Bible Commentaries

The Law of Leprosy

Leviticus 13:44

This is a ceremonial expression.—People in certain conditions of body were to be pronounced by the priest as "utterly unclean."—The Bible is everywhere careful not to allow the idea of partial goodness or partial uncleanness.—There is a great moral suggestion in all this.—Once let a man consider that he is not so bad as some other man, and instantly false standards of purity are set up.—The Pharisee adopted this method of self-measurement, and separated himself from the publican by certain degrees of supposed righteousness. The consequence was that he went down to his house unjustified.—The idea of partial unrighteousness necessitates the idea of partial self-justification.—A partial righteousness obviates the necessity for a divine atonement.—The Bible proceeds upon the doctrine that "there is none righteous, no, not one"; that "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint"; that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."—"Utterly unclean," is the expression which best defines the condition of the soul as before God.—When we read the words "utterly unclean" in this connection we are to remember that they were only ceremonially used; they in no wise countenance the idea that some persons are morally partially unclean, and others utterly unclean.—There are degrees of ceremonial purity, but there are no degrees of moral purity or righteousness as before God.—It was to an utterly unclean world that Jesus Christ came. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and truth is not in us." Every man must feel that he is "the chief of sinners."—This is not a rhetorical expression, nor is it to be judged comparatively as between one man and another; it is to express the soul's bitter consciousness of its personal unworthiness in view of the purity of heaven.—Every man knows that his own sin is the worst that can be possibly imagined. He knows its aggravations; he is aware of atmospheric influence and colour, not observable by any other eye, which give deadly heinous-ness to his whole line of conduct.—We are not called upon to judge ourselves by others: we are simply called upon to put our hand upon our mouth, and to lay our mouth in the dust, and to cry,—Unclean! unclean!—There is only one method of cleansing revealed in the Bible.—No man cleanses himself.—Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.—Jesus Christ, looking upon his Church, says,—"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."—The moral cleanness of the human race is the sublimest miracle of God.