Post by Mark on Oct 31, 2008 3:35:43 GMT -8
The story appears in all the synoptic gospels, of a man who Luke describes as being "full of leprosy" (Luke 5:12) and declares to Messiah, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
The first important thing to recognize is the difference between healing and cleansing. In Matthew 10:8, Messiah draws this distinction when sending out His apostles to minister to the communities of Israel. He says to "heal the sick" and to "cleanse the lepers." This is because leprosy was not considered health problem to the Jewish people. It was a religious problem which did not require "healing" but "cleansing".
The commands concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13, 14 and 22 demand isolation from the Jewish community. Not only is the leper to live alone; but anyone who he touches or anyone who touches anything he has touched must alter the course of their day as a result of that experience. By any physical exposure to leprosy, to touch a chair upon which a leper had sat, would mean that Messiah would be rendered unclean until evening. He could not participate in Temple worship nor touch anyone else who may then go to the Temple without rendering them equally unclean. The community’s expectation is that such uncleanness must be avoided. Rather than be exposed in such a way that would risk exposure to others, a religious person would step back so as not to be defiled by exposure. Messiah must have startled everyone when He did exactly the opposite: He reached out and touched him.
Messiah didn’t have to touch this leper in order to cleanse him. In Luke 17, He cleansed ten men who stood a distance from Him. This man He touched. Leprosy isn’t a quickly spreading disorder. This man who was "full of leprosy" must have had it for a very long time. It had been a long time since anyone had touched him in any way. Messiah’s cleansing was more than just clinically responding to a need: He was reaching out to the individual in humanity.
In our world today, there is a lot of ugliness that we would just assume completely avoid. Biblical uncleanness is unavoidable because the requirements of being clean before Adonai are so disdained by the world in which we live. One solution is to separate ourselves out completely so that we have no, or at least minimal, contact with those who could defile us. A second solution is to dismiss the requirements of and lower our standards so that we do not appear condescending toward those who do not share our standards. The third option is to recognize that our exposure to uncleanness has an impact upon our lives that must be properly responded to; but that it is worth that sacrifice.
Messiah Yeshua was "born under the Law" (Galatians 4:4). This means that when Messiah touched this unclean man, He was rendered unclean. Messiah must wash in water before sundown and anyone He should come into contact with before evening would also need to wash before sundown.
Uncleanness altered the course of His day. The plans and agenda He had for the afternoon must be re-evaluated in light of these new circumstances. Yet, to express compassion for this one man; regardless of whoever or how many others may be disappointed as result, was worth it to Him.
I think that many times we fail to enjoy the opportunities Adonai blesses us with to minister because we consider the potential consequences to high. I think many times we avoid the chances of meeting those who have need we can touch because we set our agendas too firmly.
Messiah said, "I am willing…." The Greek word is thelemay, which means "I choose" or "I am so inclined." It didn’t just happen. By His conscious decision, Messiah knowingly abandoned His own personal agenda to reach out to this fellow, and really, give him much more than what it was that he was asking.
It is important to understand that uncleanness is not sin. Being rendered unclean is an inevitable consequence to any exposure to death or uncleanness. Yet, how we respond to that uncleanness may be sinful. It is our inclination, knowing that the exposure to the uncleanness must have been the right thing, to still proceed with our earlier plans, considering the one act of obedience as amnesty against the resulting sin of our continuing our previous agenda. Messiah changed His direction. Though throngs came at him to be healed, Scripture tells us that He responded by withdrawing Himself into the wilderness to pray.
It could be that our great God exposes us to uncleanness to withdraw us away for His purposes. Often we find that this process leads us to reconciling with Him in areas that we were not previously aware of needing attention. We may find that we were, for some reason, ill-equiped to handle what we were planning to accomplish, until He altered our course with uncleanness.
Proverbs 16:9 tells us that a man devises his plans; but Adonai directs his steps. Are we willing to be re-directed? It is a question that, if presented to us so directly, we would unquestionably answer, "I am willing."
The first important thing to recognize is the difference between healing and cleansing. In Matthew 10:8, Messiah draws this distinction when sending out His apostles to minister to the communities of Israel. He says to "heal the sick" and to "cleanse the lepers." This is because leprosy was not considered health problem to the Jewish people. It was a religious problem which did not require "healing" but "cleansing".
The commands concerning leprosy in Leviticus 13, 14 and 22 demand isolation from the Jewish community. Not only is the leper to live alone; but anyone who he touches or anyone who touches anything he has touched must alter the course of their day as a result of that experience. By any physical exposure to leprosy, to touch a chair upon which a leper had sat, would mean that Messiah would be rendered unclean until evening. He could not participate in Temple worship nor touch anyone else who may then go to the Temple without rendering them equally unclean. The community’s expectation is that such uncleanness must be avoided. Rather than be exposed in such a way that would risk exposure to others, a religious person would step back so as not to be defiled by exposure. Messiah must have startled everyone when He did exactly the opposite: He reached out and touched him.
Messiah didn’t have to touch this leper in order to cleanse him. In Luke 17, He cleansed ten men who stood a distance from Him. This man He touched. Leprosy isn’t a quickly spreading disorder. This man who was "full of leprosy" must have had it for a very long time. It had been a long time since anyone had touched him in any way. Messiah’s cleansing was more than just clinically responding to a need: He was reaching out to the individual in humanity.
In our world today, there is a lot of ugliness that we would just assume completely avoid. Biblical uncleanness is unavoidable because the requirements of being clean before Adonai are so disdained by the world in which we live. One solution is to separate ourselves out completely so that we have no, or at least minimal, contact with those who could defile us. A second solution is to dismiss the requirements of and lower our standards so that we do not appear condescending toward those who do not share our standards. The third option is to recognize that our exposure to uncleanness has an impact upon our lives that must be properly responded to; but that it is worth that sacrifice.
Messiah Yeshua was "born under the Law" (Galatians 4:4). This means that when Messiah touched this unclean man, He was rendered unclean. Messiah must wash in water before sundown and anyone He should come into contact with before evening would also need to wash before sundown.
Uncleanness altered the course of His day. The plans and agenda He had for the afternoon must be re-evaluated in light of these new circumstances. Yet, to express compassion for this one man; regardless of whoever or how many others may be disappointed as result, was worth it to Him.
I think that many times we fail to enjoy the opportunities Adonai blesses us with to minister because we consider the potential consequences to high. I think many times we avoid the chances of meeting those who have need we can touch because we set our agendas too firmly.
Messiah said, "I am willing…." The Greek word is thelemay, which means "I choose" or "I am so inclined." It didn’t just happen. By His conscious decision, Messiah knowingly abandoned His own personal agenda to reach out to this fellow, and really, give him much more than what it was that he was asking.
It is important to understand that uncleanness is not sin. Being rendered unclean is an inevitable consequence to any exposure to death or uncleanness. Yet, how we respond to that uncleanness may be sinful. It is our inclination, knowing that the exposure to the uncleanness must have been the right thing, to still proceed with our earlier plans, considering the one act of obedience as amnesty against the resulting sin of our continuing our previous agenda. Messiah changed His direction. Though throngs came at him to be healed, Scripture tells us that He responded by withdrawing Himself into the wilderness to pray.
It could be that our great God exposes us to uncleanness to withdraw us away for His purposes. Often we find that this process leads us to reconciling with Him in areas that we were not previously aware of needing attention. We may find that we were, for some reason, ill-equiped to handle what we were planning to accomplish, until He altered our course with uncleanness.
Proverbs 16:9 tells us that a man devises his plans; but Adonai directs his steps. Are we willing to be re-directed? It is a question that, if presented to us so directly, we would unquestionably answer, "I am willing."