Gross Healings

Jesus came to earth and healed men.  That was really cool… no doubt about that.  I do wonder at the WAY he healed some, though… don’t you?  I mean, seriously, did ya have to put spit on the guy’s tongue, Jesus?  I wonder if the mute dude’s first act was to gag after he had his voice back?  I mean, it was GOD spit… maybe it tasted divine… but the idea…. someone else’s spit in my mouth… ICK!  Jesus dug healing with his spit.  He made the mud with his spit to heal the blind guy in John 9, he stuck his fingers in the deaf/mute guy’s ears and then put spit on his tongue to give him hearing and speech in Mark 7, He healed the other blind guy in Mark 8 by spitting directly on his eyes. I’m sure there are more stories like that… I’m no Bible scholar (just a Bible reader)… but those examples are enough to make my point.  Jesus was God and all that it implies. We know he didn’t even have to be near people to heal them…he healed one centurion dude’s servant who was miles away.  We also see Jesus heal a blind man in Matthew by touching his eyes… no spit involved.  So, it wasn’t like Jesus couldn’t heal a person by any method he chose.  This leads me to wonder at the spit method.  He CHOSE to heal that way… it wasn’t like following a recipe or anything.  This is where I have to point out that we have a funny God.  I think God has the best sense of humor around… he did make us to enjoy humor.  He made some of us especially funny… and some of us especially appreciative of those who are funny.  If God made me, and I love funny like I love funny, then I have to assume that being made in God’s image means that HE loves funny, too. I believe these particular healings speak directly to God’s sense of humor. I mean, Jesus put spit in the guy’s mouth to heal him!!!!  That is hilarious!  Can you imagine how gross that looked?  Can you imagine what the deaf/mute dude was thinking when Jesus stuck his fingers in his ears and then made that face you make when trying to get a good load of spit in your mouth?  It was probably good the dude was still deaf as Jesus was making that sound you make as you are creating spit. I wonder if Jesus had a good grip on his shoulders so he couldn’t pull away.  I wonder if the guy was trying to pull back and run away from the freaky prophet who was in his personal space and about to stick spit on his tongue.  This was after Jesus had already put his fingers in the dude’s ears… so he was putting waxy spit on the guy’s tongue!  I wonder if Jesus just had a bit of spittle or if it was more like when my brothers used to “hock a loogie.” Jesus put spit in that guys mouth to heal him AND to make me laugh.  Generations of kids have giggled when that particular story hit the Sunday school rotation.  I giggle every time I hear it and picture the scene.  Thanks, Jesus… I needed a good laugh today!  I may not always understand the depths of scripture but I do know good comedy when I read it…… It’s a process.