Obedience & Spiritual Cleansing

“…behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:2-4

Although the leper experienced immediate cleansing, he had a responsibility regarding GOD’S Law.

The one healed must appear before the priest, followed by a seven-day period in which certain things were necessary of him. On the eight day a grain offering with one log of oil for the priest to offer on his behalf was required. A trespass offering, wave offering and sin offering for “him who is to be cleansed…”  was likewise necessary. Some form of the phrase “him who is to be cleansed…”  is found eleven times in Leviticus 14. (V4, 7, 8, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 28, 29 and 31)

A leper may be healed, but not considered clean until completing those things required by GOD. Jesus, charged the leper, “…go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Being healed and made clean were not the same. One could not be made clean without first being healed but being healed did not make you clean. A healed leper would remain in the “him who is to be cleansed” state, until he offered for his cleansing what Moses commanded. Only then would he transition from, “him who is to be cleansed…” to “him who is clean…”

The leper in Matthew 8, did a great disservice to himself, Jesus, and the Law, when he failed to obey what was required of him after his healing. Rather than being a testimony for obedience, he disobeyed the Law, and the words of his Messiah. Consider how we may apply these principles. Let us be sure that we are not in the “him who is to be” state… but rather, the state of, “him who is.” Obedience matters.