John 9: Why did Yeshua use Spit and Clay to Heal?

Summary

In this video, the speaker explores the biblical account of Jesus healing a man born blind with mud and spittle, suggesting it was not symbolic but understood by first-century Jews. The act challenges Pharisaic traditions and Sabbath laws, highlighting Jesus' conflict with them. The speaker argues that Jesus' use of saliva in healing signifies his divine identity as the firstborn son of God, supported by Jewish traditions and the Dead Sea Scrolls. This interpretation provides a deeper understanding of Jesus' actions within their historical and religious context.

Takeaways

• 😇 The video discusses a unique healing by Yeshua (Jesus) as described in John 9, where he uses mud and spittle on a man born blind.
• 🔍 The script challenges the common Christian interpretation of this act being purely metaphorical, suggesting a deeper, intentional meaning behind Yeshua's actions.
• 🕊 To understand Yeshua's actions, the video emphasizes the importance of context, particularly his conflict with the Pharisees over the elevation of oral traditions over the Torah and his identity as the Son of God.
• 📜 The Pharisees' strict adherence to traditions, including those about spitting on the Sabbath, is highlighted as a point of contention with Yeshua, who intentionally made clay to challenge these priorities.
• 👁 The pattern of Yeshua using saliva for healing is noted, suggesting a powerful statement about his identity, especially in the context of his dialogue with the Pharisees about his father.
• 👑 The video interprets Yeshua's use of saliva to heal as a claim to his legitimacy as the firstborn son of God, referencing a Talmudic tradition about the healing power of a firstborn's saliva.
• 📖 It draws a connection between Yeshua's actions and a poem from the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contemplates human nature as being made from dust, molded clay, and spat saliva.
• 🌱 The script suggests that Yeshua's healing act symbolizes the creation of life, mirroring God's act in the beginning of creation, and signifies his role as the great physician.
• 🙏 The video concludes that Yeshua's actions, though perplexing to modern audiences, would have been seen by the Jews of his time as proof of his divine sonship.
• 📚 The video encourages viewers to subscribe for more content and to visit simkaisera.org for further learning.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video script from Simkai Israel?

The main theme of the video script is the interpretation of Yeshua's (Jesus') healing of a man born blind in John chapter 9, and the deeper meaning behind his actions within the context of his conflict with the Pharisees and his identity as the Son of God.

How does the script suggest Yeshua's actions were not symbolic but had a specific purpose?

The script suggests that Yeshua's actions were purposeful and would have been fully understood by the Jews of his time, rather than being symbolic gestures only to be understood centuries later.

What conflict between Yeshua and the Pharisees is the script referring to?

The conflict referred to is Yeshua's disagreement with the Pharisees over their prioritization of oral traditions over the Torah and their questioning of his identity as the Son of God.

Why does the script mention the Pharisees' concern about spitting on the Sabbath?

The script mentions this to illustrate the Pharisees' focus on minor traditions over more significant matters, such as healing, and to show how Yeshua intentionally made clay by spitting to highlight their skewed priorities.

What pattern does the script identify in Yeshua's healing methods?

The script identifies a pattern where Yeshua uses his saliva to heal, which is seen as a powerful statement about his identity and a deeper meaning that would be understood in the context of the time.

How does the script interpret Yeshua's use of saliva in healing as a statement about his identity?

The script interprets Yeshua's use of saliva as a way to demonstrate that he is the firstborn Son of God, the great physician, and the source of all healing and goodness, by referencing a Talmudic tradition about the saliva of a firstborn son having the power to heal blindness.

What is the significance of the 'Rule of the Community' from the Dead Sea Scrolls in the script's interpretation?

The 'Rule of the Community' provides a verse that describes human nature as being made from dust, molded clay, and spat saliva, which helps to contextualize Yeshua's healing actions as a divine act of creation similar to God's in the beginning of creation.

How does the script connect Yeshua's healing actions to the creation narrative?

The script connects Yeshua's actions to the creation narrative by pointing out that he used the same three elements (dust, clay, and saliva) that are believed to constitute the human body, and that his healing act mirrors God's creative act of making a complete body from these elements.

What does the script suggest about the understanding of Yeshua's actions by the Jews who witnessed them?

The script suggests that to the Jews who witnessed Yeshua's actions in their original context, he was proving that he was the Son of God by performing a miraculous act of healing that was understood as a divine creation of life.

What is the script's final recommendation for viewers who want to learn more?

The script recommends that viewers who want to learn more should subscribe to the channel and visit simkaisera.org for additional information.

Outlines

00:00

😇 Healing the Blind: A Challenge to Pharisaic Traditions

This paragraph delves into the story of Yeshua healing a man born blind from John 9, highlighting the unique method Yeshua used—mixing dirt with his saliva. The narrative challenges common Christian interpretations and posits that Yeshua's actions were not symbolic but had a deeper meaning understood by first-century Jews. The Pharisees' strict adherence to oral traditions over the Torah is scrutinized, showing Yeshua's conflict with them. The Pharisees' concern with trivial matters, such as spitting on the Sabbath, is contrasted with Yeshua's focus on healing. The paragraph suggests that Yeshua's method of healing was a deliberate act to expose the Pharisees' misplaced priorities and to demonstrate his divine authority.

05:02

🌟 Yeshua's Identity and the Miracle of Creation

The second paragraph expands on Yeshua's healing act, providing context to his conflict with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath and his identity as the Son of God. It discusses how Yeshua's use of saliva in healing aligns with a pattern seen in other instances, suggesting a deeper meaning about his identity. Drawing from Jewish traditions and the Talmud, the paragraph explains how the saliva of a firstborn son was believed to have healing powers, thereby implying Yeshua's legitimacy as the firstborn son of God. The Dead Sea Scrolls are referenced to connect the human body's composition with the elements Yeshua used in the healing—dust, clay, and saliva—signifying his role in the divine act of creation. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing how Yeshua's actions, while puzzling to modern audiences, were a clear declaration of his divine sonship to the Jews of his time.

Keywords

💡Yeshua

Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus, central to the video's discussion. The video explores how Yeshua's actions, such as healing a man born blind, were not merely symbolic but carried specific cultural and theological significance for the Jewish audience of the time. Yeshua's use of saliva and clay to heal the blind man is presented as a deliberate challenge to the Pharisees and an affirmation of his identity as the Son of God.

💡Pharisees

The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group in the first century known for their strict adherence to the oral traditions and the Torah. The video emphasizes the conflict between Yeshua and the Pharisees, particularly regarding their prioritization of traditions over the law of God. Yeshua's healing of the blind man with clay and saliva is interpreted as a direct critique of the Pharisees' legalistic approach.

💡Saliva

Saliva is a key element in the healing miracle performed by Yeshua. In the video, saliva is not only seen as a physical medium for healing but also as a symbol of legitimacy in Jewish tradition, particularly in the context of the Talmudic story where the saliva of a firstborn son could heal blindness. Yeshua’s use of saliva thus reinforces his identity as the true Son of God.

💡Clay

Clay, made from dust and saliva, is used by Yeshua to heal the blind man’s eyes. In the video, clay symbolizes the creation of life, referencing the biblical account of God forming man from the dust of the earth. Yeshua’s act of creating clay on the Sabbath is also a deliberate challenge to the Pharisaic laws that prohibit such actions on the holy day, thereby emphasizing his authority over religious traditions.

💡Sabbath

The Sabbath is the Jewish day of rest, during which certain activities, like making clay, are prohibited according to Pharisaic tradition. The video highlights how Yeshua’s decision to heal on the Sabbath by making clay from saliva and dust was a provocative act meant to demonstrate that mercy and healing are more important than rigid adherence to tradition, thereby asserting his lordship over the Sabbath.

💡Healing

Healing is a central theme in the video, focusing on Yeshua’s miraculous healing of a man born blind. The video explores various interpretations of this healing, arguing that it is not merely symbolic but also serves as a statement about Yeshua’s divine authority, his identity as the Son of God, and his challenge to the Pharisaic traditions.

💡Oral Traditions

Oral traditions refer to the body of Jewish laws and interpretations that were passed down orally and later codified. The video discusses Yeshua's critique of the Pharisees for elevating these traditions above the Torah, using his healing actions as a means to confront their legalistic practices. His actions were intended to show the superiority of divine mercy over human-imposed rules.

💡Firstborn Son

The concept of the firstborn son is significant in Jewish tradition, often associated with inheritance rights and legitimacy. The video links this concept to Yeshua, who, by using his saliva to heal, is making a statement about his status as the firstborn Son of God. This act would resonate with the Jewish audience familiar with the tradition that the saliva of a firstborn has the power to heal.

💡Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, containing interpretations of the Torah and other teachings. The video references a Talmudic story from the tractate Bava Batra to illustrate the belief that the saliva of a firstborn son could heal blindness. This context is used to deepen the understanding of Yeshua’s healing of the blind man as a declaration of his divine sonship.

💡Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves, providing insight into the diversity of Jewish thought during the time of Yeshua. The video refers to a particular passage from these scrolls that describes the human body as being formed from dust, clay, and saliva. This imagery is used to explain the significance of Yeshua’s use of these elements in healing the blind man, tying it to the act of creation and his divine authority.

Highlights

Yeshua's healing of a man born blind in John 9 is explored for its deeper meaning.

Traditional Christian interpretations are contrasted with a first-century Jewish perspective.

Yeshua's actions are analyzed not as symbolic but with a specific intent understood by Jews of his time.

The Pharisees' prioritization of oral traditions over the Torah is highlighted as a point of conflict with Yeshua.

Yeshua's use of clay and spittle to heal is seen as a deliberate challenge to Pharisaic traditions.

The act of making clay on the Sabbath is discussed as a statement against Pharisaic priorities.

A pattern of Yeshua using saliva for healing is identified, suggesting a deeper meaning.

Yeshua's identity as the Son of God is discussed in the context of his healing methods.

Ancient Jewish tradition regarding the saliva of a firstborn son's healing power is presented.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the 'Rule of the Community' provide context for understanding Yeshua's actions.

The human body's composition of dust, clay, and saliva is tied to Yeshua's healing method.

Yeshua's healing is seen as a reenactment of God's creative act, making an incomplete body whole.

The video argues that Yeshua's actions were not strange but proof of his divine identity to his contemporaries.

The presentation concludes by emphasizing the importance of context in understanding Yeshua's miracles.

A call to subscribe and visit simkaisera.org for more information is made.

Transcripts

[Music]

shalom and welcome to simkai israel this

week's pesara is from john chapter 9

and is about yeshua healing a man born

blind throughout yeshua's ministry we

see him heal with a word

or with a touch or even heal from a

distance but this time when yeshua sees

a man in need of healing

he reaches down takes a bit of dirt from

the ground spits into it and rubs it on

the man's eyes

there are a number of christian

interpretations of this passage most of

them understanding yeshua's actions to

be a metaphorical representation of the

salvation experience

but i don't believe that yeshua was

acting in a symbolic way that he only

expected to be understood centuries

later

yeshua had a very specific reason for

doing what he did and he knew that his

actions would be fully understood by the

jews who witnessed them

i think if we put ourselves in the

mindset of a first century jew living in

palestine

knowledgeable both in the hebrew

scriptures and in their oral traditions

i think we can understand why yeshua

healed this man using mud and spittle

before we begin please take a moment to

like this video and subscribe to the

channel down below

context is always the key to

understanding yeshua's actions

you have to understand what's going on

in the wider story to understand what's

happening in this story

and the key to understanding this story

is the context of yeshua's conflict with

the pharisees

namely his conflict about their

elevation of the oral traditions over

the torah

and his conflict over his identity as

the son of god let's start with the

traditions

remember yeshua does not have a problem

with the torah he doesn't even have a

problem with the traditions

yeshua's problem is with the pharisees

who travel upon the law of god for the

sake of the traditions of men yeshua

accuses the pharisees of placing a heavy

burden on the people's shoulders and for

good reason the traditions are so

comprehensive that they even regulate

where you can spit

in mission of torah attracted shabbat

chapter 21 the sages ruled that if you

are walking about on shabbat

and you have to spit you need to wait

until you come upon a rock or a tree to

do your business

because if you spit on the ground your

saliva would mix with the dust and form

clay

and everybody knows that making clay on

shabbat is strictly forbidden yeshua

would have known this and i think that

he intentionally made clay

to highlight how skewed the pharisees

priorities were because he knew that

they would be more concerned about him

spitting on the ground

than on the fact that he had healed a

man blind from birth yeshua could have

healed this man in any number of ways

but he intentionally chose a way that

would demonstrate that it was the

pharisees were truly blind but yeshua is

doing more than simply thumbing his nose

of the pharisees

recall that this is not the only

occasion that yeshua used his saliva to

heal

in mark chapter 8 you show spits on a

blind man's eyes and restores his sight

and in seven he heals a deaf and mute

man by spitting there's a pattern here

and where there's a pattern there is a

deeper meaning by using saliva to heal

yeshua is making a powerful statement

about his identity

remember context is key just a few

verses earlier in the book of john

yeshua is speaking with the pharisees

and he tells them i witness for myself

and the father who set me bears witness

for me then they said to him

where is your father the pharisees knew

all about yeshua they knew that mary is

his mother

but they also know that joseph is not

his biological father

in their eyes yeshua was born of sin and

scandal he doesn't even have a father

how can he be who he says he is

illegitimacy was a big deal in biblical

times

occasionally one son will contest the

claims of another as to who was the

genuine heir

this is why abraham sent ishmael into

the wilderness after isaac was born to

clear up any questions of inheritance

but jewish tradition in the second

temple period taught that god had a test

that would supernaturally reveal who was

a legitimate firstborn son

bhava batra the section of talmud that

deals with property laws

records a case in which two men come

before rabbi hanina to settle

dispute over which of them was the

firstborn son of their father the rabbi

says i know just what to do

he brings him to a blind man and he

tells the first son

spit in this man's eyes he does and

nothing happens

then he tells the other son to do the

same he spits in the blind man's eyes

and something miraculous happens

the man's vision is restored the two men

are astonished and anita declares that

the second man is the true heir

because tradition states that the saliva

of a firstborn son of a father

has the power to heal blindness how

amazing is it that just

moments after being mockingly asked who

his father is yeshua heals a blind man

with his saliva

it's as if he's saying you have

questioned who my father is

well now you know my father is a source

of all healing

and i am his firstborn son and the

rightful inheritor of his kingdom

and there's one final piece of the

puzzle that explains why yeshua used

saliva and clay to heal this man's eyes

the dead sea scrolls are ancient jewish

religious manuscripts

dating back to the time of yeshua that

were discovered in the qumran caves in

the west bank

along with some of the oldest known

surviving manuscripts of the books of

the bible

the dead sea scrolls also contain extra

biblical works that preserve evidence of

the diversity of religious thought in

yeshua's time

one of these extra biblical works is

called the rule of the community

what's important for us is a verse from

a poem contained in this book

that contemplates human nature it states

what shall one born of a woman be

considered in your presence

shaped from dust has he been what shall

humankind be considered in your presence

shaped from dust he has been he is spat

saliva

molded clay and for dust is his longing

in yeshua's time the human body was

considered to be made up from the dust

of the earth

molded clay and spat saliva and that's

not so far from the truth

have you ever taken one of those

ancestry tests where they have you spit

into a container

chemically the human body really is made

of elements that are found in the earth

and our entire genetic code everything

that physically makes us who we are

is contained in our saliva yeshua's

actions take on an entirely new

significance

in light of these facts this mysterious

healing can only be understood

within the context of yeshua's conflict

with the pharisees the pharisees accuse

yeshua of being a law breaker

they accuse him of violating the sabbath

they accuse him of lying about his

heritage

and his identity so how does yeshua

respond he spits into the dust of the

ground

and forms a piece of clay to show that

he is the lord of the sabbath

and that the mercy of god is greater

than the traditions of men he places his

saliva into the eyes of a blind man

healing his vision to prove that he is

the firstborn son of his father in

heaven

that he is the great physician and the

source of all healing and goodness

and he takes the dust of the earth

molded clay and spat spittle

the three elements from which the human

body are formed and he uses them to make

an incomplete body whole

yeshua performs the same miraculous act

of creating life

that god the father did in the beginning

of creation to our 21st century eyes

yeshua's actions are strange and

perplexing

but to the jews who witnessed it in its

original context yeshua had done nothing

less than prove

that he was the son of god shalom and

thanks for watching

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