Yeshua Is Our Hope – Metzora Leviticus 14
Torah Portion: Metzora Leviticus 14:1-15:33
HafTorah: II Kings 7:3-20
This is the second Torah Portion devoted to leprosy. Four chapters given to a disease and all the details of how to tell if a person has it and if so what to do about it and how to be declared clean. Seems odd doesn’t it – until we look at the New Testament and how leprosy was used as a sign of the Kingdom of Heaven. I sent you some verses that I think give us a good view of this. Luke 17:12-14, Matthew 10:7-8, Matthew 11:4-5 and Matthew 26:6. What can we see from all these? Cleansing of leprosy was seen as a sign that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. But why was this? Think about the disease. What did it do? It spread through the body slowly killing it and also easily spread to others. Sin also is at work in our body to bring death physically and spiritually. Leprosy separated the person from being part of the Temple worship, separated them from family and friends. Anyone who had it had to live outside the camp. Which brings me to Matthew 26:6 about Simon the leper. How can we tell he had been healed and cleansed? He lived in town and people came and went in his house. Maybe he was one who had been healed by Yeshua. Yeshua also raised Lazarus from the dead in this same town, which gives us a further insight into leprosy. It was viewed as a death sentence. The person with it had to tear his clothes, leave his head uncovered and cry, “unclean, unclean.” Sin makes us spiritually unclean and separates us from G-d. To enter into His presence we must be made clean by Messiah.