Leprosy

The 13th chapter of Leviticus gives instructions about leprosy. If someone had an unusual spot or swelling on his body he was to go to a priest who would examine the spot to determine if it was a sign of leprosy. If the person did have leprosy he had to live apart from other people and wherever he went he had to call out “Unclean, unclean” to warn others not to come near him.

(There is a disease called Hansen’s disease which is called leprosy. It is not the same as biblical leprosy. It can cause physical impairment or disfigurement. There is no indication that leprosy in the Bible did that. Leprosy wasn’t a disease; it was a skin condition that made a person ceremonially unclean. In Matthew 10:8 Jesus commanded his disciples, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”)

There is one statement that has puzzled me. Verses 12 and 13 say, “And if the leprous disease breaks out in the skin, so that the leprous disease covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, then the priest shall look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean.” If a person is unclean because of spots on his body, how can he become clean if his whole body is affected?

There is something in the New Testament that believe explains this. In chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians Paul commanded the church to expel a member who was living in immorality. In verses 9 to 12 he said this:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

Verse 5 explains the reason for not associating with Christians who live sinful lives. “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” This approach wouldn’t work for unsaved people because they are spiritually dead. We must tell them the gospel so they can be saved and we can’t do this if we refuse to associate with them.

A leper is a picture of a Christian who is living in sin. When the leprosy covers his entire body be becomes a sinner who makes no profession of being a Christian. We are commanded to love both kinds of people, but love requires that we do what is best for their welfare, and because they have different needs our actions in regard to each person must differ.