On spots, mildew and bodily discharges

To a 21st Century reader, many of the regulations in Leviticus seem strange. Why does God seem obsessed with skin conditions, diet and mildew? I’ve blogged before that the root idea here is holiness. In some way these regulations are meant to preserve the holiness of the people and the ritual purity of the tabernacle. But what decides whether something makes you ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’? What principles are operating here?

You probably won’t be surprised to know that there is much debate about this. Here are some of the suggestions:

1. Some regulations seem designed to prevent the Israelites from indulging in the religious practices of the pagan Canaanite nations. E.g. the regulations about sex and contact with corpses prevent cult prostitution and ancestor worship.

2. Many of the ‘unclean’ things are related to weakness, illness or death (e.g. decay, loss of blood, animals that feed off carrion, etc.). Holiness is about life and wholeness. There is something symbolic going on here.

3. There could be a health-related element, too. The ritual washing keeps up levels of personal (including sexual) hygiene. The ‘clean’ animals in many cases are the ones least likely to cause food poisoning or other illnesses.

These are just three possibilities, and it’s quite possible that the true answer is a combination of these and more. What we do know is that this idea of holiness and purity was woven into the everyday life of every Israelite. Every day carried many opportunities to live out and develop loyalty and obedience towards God.

Jump ahead to Mark’s gospel and we can see something of the radical nature of Jesus’ ministry (something the Pharisees hated). He effectively declares all foods clean (7:19). He touches a dead girl and is touched by a woman whose bleeding makes her ‘unclean’. But instead of becoming unclean himself, he gives them life and wholeness (5:21-43). In the same way, he touches someone with leprosy and makes them well / whole / clean (1:40-45). The laws of Leviticus were not wrong. They were right for their time and place. But Jesus is bringing in a new era (‘the kingdom of God is near’). He has come to make the unclean clean, the impure pure, the unholy holy. And he does that for us, too.