Our Sin and Jesus's Cleansing

My Bible reading plan has me in the middle of Leviticus at the moment. Leviticus is the stereotypical "difficult" book of the Bible—it's where God describes all the laws that the Israelites are to follow, and the process for atoning for sin. 

Leviticus also deals with the laws of cleanliness. Cleanliness is important to God, and many of the laws show that. Touching dead bodies makes you unclean, disease makes you unclean, and certain animals are unclean, and if you're unclean then whoever you touch becomes unclean too. 

It does seem difficult to study these laws, but they actually show us a whole lot about the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ—and about his power. 

 

"If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days ... all the days of the discharge, she shall continue in uncleanness." (Leviticus 15:25) 

This verse isn't one that you find on greeting cards. Framed against the sunset, perhaps with the silhouette of a couple with raised hands on the beach—it just doesn't seem to fit. 

A persistent discharge of blood was a medical condition that could last for years. And all throughout that time, anyone the afflicted woman touched would be unclean, and would have to deal with the inconvenience of changing their clothes and washing them and keeping away from people until evening. 

All this, for years and years. Perhaps for the majority of the woman's adult life. 

It would get old pretty quick. 

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record a story of a woman with this condition. She had dealt with it for 12 years, constantly seeking a cure from various physicians, and had eventually spent all that she had in the hopes that she would be healed. But nothing had helped, and now she was destitute and perpetually unclean. 

Then, she heard of a man who did great things. Who had healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead to life. 

"She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, 'If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.'" (Mark 27-28)

This would have been a bold act for someone in her situation. Touching a great teacher? When you're unclean? 

If Jesus was an ordinary man, her uncleanness would merely have been transferred to him, with no change on her part. But this woman had faith that Jesus was more than just an ordinary man. 

So the woman touches him, and she experiences an instantaneous healing. But Jesus feels her, and he asks who touched him. 

She tells him the whole truth, and he says, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and he healed of your disease." No mention of cleanliness whatsoever. It's like it doesn't matter to him. 

And immediately afterwards, Jesus goes and takes the hand of a little girl who lies dead, and she is restored to life. Even though touching a dead body makes you unclean too. 

In both of these examples, Jesus's power overcomes the barrier of uncleanness and works a miracle. And, Jesus is not made unclean himself—if he was, he wouldn't continue to work, since he would only be spreading his impurity. 

Instead of our uncleanness transferring to Jesus, Jesus makes us clean. 

 

Leprosy was a great danger during the time of ancient Israel. It was a disease that affected the skin, discoloring it and causing a painful itchy rash. None knew of a cure. 

Perhaps the worst part of contracting leprosy was the ostracism that lepers experienced. A leper was required to live alone, crying out "Unclean, unclean," whenever someone approached. Anyone who touched a leper not only ran the risk of contracting the disease themselves, but was automatically considered impure. Leviticus 13:46 details this: "He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp."

Matthew 8:1-4 describes Jesus in an encounter with a leper. "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."

By Jesus's touch, the leper's uncleanliness was reversed. 

Completely. 

Jesus had the mercy and the power to do this; instead of shunning the leper like the powerless Israelites had to, Jesus was willing to stretch out his hand and touch him. He took the first step to heal this man, and his leprosy was cleansed. 

Our sin is powerless to mar Jesus. Instead, Jesus's perfection frees us from our sin. 

 

Though we don't deal with the specific ceremonial laws described in Leviticus, we do deal with God's law as a whole. And by that law, we are all unclean. 

If our Savior was too holy to associate with us, then we would be without hope. Lost forever, doomed to wait outside the camp until our inevitable death. 

Fortunately, that's not who Jesus is. 

Jesus loves us enough to come to us when we think he shouldn't. He touches us when we are unclean. He heals us. 

If he did not, then we would be destined for Hell. 

But he does. 

I am a sinner. I am not worthy of love, and I am unclean forever. 

Except Jesus made me clean, and therefore I can live.