Mark 8:23-25 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 

Why did Jesus spit on him? I mean, it’s kind of strange. And why did it only seem to partially work? I think Jesus was communicating something … something that we need to pay attention to. Some people today want to separate what is miraculous from what is science, but God is Creator of all. God heals miraculously and mysteriously and He heals through the hands of doctors and surgeons. So, let’s not try to limit God because we have our own opinion of how God works.

Isaiah 55:8–9 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 

Now, to us it sounds really odd that Jesus would spit in this man’s eyes … (Can you imagine going to the doctor and having him suggest that he spit on you?) … but in those days, it was thought that there was healing power in saliva, and you know what? It has been found recently that they may have been right. Recent medical reports state that saliva contains something called Histatin, which aids in the healing process. Perhaps this is why animals instinctively lick their wounds. But back to our text, why would Jesus do this, I mean He healed people miraculously … not medicinally, right? Back to my previous point … let’s not limit God because we have opinions about how He does things.

Of course, it’s rather obvious that a little spit isn’t going to cure blindness … so there must be something more going on here. Well, let’s map the events of Mark 8:23-25 out so we can better understand what’s happening.

• First the blind man went to Jesus to beg for healing.
• Next, Jesus led the man out of town.
• Then Jesus spit on his eyes and placed His hands on him.
• Then Jesus asked him what he saw and the man said he saw people, but not clearly.
• When the man said he could not see clearly, Jesus placed His hands on him again and made him look up.
• That’s when the man could finally see clearly.

So, when the man looked out to other people, his sight was incomplete … it was only when the man was looking up to Jesus that the man could see clearly. This is the message to us today. We live in an age where people had problems that did not exist in the time of Jesus. Online pornography is a good example. Sexual promiscuity back then took a lot more work than it does not, when all you have to do is open up the laptop. But the solution is the same now as it was then … God. Don’t fix your eyes on people, but on God because He is the answer.