A Stick, A Sling, and Saliva

1. A stick (Moses' rod in the presence of pharaoh)

2. A sling (In David's hand and a stone that took out the mighty giant, Goliath)

3. Saliva (Spit from Jesus' mouth mixed with mud that healed the blind man)

I am reading Max Lucado's book, "The Applause of Heaven" on my Kindle and I really enjoy his writing style and insights. Here is an excerpt from the book on Jesus' encounter with the blind man in John 9:

Or what about the blind man Jesus and the disciples discovered? The followers thought he was a great theological case study. "Why do you think he's blind?" one asked. "He must have sinned." "No, its his folks' fault." "Jesus, what do you think? Why is he blind?" "He's blind to show what God can do." The apostles knew what was coming; they had seen this look in Jesus' eyes before. They knew what he was going to do, but they didn't know how he was going to do it. "Lightning? Thunder? A shout? A clap of the hands?" They all watched. Jesus began to work his mouth a little. The onlookers stared. "What is he doing?" He moved his jaw as if he were chewing on something. Some of the people began to get restless. Jesus just chewed. His jaw rotated around until he had what he wanted. Spit. Ordinary saliva. If no one said it, somebody had to be thinking it: "Yuk!" Jesus spat on the ground, stuck his finger into the puddle, and stirred. Soon it was a mud pie, and he smeared some of the mud across the blind man's eyes. The same One who'd turned a stick into a scepter and a pebble into a missile now turned saliva and mud into a balm for the blind. Once again, the mundane became majestic. Once again the dull became divine, the humdrum holy. Once again God's power was seen not through the ability of the instrument, but through its availability. "Blessed are the meek," Jesus explained. Blessed are the available. Blessed are the conduits, the tunnels, the tools. Deliriously joyful are the ones who believe that if God has used sticks, rocks, and spit to do his will, then he can use us. We would do well to learn a lesson from the rod, the rock, and the saliva. They didn't complain. They didn't question God's wisdom. They didn't suggest an alternative plan. Perhaps the reason the Father has used so many inanimate objects for his mission is that they don't tell him how to do his job!

Max Lucado. The Applause of Heaven (The Bestseller Collection) (pp. 73-74). Kindle Edition.