We know from our reading of the Gospel of Luke that Jesus healed people with leprous disease and he would send them to the priests. Here in Leviticus we learn about why and the difference between clean and not clean.

While reading in Leviticus 13 & 14 we see something repeat. The person healed from the leprous disease follows a process Aaron and his sons followed as they were consecrated as priests in Lev 8.

  • Seven days outside the entrance but not to enter.
  • Blood of the offering put on the lobe of the right ear and thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of this right foot.
  • An important eighth day sin offering

What is the connection? Why are these two cases the only time we hear about the blood on the ear, hand and foot? What are we supposed to learn when we compare the healed leprous disease with a priest?

A lesson we already read in our journey

In Acts 10 we read how Peter came to a more complete understanding of this text through an inspired dream from God. So that tells me this text is hard to understand. Peter had to learn that personhood is not what is unclean. And more what I see in the text is that the state of cleanliness seems to be mostly temporary. Often related to commonplace activities that are unavoidable.

Not all at one time

The text is alive and rich. We can see connections and patterns but we might only get a glimpse of the full meaning at any one time. And then on a second or tenth reading, or perhaps through a supernatural dream , we will better understand the word of God and see the narrative and perspective God has been calling us into all along.

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