Jesus performed many miraculous healings and exorcisms during His earthly ministry. Some of these miracles involved Jesus using His saliva in the process. Why did Jesus spit as part of performing certain miracles? Let’s explore what the Bible tells us.
Jesus Spitting to Heal the Blind Man
One of the most well-known instances is when Jesus healed a blind man in Bethsaida. Mark 8:22-26 describes this event:
And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
Here we see that Jesus first spit on the blind man’s eyes and touched him, but his sight was only partially restored. So Jesus laid hands on him again, and then his sight was fully restored. Jesus did not heal this blind man instantly, but went through a process that involved using His saliva along with touch.
Jesus Spitting to Heal the Deaf Man
In Mark 7:31-37, there is another healing miracle where Jesus used His spit:
Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
In this case, a deaf man who also had trouble speaking was brought to Jesus. Jesus took him aside, put His fingers in the man’s ears, spit and touched his tongue, then commanded “Be opened!”. Instantly the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosed, and he was able to speak plainly. Jesus again used His saliva in combination with touch to facilitate the healing.
Jesus Spitting Out Demons
The Gospel accounts also record a couple instances where Jesus used spitting in the context of driving out demons from people:
And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
(Mark 9:17-29 ESV)
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
(Mark 5:1-15 NIV)
In these passages Jesus encounters individuals who were possessed by demons. In driving the demons out, Jesus would command them to leave, and there are mentions of convulsing, crying out, and foaming at the mouth. Quite possibly Jesus used His spit as part of the process of exorcising the demons from their human hosts.
Why Did Jesus Use Saliva to Heal or Exorcise?
The use of saliva in healing was not uncommon in ancient times. The act of spitting on or touching saliva to affected areas of the body was thought to have curative properties and ceremonial significance. However, Scripture does not explicitly explain why Jesus chose to use His saliva in the performance of certain miracles. We can suggest several possibilities:
- It displayed Christ’s power over illness/demons – That He could heal simply by touching or spitting on the person showed His supreme authority.
- It exhibited His compassion – Jesus was moved by compassion for the infirm and demon-possessed, and did whatever was needed to relieve their suffering.
- It represented personal contact – By touching His saliva to the person’s body, Jesus made the healing act extremely personal.
- It involved faith-building – Requiring touch or saliva contact tested and strengthened the faith of recipients expecting healing.
- It revealed spiritual truths – Jesus used the physical realm to demonstrate spiritual realities, like how His words and touch bring light, restoration, cleansing from sin.
Ultimately, Jesus likely had deeper divine reasons for using His saliva in this capacity that we cannot fully comprehend. We only know that He acted consistently with the Father’s will.
While Jesus does not require the use of saliva today for His healing work, these accounts showcase that He is willing to meet us at our point of need and perform miracles in very personalized, tangible ways. He cares about the details of our lives and suffering. When we come to Him in faith, He can overcome any infirmity or spiritual oppression through His death and resurrection power.
Other Biblical Accounts of Healing Through Saliva
In addition to Jesus using saliva to heal, there are a couple other instances in the Gospels where saliva was used in healing:
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
(Matthew 9:18-22 ESV)
Matthew’s account says the woman with chronic bleeding was healed simply by touching Jesus’ garment. But Mark provides additional detail:
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
(Mark 5:24-34 ESV)
Mark reports that Jesus felt power go out from Him when the woman touched His clothing. He asked who touched Him, and the woman fell down trembling and confessed to Him. Some scholars suggest that while her touch in faith initiated the healing, Jesus may have then formally healed her by placing His saliva on her body where she was afflicted.
There is another healing that involves saliva in the Gospel of John:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
(John 9:1-7 NIV)
Here Jesus heals a man blind from birth by making mud from spit and dirt, putting it on his eyes, and telling him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. When the man washed off the mud, he was able to see. As with the other saliva healings, Jesus used something very personal and tangible to perform the miracle.
Finding Deeper Significance
On the surface, it may seem strange that the Son of God would use something as crude as His spit to perform supernatural healings. However, upon deeper reflection, we can glean beautiful insights about Jesus’ ministry and God’s grace from these accounts.
Jesus did not avoid touching the blind, deaf, demon-possessed, and chronically ill out of fear of becoming ritually impure. Rather, He drew near to them in compassion. He did not delegate these “unsavory” tasks to His disciples. He got directly involved in the messy details of people’s suffering in order to relieve it. This reflects the very heart of God toward humanity.
Furthermore, Jesus used His saliva to transform afflictions into instruments of restoration and revelation. He took the mute man’s speech impediment and made it the means to proclaim the man’s healing. He took the blind man’s darkened eyes and made them a means to reveal God’s glory. He took the woman’s impurity and made it the means to develop her faith. He took the disabled man’s weakness and made it an opportunity to showcase Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Christ redeems our brokenness for His purposes.
Spit was seen as unclean and worthless. But Jesus employed what others disregarded and defiled to accomplish holy, priceless miracles. Similarly, God takes vessels the world rejects as useless and makes them into chosen instruments for His Kingdom work. As 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” The Lord can use any willing soul to contain and channel His life-giving power.
Just as Jesus did not avoid touching the “unclean,” He is willing to reach out and touch the sin-sick heart and make it whole. Christ did not accommodate or conform to cultural norms of cleanliness; rather, He transformed them by His words and actions. He offers us the same liberating truth today – “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” (Mark 7:15) It is the condition of our hearts, not outward appearances, that matters most to God.
Finally, Jesus still invites us to come to Him in faith for healing and restoration. Though He may work in different ways today, He remains the same compassionate and powerful Healer. When we draw near to Christ in humility and trust, He is able to cleanse us, open our eyes, soften our hearts, and make us whole.
