Leprosy was such a serious condition in the ancient world that exile from the community was a necessary prescription to ensure its containment. That is why a diagnosis of leprosy was so devastating. It often meant the end of a individual's social connections and relationships. When a person was healed, imagine how exhilarating it would be for them to re-join the community!
Leviticus 14 outlines the sacrifices and rituals that were to be observed when a previously unclean person is now pronounced "clean" by the priest. While it may sound strange and foreign to our ears, think how bizarre some of our medical procedures and treatments would seem to those of another culture! A CAT Scan? X Ray? Dialysis? The sacrifices were the way that the nation of Israel marked the restoration of one who had been previously banished.
That is why the lepers healed in Jesus' day were so joyful (Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 17:11-19). Jesus respected this Old Testament law and ordered that they comply with the ritual for their cleansing and restoration.
Have you ever been "grounded" or unable to do something or participate in something because of a health concern? How did it feel when you got better and could return to doing what you had been wanting to do?
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