Leviticus 14

Leviticus 14 outlines the method by which lepers and their homes could be cleansed. As you read, you may notice that it’s quite a lengthy effort for one to be considered clean, and that there is no guarantee that this infectious disease won’t return. But notice what happens when the Master Physician, Jesus Christ, is inserted into the equation:

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them” (Matthew 8:1-4). 

With a touch, Jesus healed the leper, and instantly he was clean. But lest someone think Jesus was trying to circumvent the Law, Jesus ordered the man to follow through with the proper offerings to the priest (as outlined in today’s reading), and in doing so, the once-infected outcast showed himself to be cured of this horrific condition (but not by his own doing). 

Building off of the outline we borrowed from Warren Wiersbe pertaining to this chapter, as well as its predecessor and successor, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, all of mankind has been born with the most horrible sickness imaginable—a sinful heart and nature prone to disobey God. Moreover, there is certainty that our best efforts to be cleansed from our sin will not cure us of this illness. Therefore, we, like the lepers, can only shout “unclean” when we stand before a holy, pure, righteous, undefiled God. We need a rescue, we need a healing, we need a Savior. But there is hope, and salvation is available. And His name is Jesus Christ. When we choose to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately cleansed of our sin by His blood, as God forgives our transgressions as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Even more, we don’t have to worry about whether our disease will return, as those who are in Christ are dead to sin! 

In saying that, we must also acknowledge the reality for those who refuse Jesus’s atoning work on their behalf, as in their own strength, they can never rid themselves of this disease and will never be deemed clean before God. To be sure, no amount of checked boxes, no accumulation of religious motions, and no record of good works could reconcile us to God; only the blood of the Lamb could atone for our sins. To reiterate, you must know that there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation and restore your fellowship with God that this sin disease has severed. Indeed, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We read countless times in the New Testament how those in desperate need of healing came to Jesus to be made well. Have you gotten to a point in your life where you’ve cried out to Him to heal you of this horrible affliction and be made new? If not, what’s stopping you from receiving the greatest gift you could ever receive?  

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Journal responses to the following prompts:

·       Was there a time when you relied on anything or anyone else but Jesus to heal you of your sin disease? 

·       Why do we often feel like we have to cleanse ourselves instead of trusting in Jesus’s atoning, purifying work on our behalf?