Jesus Fulfills the Mosaic Law of Physical Distancing- By Healing the Sick.

DID YOU KNOW? Isolation (Physical Distancing) was a Biblical Practice among the Ancient Israelites to prevent the spread of disease. God instructed them to do it through Moses. This seems particularly relevant today now that the world finds itself fighting against yet another global pandemic, known as COVID19.



Leviticus 13:4 But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days.

Leviticus 13:5 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days.

Numbers 5:1-4
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
3 You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell.”
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

Jesus fulfills all these laws and precepts! (Mat. 5:17) He HEALS THE SICK!! When someone is sick, then God sees Quarantine as a necessary measure. It is needed to protect the weak and the community in general. Yet Jesus can END QUARANTINE through healing! Do we think like our Lord? Do we have the two sides of the picture? One side is Biblical Law requiring Physical Distancing for those with contagious diseases. The Other side of it is Jesus the Healer of all disease - the One who fulfills all of Mosaic Law!

Matthew 8:2-3
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.

If you need another example, read about the TEN lepers that Jesus cleansed all at once!!

Luke 17:11-19
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

NOTICE: The 10 lepers were practicing Moses' instruction of physical distancing. Our culture, in the midst of this COVID19 pandemic has come up with a new word - social distancing, but that is a bit of a misnomer. Physical distancing is more accurate, and it is what Moses prescribed according to the word of the Lord. SO those 10 lepers did what we find ourselves doing today. They weren't wrong for doing physical distancing. They had to in order to protect their loved ones and community from the disease that had ravaged their bodies. 

BUT..... 

Jesus ends the quarantine by speaking the word of healing to them. When He tells them to go see the priest, that was in reference to the Mosaic law of Physical Distancing (Lev. 13:4-5, Num.5:1-4). The leper was not supposed to go back to camp until the priest had given the go-ahead. So for Jesus to tell them this, it must have been a relief to them. It meant their quarantine period or physical distancing was coming to a close! They would soon be able to interact with their loved ones in a normal and physical way once again! Praise God!! Their obedience/faith in Jesus brings about healing!! Yet only 10% of the lepers (1 out of 10) actually return to thank Jesus and worship Him.

Thus Jesus fulfills God's Law of Physical Distancing (AKA Quarantine).
So there are two sides to the coin. It's not "either or". It's both. Physical distancing AND reaching out to heal the sick. Jesus changes everything. Notice Jesus was not afraid to touch the leper. He was full of life. He IS LIFE! Therefore, any death or disease that came in contact with Him was instantly eradicated!! So His believers carry the same power, from His Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises those who believe and follow Him:
Mark 16:15-18
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 

18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Do you believe? His promise has not ended. He is still working today, and you can have these signs today! 

God Bless!
Pastor Curtis
Thu Apr 9 2020 4:03PM EST