Luke 15: 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
This parable of Jesus is one of my favorites. I think it is because it captures a truth in a very simple picture. Here you have the scene at the Jewish temple. Jewish people of the 1st century went to the temple for usually one basic purpose. They were working on their relationship with God. They might come to the temple because they had sinned and brought an animal sacrifice to atone for that sin before God. They might come with a sacrifice at an annual festival to acknowledge that God was the one who owned them, who prospered them. So, they went to the temple, in order to restore, or maintain a right relationship with God.
But in this parable, you have two men, one an ultra-religious Pharisee, and the other a publican; a traitor to his family, often a thief, and violent extortionist thug.
They both say a prayer to God. The Pharisee, “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”
The publican also says a prayer, “would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
And Jesus evaluated both men. And, in terms of their relationship to God, He said the humble and repentant publican, left the temple with a restored relationship to God. The Pharisee left with a still broken relationship with God. Because of the truth Jesus said at the end, “everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
I began with this parable because I wanted you to understand the reason behind the Old Testament Mosaic laws, particularly the laws we are considering today. A major purpose behind the Old Testament laws was to make people realize that they need salvation. God exalts those who are humbled, those who realize their sinfulness before God. Those who don’t know that they are sinners will be humbled.
The preacher’s job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. And the law was given for the same reason.
So that brings us to our message for today. We have been talking about the Old Testament Mosaic law and how Jesus fulfilled its purpose. And today we are looking at laws concerning Skin diseases and bodily conditions and bodily discharges. Now, I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “really Bruce?!” “Couldn’t you skip this part?” But that is the point. I know that if you have read your Bible through, or are reading your Bible through, you will come to some of these laws in the Old Testament and think, “Why is this here?” and “What do I do with it?” But I want you to remember what Jesus said,
Matthew 5:17-18 King James Version 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot (iota) or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The jot was the smallest letter of the alphabet. The tittle was the smallest stroke. Bringing it into our language, we might say that not a single letter i, or even the dot on the i will pass from the law until it is fulfilled. So that means that Jesus fulfills them all. And there is meaning related to Jesus in every command of the Mosaic law. So that is what we will look at today.
prayer
We are going to do the same thing this week as we did last week. We will look at laws concerning skin diseases and bodily conditions and bodily discharges, and purification after childbirth, and first define them and how they were dealt with. Then we will look at the spiritual lessons behind them, and finally how they found their true meaning in Christ.
Definition
Leviticus 13 through 14 describes the Law regarding Skin diseases and bodily conditions. And I am not going to read all of that.
In Leviticus 13–14, the laws describe various symptoms of skin disease (often translated “leprosy,” though it covered a range of conditions). A person was to be examined if they had a swelling, rash, or bright spot on the skin. Indicators of uncleanness included raw or spreading sores, hair in the affected area turning white, or the disease penetrating deeper than the skin. Leprous disease could also appear as white patches, boils that did not heal properly, burns with suspicious spots, scaly eruptions, or sores on the head or beard. Clothing and later even houses could show contamination through greenish or reddish streaks or mildew-like growth.
And if we think about those symptoms in today’s terms, we can quickly realize that these people may have been suffering from a broad range of diseases or infections.
Bacterial infections such as impetigo, cellulitis, boils, carbuncles, erysipelas, Fungal infections, Candida-related rashes, viral conditions, Chronic skin diseases, and more serious conditions, such as Hansen’s disease (modern leprosy) or certain types of skin cancer, all could have symptoms that fit closely with the descriptions in Leviticus.
And so, if a person was afflicted with any of these symptoms he or she was to go to the priest and show them the condition. Depending on the condition, they might be immediately declared unclean, or they may be sent into a kind of quarantine for a week, after which they were examined again. Now, I want you to think about this. Because any condition from something as simple as a rash to skin cancer was to be examined. I found some of this amusing.
38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;
39 Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.
They examined everything.
40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
You start losing your hair? Go to the priest. He examines you. “You, my friend, are going bald.”
41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.
But of course the concern was that you were losing your hair because of some disease. So, they examined you.
And if at any point there was evidence of a spreading disease, the person was declared unclean and sent outside the camp. While unclean, he wore torn clothes, left his hair unkempt, covered his mouth, and cried “Unclean!” to warn others, living in isolation as long as the condition lasted.
The same careful inspection applied to garments—if mold or mildew appeared in clothing made of wool, linen, or leather, the priest quarantined it for seven days, re-examined it, and either ordered it washed and re-quarantined or destroyed it by fire if the contamination persisted.
Houses were treated similarly: if mildew appeared on walls, the priest inspected and shut the house for seven days. If the problem spread, contaminated stones were removed, the interior scraped, and new plaster applied. If the mold returned, the house was torn down; if not, it was declared clean after a purification ritual.
And when a man was healed of a skin disease, the priest inspected him outside the camp and performed a ritual sacrifice. The healed man then washed his clothes, shaved off all hair, bathed, and remained outside his tent for seven more days. On the eighth day, he brought the required offerings, and after the priest performed the atonement rituals, he was fully restored to the community and to worship.
And again, we might ask, why did they focus so much on skin diseases? Part of the answer is the possibilities of contagion. But part of it is the same reason that certain animals weren’t eaten, and why dead bodies were to be avoided. Yes, these rules helped contain disease and infection and bacteria. But all of these things were also visual illustrations of a spiritual truth; This constant obsession with every little skin affliction was a reminder of their uncleanness and separation from a holy God. If you were in the process of being examined and diagnosed, you could not enter the presence of God in the temple. It was separation from the rest of Israel.
God’s Holiness
Leviticus 13:46 says, “He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease… he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” The camp symbolized God’s holy presence, so visible disease became a symbol of sin’s defilement. Exclusion emphasized that God’s holiness cannot tolerate impurity.
Separation
These laws created necessary barriers to prevent both ceremonial and physical contamination. Israel’s separation from unclean conditions set them apart from nations that had no such regulations.
Constant Reminder
It is hard for me to imagine what this must have been like. The people knew that if they contracted certain diseases, it meant a temporary or possible permanent separation from the community or even God. What an anxiety laden life that must have been. I don’t know about you and your skin issues, but it seems to me that every day, I’ve got something new going on with my skin. “Hey, where did that come from?” “How did I get that?” And probably the first tendency would be to hide it. Because otherwise I have to toddle myself over to the priest and go through quarantine, etc.
And, in that way this physical defilement was a perfect picture of the defilement of sin.
It is the way that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the purpose of these laws. These laws brought a constant consciousness of defilement before God.
Romans 7:6-8 King James Version 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Scripture uses the laws of skin disease in Leviticus 13–14 as a vivid picture of how sin works. Here are the parallels: Sin is Hidden but Spreading
Skin disease often began small — a spot, swelling, or patch — but if untreated it spread and defiled the whole person. Likewise, sin may seem minor at first, but it corrupts and multiplies if ignored (James 1:14–15; Galatians 5:9). It is Defiling and Separating
A person declared unclean had to live outside the camp, separated from God’s dwelling and His people (Leviticus 13:45–46). Sin also separates us from God and breaks fellowship with His people (Isaiah 59:2; 1 John 1:6). It is Incurable by Self
The diseased person could not heal themselves — only God could cleanse, through the priestly examination and prescribed ritual (Leviticus 14:2–7). Similarly, no one can cleanse themselves from sin; only God, through Christ our High Priest, can make us clean (Hebrews 9:13–14; 1 John 1:7).
Total Cleansing Required
The cleansing ritual in Leviticus 14 involved blood, water, and sacrifice, pointing forward to Christ. Sin requires the complete cleansing of the cross — “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Christ is our great High Priest who examines the heart and has the authority to make us clean. The earthly priest was limited. A person could come to him with a defilement, but the priest could not make him clean. He could only declare him unclean. But Christ does what the law could only point to—removing the stain of sin completely, not just ceremonially.
Hebrews 9:13–14 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
In Him, the shame of uncleanness is removed, the barrier to God’s presence is broken, and those who were “outside the camp” are brought near by His grace
Ephesians 2:13 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Jesus was crucified so He could bring outsiders in.
Now we come to everyone’s favorite Old Testament laws; laws regarding bodily discharges. And let me tell you, it’s my favorite to. I can tell you that I would almost rather watch an hour of Dr. pimple popper on youtube than describe these to you in great detail. And I’m not going to. Suffice it to say that the whole of Leviticus chapter 15 concerns normal and abnormal, male and female bodily discharges. And the concluding word regarding it was that they made a person unclean. A person had to go through washings and bring an offering to the priest after they happened.
And again you may say, why did He require all of this? It was a visual illustration. A constant reminder of our separation from holy God. I started the service with the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. And the point of the parable was that since the Pharisee didn’t acknowledge that he was a sinner, since he didn’t humble himself before, since he didn’t know that he was sick and separated from God, he was alienated from God.
Like the publican, you’ve got to know you are sick before you can be made well. You have to humble yourself before you can be exalted.
I got to thinking about that this week in regard to my 8th grade math students. All but one of my classes is 8th grade math. And many, if not most of my 8th grade math students are humble about their math skills. They will tell me, “I’m not good at math.” And that humility can be a good starting point if it is combined with a desire to learn.
But I also teach honors math. I actually teach Algebra to 8th graders in one class. And sometimes these students are far less humble than your typical 8th grader in terms of their math skills. Many of them think they are good at math. And maybe they are in comparison to their peers.
But I have to abuse them of that notion early in the year. Sometimes they have skated by with natural ability. But in Algebra they are crossing the bridge into serious math. So, I have to get them into a serious and humble mindset early. I did that this week. I have a poster up in my classroom that says, “I love math, it makes people cry.” And I made a couple of students cry this week. I wasn’t harsh, or cruel. I just, well, let me give you an example. In Algebra class, they should already be proficient at solving multi-step equations, but many of them aren’t. And we don’t have a lot of time to get them up to speed. These are three of the equations in chapter one of our book. This is where our book starts the year for Algebra students. We have two to three days on these, and then it’s on to the next topic.
I introduced and explained these on Thursday of this week. I gave an assignment of roughly 15 to twenty problems which need to be finished by the end of class Monday. After I presented them, one student asked me to come over, and in a panic said, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Then at the end of the hour, another student came to my desk in tears saying, “I don’t understand any of this.”
Ahhh. But you see, these two are in a good place. Like the Publican, they were ready to come to me, admit their lostness, and allow me to teach them. I have other students who go along blissfully like the Pharisee, saying, “I don’t need help.” “I don’t need to ask questions.” “I’m too cool for school.”
And I really think that was a good part of the purpose for these laws about cleansing and going to the priests. It made a person’s cleanness before God a point of constant awareness.
So, what were these laws of bodily discharge? And this is as descriptive as I’m going to get. Leviticus 15 (not 13–14) describes bodily discharges as normal and abnormal emissions or bleeding in men or women. These conditions, whether temporary or prolonged, rendered the individual ceremonially unclean and required specific purification rites.
For the male or female the purification rite involved
14 And on the eighth day (after the issue was resolved) he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest: 15 And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering;
there were very real practical health reasons behind the bodily discharge laws in Leviticus 15, in addition to their ceremonial and symbolic purposes.
From a public health standpoint, these laws reduced the risk of spreading infectious diseases. By requiring isolation, cleansing, and avoidance of shared bedding or seating until purification, the law effectively limited transmission. For women, the rules helped control exposure to blood, which can carry pathogens.
From a hygiene perspective, the laws encouraged frequent washing of the body, clothing, and objects. This was thousands of years before germ theory, yet these practices would have removed many harmful microbes.
But the main cause was again spiritual. If you read these chapters you come to realize how often a person would have been going to the priest with a sacrificial offering. For example, for women it would be once a month at minimum. It was a perpetual reminder for men and women both that they were unclean before holy God.
God’s Holiness
Leviticus 15:31 states, “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle.” It said that even natural bodily functions, when linked to ceremonial impurity, reminded the people that God’s holiness pervades every area of life—public or private.
Separation
These laws kept unclean persons from entering God’s sanctuary until purified. This physical separation symbolized the moral and spiritual separation sin creates between humanity and God.
Constant Reminder
Washing, waiting periods, and avoidance of temple entry kept the reality of God’s standards ever before the people. Leviticus 15:13 outlines the process of cleansing, showing that restoration required time, obedience, and sacrifice—reinforcing that approaching God must be done in the way He prescribes.
How were these laws fulfilled in Christ?
Flows from Within These laws dealt with what came from inside a person and were beyond their control. In the same way, sin flows from the heart — Jesus said, “From within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…” (Mark 7:21–23).
Defiling Contact Anything touched by the person with an issue became unclean — their bed, seat, or clothing (Lev. 15:4–12). Likewise, sin defiles everything it touches: relationships, work, and worship (Haggai 2:13–14).
Separation from Worship Those with an issue were excluded from God’s dwelling until cleansed (Lev. 15:31). Sin also separates us from God’s presence and fellowship (Isaiah 59:2).
Cleansing by Water and Sacrifice Cleansing required both washing with water and the offering of a sacrifice (Lev. 15:13–15). This foreshadowed Christ, who cleanses us by “the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26) and by His once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14).
In short: these laws symbolized how sin is internal, defiling, separating, and in need of cleansing — all pointing to the greater cleansing found in Christ.
He cleanses the source of defilement within us. Through His sacrifice, He removes the guilt and shame that separated us from God, giving us direct access to His presence without the need for repeated purification rituals
Hebrews 9:13–14 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?