What is the meaning of Ezra 6:20?

All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean

• Ezra wants us to see that spiritual leaders began with personal holiness. The pattern echoes 2 Chronicles 29:15–17, where priests “purified themselves” before temple service, and the enduring call of Leviticus 11:44, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

• No priest or Levite tried to shortcut God’s standard; every one of them was ready, reminding us that ministry still starts with 1 John 1:9 cleansing and Romans 12:1 surrender.

---

And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb

• Originally each family head killed the lamb (Exodus 12:6), but reforms in 2 Chronicles 30:17 and 35:11 had Levites step in when worshipers couldn’t.

• Their obedience kept the ritual pure “at the place the LORD your God will choose” (Deuteronomy 16:6).

• The lamb points forward to John 1:29—Jesus, the greater Passover Lamb.

---

for all the exiles

• Everyone restored from Babylonian captivity, from elders to children, shared in the same atoning sacrifice, fulfilling Isaiah 35:10’s promise that “the ransomed of the LORD will return.”

• The Levites’ service models Romans 15:1–2: they bore the weaknesses of the many so all could worship.

---

for their priestly brothers

• Numbers 18:1–3 assigned Levites to assist priests; here, centuries later, they gladly do it.

• Galatians 6:2 reminds believers to “carry one another’s burdens.” Even clergy need help; none stand above the need for fellowship and support.

---

and for themselves

• Leviticus 16:11 describes Aaron offering a sacrifice “for himself and his household” before ministering for Israel. The pattern stands: leaders also must be covered.

• Hebrews 7:27 says earthly priests had to offer “first for their own sins.” Integrity means receiving the same grace we extend to others.

---

summary

Ezra 6:20 paints a picture of cleansed leaders serving a cleansed people through a God-appointed lamb. Holiness begins with the ministers, moves outward to the entire community, reaches fellow leaders, and finally circles back to the servants themselves. The verse quietly anticipates Christ, the ultimate Passover Lamb, and shows that honest, humble, scriptural obedience is still the path to fruitful worship.