What New Testament connections can be made with the atonement in Leviticus 14:19? The Verse in Focus “Then the priest shall offer the sin offering to make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering.” (Leviticus 14:19) Why Atonement and Cleansing Mattered - The leper’s disease symbolized the deeper uncleanness of sin. - Two sacrifices were required: • Sin offering – removal of guilt. • Burnt offering – total surrender and renewed fellowship with God. - The priest served as mediator, applying the blood and declaring the person clean. The Sin Offering Completed in Christ - Hebrews 9:13-14: “For if the blood of goats and bulls…sanctify…how much more will the blood of Christ…purify our consciences from dead works to serve the living God!” - Hebrews 10:10: “We have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - Jesus meets every requirement the Levitical priest imposed; His single offering permanently removes guilt that the repeated animal sacrifices could only cover. Jesus the High Priest and the Cleansed Leper - Mark 1:40-44; Luke 17:14 – Jesus heals lepers and tells them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” directly linking His work to Leviticus 14. - By touching the leper (Mark 1:41), He reverses the flow of impurity—undefiled Himself, He transmits holiness instead of contracting uncleanness. - Hebrews 4:14: “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God.” The true Priest now declares believers clean. Burnt Offering and Total Dedication Fulfilled in the Cross - The burnt offering followed the sin offering, picturing a life wholly given back to God. - Ephesians 5:2: “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” - Romans 12:1: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Because His burnt-offering-like surrender is finished, believers respond with lives of continual worship. From Ritual Cleansing to Ongoing Purity - 1 John 1:7: “The blood of Jesus His Son purifies us from all sin.” - Just as the cleansed leper reentered the camp, believers are brought into full fellowship with God and His people. - The once-for-all atonement grants: • Forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). • Access to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). • A calling to walk in holiness, reflecting the same compassion that touched the untouchable. The shadow in Leviticus 14:19 points straight to the substance in Christ—our sin offering, burnt offering, High Priest, and ever-present cleanser. |
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