Of Ear Wax and Spit

The story of the deaf man of stammering speech in Mark 7 is truly an interesting story of one of Jesus' healings. Jesus had a very elaborate "ritual" that he followed in this healing. He 1) took the man aside from the multitude; 2) He put his fingers in his ears; 3) He spat and touched the man's tongue with the saliva; 4) He looked up to heaven; 5) He sighed deeply; 6) And he spoke to the ears telling them to be opened; 7) He told them not to tell anyone. Is it just me or does this seem pretty odd to you? Let's just take two of the seven steps he followed. By the way, since we are big on finding patterns in the New Testament for the way things should be done (i.e. "approved examples"), how is this for a divine pattern for healing deaf people? But I digress.

When we were raising our kids we played the "wet willy" game. We would lick a finger and hold our children down and place the wet finger in one of their ears. I know, pretty gross. But, they loved it. Another similar game was to hold them down and blow on their stomach. I guess if you over think these things it is a little wired. But, can you even begin to imagine what Jesus did to this man, this deaf stranger? He stuck his fingers in his ears and wet his finger with his spit and touched his tongue. Sounds pretty offensive to me. Why would anyone stand still for such a ritual? Jesus has the man's ear wax on two of his fingers and the man has Jesus' spit in his mouth. If you are having some trouble with this picture right now, talk to Jesus. He did it. Touching some one's head and certainly any exchange of bodily fluids is a very intimate act. Remember Jesus did not have to do this in order to heal the man. This was not a prescribed procedure for healing deaf folks. It was a decision Jesus made. Remember there was another healing where Jesus made some mud from his spit and put it on a man's eyes. (John 9) I wonder if this flashed through Jesus' mind when the spit of scorn was streaming down his face on the way to the cross. Spit is not always a solution for healing.

I wonder if this method Jesus used is like his reference to the Gentile woman in the previous story when he called her a dog. Both seem offensive. Both required those seeking a miracle to stand and take it, and to not allow their sensitivities to be assaulted to the point of missing their healing. Think of it this way. Doctors often do some pretty disgusting things to help us maintain our health and to regain our health. They stick things in places that we don't want to think about. But, why? Of course for them it is the only way to heal us. This is their best practice. But, Jesus didn't have to stick his fingers in the man's ears and put his spit in the man's mouth. So why? Maybe, just maybe, because of the reason we are talking about it right now. There could be no mistake on how this man was healed. It was Jesus' fingers in his ears-no one else. It was Jesus' spit in his mouth-no one else. It was this intimate, invasive, uncomfortable, and humbling connection with Jesus that led to the man's healing. Am I willing to submit to such an intimate, invasive, uncomfortable and humbling touch from Jesus in order to be healed?