It is not uncommon for man to walk around with secret sins, hidden deep within his heart. In stark contrast, leprosy was a horrific wasting disease which essentially rotted the body from the outside. There can hardly be a better depiction of sinful decaying flesh. And there is simply no way to hide it.
In the days shortly after the Levitical Priesthood was consecrated, we see provisions made to evaluate and manage this horrible affliction. At the first sign of a lesion, the person shall be brought before the priest. Through a series of assessments and isolation periods outside the camp, and various sacrifices, the priest would declare the afflicted clean or unclean.
So, is it any wonder why, when Y’shua first encounters a leper begging for mercy, desperate to be made clean, He simply and profoundly declares him clean? He partakes in no elaborate evaluation process, requires no quarantine or reassessment. Why? Because He is the Royal High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice for all lepers, even those of us you are instead decaying on the inside.
After He cleanses the leper, with unmistakable intention He says, “Go and show yourself to the priest.” And let’s not miss His assertion. He is not directing the “once leper” to go for an evaluation, but instead as a witness. “Offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them,” He instructs. And tell no one along the way, this particular testimony is for the “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
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