Leviticus 14:11
The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. (NIV).
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 14:1-32 and Luke 5:12-16
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria. It affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. It’s transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact. It also takes a long time before symptoms appear, which makes it hard to know where or when someone caught the disease.
Today leprosy is a curable disease. Leprosy was eliminated globally as a public health problem in the year 2000. However, in the days of Moses and even later during Jesus’ ministry, there was no cure for leprosy. So it’s interesting that God would give Moses instructions of what to do in the event someone was cleansed of the disease.
Leprosy was a life sentence of humiliation and social isolation. God gives instructions to Moses for the treatment of lepers:
“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:45-46).
In Scripture, leprosy is symbolic of our sin. Both were impossible to cure, short of a miracle. Both lead to a life of isolation and hopelessness. Both cause separation from those that we love and lead to broken relationships. Both are unclean.
The only real cure for leprosy was a miracle. The same goes for our sin. We’ve spent the better part of a month studying all the rituals and offerings God required because of sin. And yet with all the blood and death of all kinds of animals, there was no cure for sin. Not without the blood of Jesus.
We read where Jesus cleansed the leper in Luke 5. In fact, Jesus cleansed many lepers during his ministry. Interestingly enough, the Bible never refers to this as “healing” or “curing” the lepers. It always refers to it as “cleansing.” In Luke 5, Jesus says to the leper, “Be clean!” Jesus makes clear the symbology between leprosy and sin. Jesus’ blood has cleansed us from our sin just as his touch cleansed the leper from his disease.
“The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (Lev 14:11). Jesus is our High Priest who pronounces us clean to God the Father before his throne when we trust in him. The disease of sin that promises eternal hopeless and separation from God is healed in an instant by Jesus.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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