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I've been working through Leviticus, which I very much like, even though it's a difficult book to process.
I know that holiness matters deeply to God, and yet when I begin to wander through passages about the lepers, and homes with leprosy; it's hard not to cry.
I love the passage in Luke where the Leper comes to Jesus and asks Jesus if He is willing to heal him. The depth of pain that must have been in that man's life, to wonder if Jesus thought it was even important enough to restore this man to community.
Not sure what I'm talking about?
Leviticus tells us that if a person has leprosy that they are not to live in the community any more. Can you imagine the loneliness?
They are called unclean. That is their label from now on. And, they would have to go around covering their mouth and yelling "unclean....unclean..." so that no one would touch them, and be made unclean in that process. If they did touch someone, that person would have to go through a costly, and time consuming process to be made clean again...
Can you imagine? Unfortunately, some can. Some have been labeled by their sin, or station, or skin color. They too go around as an untouchable, and scream, "unclean." How many times have folks walked into church buildings to be made very aware that they were considered, "unclean" by the very people who were supposed to love them.
How many times have we driven in a section of town and talked about folks who were "homeless," "addicts," "those people," " (fill in your own blank_____________?"
How many times have we identified someone, or even ourselves by our sin? Even though, because of the cross, we are no longer identified by the shame of our sin, but rather, the name of our Savior--Jesus Christ?
In the midst of this pain, this man--in later stages of leprosy; meaning he actually looked like the monster that he felt like inside--came and knelt before Jesus and wondered if He was important enough to have Jesus heal him.
I love what Luke says here. Jesus reached out His hand, and touched him. Before Jesus healed him physically, He touched him and brought a healing that I cannot begin to imagine. Leviticus says that a spring, or a cistern of water that has a dead animal fall into it will not become unclean. If it were a put of water, it would be unclean, but not a source of water. I have often wondered how Jesus, being clean, could touch that which was so unclean, and not be stained. This passage in Leviticus made that clear for me. Jesus is living water, those who come to Him will have a spring well up within them, to Eternal Life. Praise God!
He touched this man, and then He healed him.
Leviticus tells of a beautiful process where the man would then have gone to the priests to go through to be made clean, and to be welcomed back into the community--it makes me cry to think about what this would be like for this man...and then I remember the grace that God has given me through Jesus, and I begin to understand more deeply the love of God. Praise God
There is one thing that bothers me in this though...
Right next to this passage, which God gives a bunch of space in the Bible too mind you; there is a similar passage about a building that is leprous with mold and mildew.
What is this about? In light of what God has all ready done, I think that it is significant.
Come back for more...soon
