He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him. He took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village. When he had spat on his eyes, and laid his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything.
Human saliva applied directly to the eyes can restore vision to a blind person.
Medicine
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The cited passage
What current science says
Blindness can be caused by corneal damage, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, glaucoma, optic nerve damage, or cataracts — all requiring specific medical interventions. Human saliva contains bacteria like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus that can cause serious eye infections. Spitting in someone's eyes is more likely to give them conjunctivitis than cure blindness. Modern ophthalmology uses laser surgery, lens implants, and anti-VEGF injections — not bodily fluids. Please do not spit in anyone's eyes.
What the text says
This comes from Mark 8:22-23. The text describes spitting directly on a blind man's eyes as a healing technique — essentially presenting saliva as an ophthalmic treatment.
Three honest ways to read this passage
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As history
The text records how its authors understood the world with the knowledge they had. Read this way, a difference from modern science is a window into the ancient mind, not a failure.
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As accommodation
The text speaks to its first audience in their own terms, to make a point that isn't mainly about physics or biology. Read this way, the scientific detail is the vehicle, not the cargo.
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As contradiction
The text makes a claim about the physical world that modern findings dispute. Read this way, the difference is a genuine factual disagreement worth naming.
GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.