How does Leviticus 15:20 connect to New Testament teachings on purity? Setting the Scene: Leviticus 15:20 “Anything she lies on during her menstrual impurity will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean.” • In Israel’s camp, ritual impurity was a visible reminder that God is perfectly holy. • The law did not label womanhood sinful; rather, it highlighted humanity’s constant need for cleansing before a holy God. • These regulations created longing for a permanent solution—someone who could make people clean once for all. Purity Laws as Object Lessons • Tangible boundaries (beds, seats, garments) taught that impurity spreads easily. • The lesson pointed forward to the more serious defilement of the heart (Isaiah 64:6). • By rehearsing cleansing rituals, Israel anticipated a future, fuller washing predicted in passages like Ezekiel 36:25–27. Jesus and the Woman with the Flow of Blood (Mark 5:25–34) • Under Leviticus 15, her continual bleeding meant perpetual uncleanness. • She touches Jesus’ cloak—technically transferring impurity—but instead of defiling Him, she is healed. • Christ reverses the old pattern: His holiness overcomes impurity, hinting at the ultimate cleansing His cross would secure. From External Regulations to Internal Renewal (Mark 7:14–23) • Jesus teaches that “nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him… it is from within, out of a man’s heart, that come evil thoughts”. • He affirms the moral core behind Leviticus: true purity is relational and internal, not merely ceremonial. • By declaring all foods clean, He signals the shift from shadow to substance (Colossians 2:16–17). Christ’s Fulfillment and the Cross (Hebrews 9:13–14; 10:22) • Animal blood provided temporary, ritual cleansing; Christ’s blood “purifies our conscience from dead works.” • Hebrews 10:22 invites believers to “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” • The Levitical washings find their completion in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Living Out Purity Today (1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; 2 Corinthians 7:1) • Purity now involves moral holiness—fleeing sexual immorality, gossip, bitterness, and every defilement of body and spirit. • The Spirit empowers believers to walk in practical holiness (Galatians 5:16–25). • Everyday life becomes a sanctuary: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Key Takeaways • Leviticus 15:20’s emphasis on transmitted impurity foreshadows humanity’s deeper heart issue. • Jesus does not abolish the concept of purity; He fulfills it, offering cleansing that reaches the conscience. • New-covenant purity moves from ceremonial surfaces to transformed hearts, lived out through the Spirit’s power. |
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