Leviticus 14

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Leviticus 14:2-4, These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. 

This chapter details the cleansing rituals for skin conditions once an individual was well enough to be included back in the camp.  The priest would examine the person and determine if they were truly healed and would then arrange for a ceremony to mark their reentrance into the covenant community. The interesting thing for me is that the priest had nothing to do with the healing, they were simply the examiner.  If someone was to be healed, that was up to God.

This is in direct contrast with Jesus, our great high priest. He didn't just look to see if someone was sick, he actually healed them. Think of the New Testament miracle stories in which Jesus healed a leper and then instructed them to go to the temple to be examined by the priest. But while Jesus may have complied with the Jewish cleanliness laws before his crucifixion, after his death and resurrection, it was obvious that things had changed.  There was no doubt.  Jesus was God. The temple was no longer the dwelling place of God; rather, the presence of God was in the person of Jesus.  The laws given to preserve the Israelite nation had served their purpose and a new thing was occurring.  God's Kingdom had dawned and that changed everything!  All were included in God's Kingdom - the sick, the infirm, and the outcast.  Because of Jesus, no one is left outside the camp.

 Let's pray...Holy God, we thank you for making sure that all are included in your Kingdom.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.