not be touched

This past Sunday I was preaching from Luke 5:12 – 26. Two cases of Jesus healing and in the process he totally transforms their lives. In the first case there is a person who is full of leprosy. This was a debilitating skin disease that rendered the infected person unclean. It would be the job of priests that is the qualified decedents of Aaron, to examine and determine if a person had just a skin disease or if it was actually a case of leprosy. The background for this is in Leviticus 13-14. In these chapters one reads about leprosy and mildew. The word which is translated as leprosy, in people, and mildew, in clothes and in the home, in English is the Hebrew word tzara´at, which I do not believe is what we call leprosy or Hansen’s disease. The uncleanness of the disease is contagious and could spread, while the disease was not, and this is why the person who is infected needed to be quarantined from the rest of the community.
The Hebrew 4 Christians web sight give a description of the meaning of the word, tzara’ at.

This text describes certain skin afflictions, collectively called tzara'at, that cause the afflicted person to be impure (tamei) and unclean (tumah). Note that tzara'at is not to be identified with leprosy (as some English translations claim), since the symptoms of tzara'at include not just the afflicted person's skin, but sometimes his clothes and house.

Tzara'at was a skin condition that could only be diagnosed by a kohen (priest), not a doctor. If white or pink patches appeared on a person's skin, the afflicted person was required to contact a kohen for an examination. If the priest detected 1) two hairs that had turned white within the spot, or 2) a piece of healthy skin in the middle of the spot, he was declared tamei (impure or unclean), and then had to follow the prescribed laws for the metzora (person affected with tzara'at); otherwise he was declared tahor (clean).

On the other hand, if the priest suspected tzara'at but was unsure, the afflicted person was quarantined and required to perform teshuvah (repentance). If a second evaluation indicated that the spot(s) had grown larger in size, the person was declared tamei (impure) and was subject to the laws for the metzora (i.e., dwelling "outside the camp" until the person was completely healed).

Tzara'at was essentially a spiritual disease - an affliction that the LORD used to help lead His people to teshuvah. The Babylonian Talmud (Erachin 15b, 16a) lists seven causes for tzara'at, including: murder, adultery, pride, theft, stinginess, a vain oath, and (most of all) for the sin of lashon hara.

In general terms, lashon hara means "the evil tongue," but it should not be understood exclusively as saying slanderous things about others or using profanity (though that is certainly included in the concept). No, lashon hara means saying something bad about another person even if it happens to be true. In other words, lashon hara is gossip, spreading evil (even if true) reports, or expressing a critical spirit about others. Such behavior is explicitly forbidden in Leviticus 19:16. This is also found in the Apostolic writings of the New Testament. What we say has such a powerful effect upon us and others. This is how Miriam got “leprosy”. Jesus says, in Matthew 12:36-37, that every careless word that we say we will have to give an accounting for. James 1:26 and 3:5-8 we see that the tongue is the cause of great sin in the life of the believer. Our words should be bridled. Luke 6:45 out of the abundance of your heart pours out words of evil or good. 2 Tim 2:16-17, gossip and vain babbling is not to be a part of the life of a follower of Yeshua. Such words become a canker. In Psalms 64 speaks about those who whet their tongues to shoot bitter words. This is the way of the unrighteous.

This does not mean that we do not speak out against evil and wrong doing but it has to with the why or the motivation behind our speaking. The first time the Bible shows us a person getting tzara’ at is when Moses speaks evil about the Hebrew captives.

The result of this pronouncement is total ostracism from the community. The person had to have tattered clothes, be unbathed and then call out, “Unclean, unclean”, to the people, that one might meet, that were not contaminated. People were to keep about 8 feet or about 2.2 meters away form the infected person. If the infected person is a priest then they cannot partake of the holy things offered until the Lord. If one does that then they will be cut off from the presence of the Lord, Lev 22:4. In Numbers 5:2 God tells the Israelites to put everyone who has “leprosy”, any type of discharge and anyone who is defiled by touching a dead body, outside of the camp so that the camp is not defiled.

I know that many people might react to these instructions and think that God is cruel, but our obedience to God should not based upon our ability to reason or if it makes sense to us, but because he is our King.

Sometimes this person became “leprous” because of sin, like Miriam and the house of Joab, and Azariah, Numbers 12:14; 2 Samuel 3:29; 2 Kings 15:5. Touching a person with tzara’ at made one unclean until evening. So there were no commands from God about not touching, but according to the oral Torah or the man-made rules then touching was impossible. Here we see that when Yeshua (Jesus) touches the person who was full of leprosy he is not breaking a command and thus sinning. You see at the touch of Jesus the person is made clean. I believe that point of healing started where Jesus touched him and the spread from there to the rest of the man’s body. In chapter 4 Yeshua tells his listener that only Naaman was healed while there were many other people with “leprosy” who were not healed. Now Jesus reaches out and restores this person to the community. He can not be around others and experience touch. This is very powerful. If we do not experience touch then we do not develop properly. We can even die from the lack of touch. Now while Yeshua has not broken any of Torah he shows that he is living in accordance to it by having the man to go and show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifices. Here again is a great example of how Yeshua does not do away with the Law (Torah) but give us the correct interpretation of it. This is also an example of how we are to view the written word contra the rules, regulations, philosophies and theologies of man. Scripture is above that which is man made.

There are many conflicts that would cease to exist if we only placed the Scriptures about out reasoning and our own additions to God’s word. Since this disease is spiritual in nature then each of us should have God to search our hearts and root out that which is unclean, especially. Only he can cleanse us. Both the paralyzed man and his friends and the “leprous” man acted out of faith. To trust in God means believing in him in spite of you situation and the rules of social conduct. In both cases they were so desperate that they broke the social rules in order to be transformed by Yeshua. Are you desperate? I know that I am. I want the Lord to cleanse me with hyssop and take away my iniquity. I need Him so much in my life.

Lately I have been feeling like I have “leprosy” and am alone. I have been so frustrated that I have only had bad things to say and feel. I need for God to forgive my sin and lift this bitterness from my heart. I need God to touch me and make me clean.

Peace