Do I have leprosy?
In reading the book of Leviticus, I expected to get bogged down (as I have sometimes in the past). Instead, the Lord is revealing some glorious and beautiful Truth! Much of the time, I am moved to thanksgiving for Jesus being my righteousness and perfectly fulfilling every jot and tittle of God’s standards. Other times, I see the foreshadowing of the Messiah to come and marvel that so many missed Him, even after knowing the truths of His Word for generations. This past week, I was struck by the parallel of principle from Old Testament to New.
In Leviticus 13, 24 particularly, God gives instructions regarding leprosy, either as a skin infection or as the presence of mold/mildew in garments or homes. These are quite detailed and elaborate, requiring frequent and repeated inspection by the priest over a period of several days. And I do mean close inspection! The cleansing from such outbreaks was extensive and intense. Sacrifices, washings, disposing of affected materials, shaving, and anointing. I do mean detailed! As I read through these two chapters, I jotted down in my notes “wow, obeying these instructions required a lot of transparency and humility!”
No sooner had I written down this observation than I realized the parallel principle in the New Testament; perhaps this very law was a foreshadowing for the people of God! Just as living out these Old Testament laws in obedience required a willingness to be interdependent and to open one’s life up for inspection, so also are we followers of the New Covenant called to live in conjunct harmony with one another. Not with the whole world, mind you (not advocating socialism here!) but rather interdependency among the body of believers.
For instance, in 2 Corinthians 8, we are exhorted to give generously so as to supply what others need (and then be recipients of the subsequent blessings!). In Galatians 6, there is the encouragement to bear one another’s burdens and to not grow weary of doing good to one another (especially to the household of faith). In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul commands us to live in unity, as one body, using our gifts to help one another grow. In Matthew 18, this interdependency is manifested in church discipline, praying together, and forgiveness. And in James 5, we see not only the command to pray together but also to confess our sins – not to the priest but to one another!
Just as the laws regarding leprosy required a willingness to be examined, so also does living as a follower of Christ. We are called to have a humility that is courageous enough to admit our faults and our needs and also to receive help for those from our brothers and sisters in Christ. That might require even more transparency and humility that a seven day scab inspection by a priest! It is tempting to think it’s easier – safer- to just go it alone. Especially in a culture of isolation and self-sufficiency. But if we think that, we are deceived. We are completely unable to see our own blind spots by ourselves. We need the community of other believers, lovingly involved in our lives, to cleanse us, sanctify us, identify the areas likely to cause us pain and sin-sickness.
It takes not only humility but also courage to live this kind of life. But if we are willing, it leads to the blessing of acceptance and love and conformity to the image of Christ. All foreshadowed in the Old Testament book of Leviticus!