Unclean and Clean

In the Law of Moses, God made a clear distinction between the clean and unclean.  He told the Hebrews which animals were clean to eat and ones they were to avoid eating--as they were unclean to them.  God also described many physical conditions or situations where a person was deemed unclean, and then outlined what was required for them to be ceremonially clean.  This perspective often governed the outlook of God's people, even those like King Saul who were not always honour or obey God.  When David's seat was empty during a feast, Saul said to himself, "Something has happened to him; surely he is unclean." (1 Sam. 20:26)

While some uncleanness was dealt with by washing in water and remaining unclean until evening, there were other some conditions that left a person perpetually unclean--like leprosy.  Leviticus 13:45-46 says, "Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' ⁴⁶ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp."  Touching a person, dead body or any item that was unclean would render the one who touched it unclean.  Job correctly mused in Job 14:4:  "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!"  God spoke to the priests and Levites in Isaiah 52:11:  "Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD."

Perhaps it is verses like these that led people to think "cleanliness was next to godliness."  What this cliche has very wrong is only God can cleanse what is unclean, and He is faithful to do this by His grace.  Our righteousness is not obtained by the foods we eat or avoid, nor are we cleaned by washing our bodies or hands in water.  Nightfall does not cleanse or make us pure in God's sight.  What is truly wonderful is Jesus--who alone is righteous, pure and holy--came to seek and save the lost, to cleanse the unclean, to raise the spiritually dead and give them eternal live, and adopt aliens of God's kingdom as children of God.  Jesus went to unclean, ostricised lepers people avoided like the plague, and He touched them without becoming unclean--having miraculously cleansed them.  He reached out and touched bodies of dead people who came to life, for Jesus remains pure and is able to cleanse those who were unclean by sin.

Matthew 8:1-4 reads, "When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. ² And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." ³ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ 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."  Leviticus 14 is a long chapter that outlines the elaborate ceremony required after a leper was cleansed of leprosy.  Jesus is able and willing to cleanse anyone who comes to Him of any uncleanness, and He has done so by His blood shed for us on the cross.  May our lives be a testimony of Christ by denying ungodly lusts and living soberly, righteously and godly in this present age, redeemed from all iniquity (Titus 2:11-14).  It is our reasonable service we present ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ who has cleansed us from all sin and uncleanness.