Fever, False accusation, and My Jesus

Leviticus 13:44-46 "he is a leprous man, he is unclean. the priest must pronounce him unclean: his disease is on his head. 45 The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of the head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out "Unclean, Unclean". 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"

This morning Alison, my six year old, woke up complaining that she felt bad. A quick check of the thermometer revealed a fever of just under a hundred. When our kids have fevers, we keep them out of school, for their own sake, but also that others might not be infected by whatever sickness that they have. In the Levitical laws, there are many regulations like the one above that are done for similar reasons. God wants His people sanctified and Holy, near Him, and disease must be quarantined among His people so that is does not spread. Leviticus 13:44-46 reveals a caring God laying down healthy laws for His people.

A further examination of this passage really reveals an even more loving God. As we fast forward roughly two thousands years from Leviticus 13, the Jewish rulers had falsely judged Jesus of being a blasphemer and driven by the power of Beelzebub, the chief of demons (Matt 12:24). Caiaphas, one of the ring leaders, advises and helps carry out this unjust verdict (John 18:14) in order to rid the Jews of this "unhealthy man named Jesus". As a result of this injustice, where does Jesus end up? In the same place as the leprous man of Leviticus 13:

Outside the camp
With bloody and torn clothes (some stolen away from him)
The hairs of his head where definitely hanging loose
Alone (Jesus faced separation from God on our behalf that day, and almost everyone else fled)

So here we have a picture of men, falsely judging God (in the flesh of Jesus) with a law that he established for their own good, as they pronounced Jesus unfit and sentenced him to a "quarantine of death". It is amazing to me how God uses even the sinful hearts of men to accomplish His Holy and Divine purposes. As that day on Calvary unfolded, Jesus first became, and then conquered that same sin that falsely judged Him once and for all.

My heart burns with compassion for the Christ who stood falsely condemned, and CHOSE to suffer the same fate reserved for sick lepers. My heart is amazed at what Jesus obediently endured that day to accomplish the will of His father. My heart jumps in praise,and my knees bend, when I fully understand that my sins were part of the Uncleanness cast upon Him that day as He was separated, beaten and torn hanging on a cross. Just as the infectious lepers were driven away by the will of God, to sustain the health of men to bring God glory; Jesus was separated by the will of God for the same reason. He was cast out and cut off to prevent sin from consuming us. As He cried "it is finished", death and sin were put to death.

It is at the very moment when Jesus' Gospel leads our hearts to cry out for His love and claim the lepers self testimony of ,"Unclean, Unclean", that Jesus' separation and punishment eliminates ours, and we can commune freely with God. God is baffling and amazing. 4,000 years ago lepers testified of their infectious sickness, "unclean, unclean" to warn people not to get near them to sustain the health of His people. Five and a half years ago I cried out "I am unworthy God, I am sorry, please forgive me", he permanently regenerated my spiritual health so that through my life he may accomplish His will and bring Health to his creation.

God's will is consistant, it never changes. He wants us to glorify Him, and that can only be done as our hearts are Holy and Healthy. If our hearts are not Holy and Healthy, we will bring glory to ourselves. (see Caiphas above)