Tuesday, October 4, 2022
“When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them” (Matthew 8:1-4 KJV).
Why is this part of the Holy Scriptures?
In Leviticus 14:1-3, the Levitical priest sought out the leper in the day of his cleansing; the leper did nothing because he could do nothing. If the plague was truly cured, it was God’s work, and the man was to be subsequently ceremonially purified: “[4] Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet [string, lace, yarn, thread], and hyssop [sprig or twig of a scraggly desert plant, used to sprinkle]: [5] And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: [6] As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: [7] And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.”
With a completed Bible, we understand this more fully than even Moses did. These two birds symbolize Jesus Christ’s heavenly connection; the slain bird is His blood shed on Calvary’s cross; the living bird is His life; the earthen vessel is His humanity; the running water is His resurrection. The bird freed represents post-resurrection life, a being living in light of the other being who died. “Without shedding of blood [there] is no remission [forgiveness]” (Hebrews 9:22). “Purge me [a sinner] with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).
Indeed, this is all a beautiful picture of eternal salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ….
333 Words of Grace 