How does the concept of purification connect to Old Testament practices? Setting the Scene in John 11:55 “Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover.” (John 11:55) • Crowds stream toward Jerusalem, eager to celebrate Passover. • Before they can share the sacrificial meal, they want to be ceremonially clean. • Their journey reflects centuries-old commands that linked worship with purification. Purification in the Law of Moses God wove cleansing rituals into Israel’s daily life: • Exodus 19:10 – Before Sinai, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes.” • Leviticus 11–15 – Detailed instructions about food, childbirth, skin disease, and bodily discharges all end with washing and waiting. • Numbers 19:17-19 – Water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer is sprinkled “on the third and seventh days” to cleanse those defiled by a corpse. • Deuteronomy 23:10-11 – Even soldiers in camp observe washing after uncleanness. These commands taught Israel to approach a holy God with clean hands and hearts. Common Old Testament Scenarios Requiring Purification • Contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:11-13) • Skin infections like leprosy (Leviticus 14) • Emissions or menstrual flow (Leviticus 15) • Eating or touching unclean animals (Leviticus 11) • Idolatrous defilement (2 Chronicles 29:15-16) Each situation ended with washing, waiting until evening or seven days, and often offering a sacrifice. Tools God Provided for Purification • Running water or immersion in a mikveh (Leviticus 15:13) • Sacrificial blood applied to altar and worshiper (Leviticus 17:11) • Hyssop dipped in water or blood for sprinkling (Psalm 51:7; Numbers 19:18) • The priestly declaration “clean” (Leviticus 13:17) God’s provision ensured that cleansing was always accessible through obedience. Spiritual Realities Foreshadowed • The outward wash pointed to the inward need: “Wash yourselves, cleanse yourselves; remove your evil deeds…” (Isaiah 1:16). • Ezekiel 36:25-26 promises, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean… I will give you a new heart.” • Hebrews 9:13-14 explains that if “the ashes of a heifer” sanctify, “how much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse our consciences.” The rituals were living parables anticipating Messiah’s ultimate cleansing. Bringing It Home to John 11:55 • Pilgrims obeyed the Law’s call to purity so they could eat the Passover lamb. • Ironically, while they purified themselves, leaders plotted to kill the true Lamb of God (John 11:53). • Their temporary washings contrasted with Jesus’ coming sacrifice, which would offer permanent purification (Hebrews 10:10). • The scene bridges Old Covenant practice and New Covenant fulfillment on the eve of the cross. Key Takeaways to Remember • Purification in the Old Testament centered on readiness to meet God. • Water, blood, and priestly pronouncement secured external cleanness but pointed beyond themselves. • John 11:55 shows Israel still honoring these commands as Passover approached. • Jesus, the anticipated Lamb, would soon provide the once-for-all cleansing the Law could only preview. |
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