Cleansing the Lepers - Persuading Men to repentance

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Math 10:8

🌻In Lev 14, the Lord gives instructions for making the leper clean rather than healed from Leprosy. As we saw previously, leprosy was a plague and indication usually the God had judged someone.

🌻The Lord directed that the leper after shaving all the hair on his head and washing all his clothes would bring a sin and offering and a bowl of annointing oil. This then the Priest would get of the blood of the animal as well as the oil and smeear on his right ear, right thumb and right toe. This was a similar ritual as the consecration of priests.

🌻The significance on this was to show that he was now in obedience to the Lord:

 - Right Ear - He is obedient to God

- Right Thumb - His hands do what the Lord desires

- Right Toe - His Feet walk in his ways

- Annointing oil on the head - separation of the mind for God

- The shaving of all the hair on his head & body represented submission to God

🌻The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. (Lev 14:14)

🌻The ministry of cleasing the lepers was left for the Priests/ ministers and as we see Christ passed the very authority to his disciples. Primarily the cleansing of lepers involves the ministry of the word (washing) and the annointing (Holy Spirit) to change the ways and heart of him that needs cleasing.

Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Eph 5:26-27)

🌻It is the Lords set principle that every man that turns to him and obeys him God will heal him. For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ (Acts 28:27)

🌻 The ministry of cleansing the leper is the message of submission and full obedience to God and his ways. A stirring of the hearers hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit to pursuade them to the obedience and lordship of Jesus.

And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them] (1 Cor 2:4-6)