SPIT

Spitting one’s saliva upon a person or in his face was an act of extreme contempt, enmity or indignation, bringing humiliation upon the victim. (Num. 12:14) Job, in his adversity, was the object of such a display of detestation. (Job 17:6; 30:10) As a public humiliation of a man in Israel who refused to perform brother-in-law marriage under the Mosaic law, the rejected widow was to draw the man’s sandal off his foot and spit in his face in the presence of the older men of his city.—Deut. 25:7-10.

Jesus Christ was spat upon during his appearance before the Sanhedrin (Matt. 26:59-68; Mark 14:65) and by the Roman soldiers after his trial by Pilate. (Matt. 27:27-30; Mark 15:19) Jesus had predicted that he would experience such contemptuous treatment (Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31, 32), and it fulfilled the prophetic words: “My face I did not conceal from humiliating things and spit.”—Isa. 50:6.

In contrast, on three occasions of Bible record, Jesus Christ used his saliva when miraculously healing persons. (Mark 7:31-37; 8:22-26; John 9:1-7) Since the results Jesus effected were miraculous and Jesus’ miracles were performed under the power of God’s spirit, Christ’s use of his own saliva in these cases was not the mere effective application of a natural healing agent.