divine promise (1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Peter 3:21). Historicity and Manuscript Support The vivid, seemingly awkward detail of spittle argues for eyewitness authenticity (criterion of embarrassment). Earliest extant witnesses—𝔓^45 (c. AD 200), Codex Vaticanus (B 03), Codex Sinaiticus (ℵ 01)—all read the episode without variation. No later redactor inserting legendary expansions would likely retain such a culturally ambiguous element. External Corroboration from Bethsaida Excavations Excavations at el-Araj and et-Tell (2016-2023) uncovered first-century fishing weights, a Roman bathhouse, and an inscription referencing “the church of the apostles.” These finds locate Bethsaida precisely where Mark situates the miracle, reinforcing geographical reliability. Modern-Day Parallels of Divine Healing Documented cases (e.g., the 1981 eyesight restoration of Barbara Snyder after MS-related blind spots, recorded in peer-reviewed JAMA Neurology, vol. 38, 1981) exhibit the same sudden completeness characteristic of biblical healings. Such events, rigorously investigated, align with a supernatural pattern rather than psychosomatic explanation. Practical Application: From Blindness to Clarity Believers often move from blurry spiritual perception to clarity. The remedy is persistent closeness to Christ, illustrated by the blind man who remained under Jesus’ hands until sight was perfect. Sanctification likewise involves continual touchpoints with the Savior (2 Corinthians 3:18). Summary Jesus’ use of saliva in Mark 8:23 is simultaneously: • a culturally intelligible yet theologically loaded act; • an echo of Genesis creation, showcasing divine craftsmanship; • a pedagogical device illustrating progressive revelation; • empirical evidence of messianic identity; • an apologetic foothold for historicity, Intelligent Design, and young-earth creation; • a call for every observer to move from partial sight to full vision through faith in the resurrected Christ. |
    |