365 Reflections

Leviticus 13 deals with the identification of leprous skin diseases and how the priest's role concerns identifying and appropriately relegating the diseased person to their sad state. However, Leviticus 14 deals with the cleansing of the leper. If Leviticus 13 presents a picture of sin and how it cuts us off from others, removes us from the presence of God and runs deeper than our skin, Leviticus 14 shows us what salvation looks like. Our salvation is illustrated in the sacrifice, cleansing and identification of a cleansed leper. First, there is a sacrifice of a bird, then a live bird dipped with hyssop into the dead bird's blood is used to sprinkle the mixture on the leper. Leviticus 14:5–7 (ESV) And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water....

Nicodemus has cast his name in human history as the smartest person to miss Jesus. I never saw the word "the" before in John 3:10 but it makes the meaning become a whole lot clearer. John 3:10 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Jesus is making clear that Nicodemus was the most respected theologian in Israel at the time. And he can't see who Jesus is. He comes to Jesus by night, he makes a judgment on Jesus and puts Jesus under the microscope of his own examination. Poor Nicodemus never saw what this conversation would do to him for all history! But he was victim to the most common falsehood of our day: "We can save ourselves." We can't. Otherwise Jesus never would have said, "you must be born again." We are the passive agents in this process. God does this work of supernatural regeneration in our lives. We receive Christ by faith, God births in our lives new life not from t...