Saliva ejected from one’s mouth. Spitting upon a person or in his face was an act of extreme contempt, enmity, or indignation, bringing humiliation upon the victim. (Nu 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.​—De 25:7-10.

Jesus Christ was spit upon during his appearance before the Sanhedrin (Mt 26:59-68; Mr 14:65) and by the Roman soldiers after his trial by Pilate. (Mt 27:27-30; Mr 15:19) Jesus had predicted that he would experience such contemptuous treatment (Mr 10:32-34; Lu 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. (Mr 7:31-37; 8:22-26; Joh 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.