The vulgar action of spitting crudely attacks another. It curses them defining them as repulsive. Many acts, especially subtle ones aim to dehumanize. They center to destroy the dignity and value so the person will cower and ultimately crumble.
Yet, Jewish Traditions teaches otherwise. Creation climaxed when, tradition foretells, God spit upon the clay and formed man: male and female. He formed them into created images of Himself.
Jesus comes creating new life into fallen humanity. He comes spitting upon the clay, the dirt from which our bodies are made, recreating them into his image.
Jesus, recalling this imagery, spits. He spits upon the clay and makes paste to cure the blind man. Blind from sin, the man sees. Again, Jesus spits on his fingers and takes the spittle and touches the man’s ear. He spits again and touches his tongue and cries out: Ephphatha! Be Opened!
At these graphic scenes, we shudder. It disgusts our sensitivities. To be touched by the spittle of another in our ears and mouth nauseates us. Revolted, yes, but in context, we see Jesus healing our broken, wounded, disgusting humanity doing acts that seem crude, but in reality recreate.
The human body with all its functions and movements reveal grace and artistry. But fallen we become vulgar and vile. Instead of defiling the human body because it has both grace and beauty but also foul and repulsive acts, Jesus uses what seems foul to restore our beauty. His spit makes us whole.
Blind, many see Jesus as a vulgar man who desecrates the sacred. But when our eyes are open through faith, we see Jesus not as a blasphemer, but as the Messiah fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah:
The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy (Is 35:5-6).
This prophecy foreshadows the Messiah, for only the anointed one of God can cure the blind, give hearing to the deaf, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers. Isaiah describes this as the visitation of our God:
Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. (Is 35:4)
Unless we have eyes that see with faith, unless we have ears that hear with understanding, we too will condemn Jesus. We too will spit upon Him defaming — vilifying — Him as a false prophet. Yet, if we read the prophecies foreshadowing a new creation, we see a different picture.
Jesus ushers in a new order, a recreation. The Old Order: fallen and corrupt order of Adam, crumbles and the new Way, the Way of Jesus, comes and restores what was lost.
He comes as the new Spirit, the New Pentecost breathing new life over the fallen waters of creation. He breaths and his breath hovers over us bringing order to the chaos to our troubled lives.