Observation: Some of the religious laws in the Torah read almost like public health regulations. And in a way, they are. This collection of verses is instruction for priests on how to spot an infectious disease like leprosy, how to quarantine and, if necessary, destroy a house in which it is found, and how to inspect to ensure the sufferer has become healthy again. Before doctors, the priests were the experts on health and disease.
Application: I'm glad we now have a public health system, and we know more about how diseases spread and how to treat them. Being sick in Biblical times would have been awful. I'm glad we (generally) trust doctors and nurses to care for the sick.
But as Christians (Martin Luther called us the "priesthood of all believers") we're not totally off the hook. We have doctors to diagnose physical diseases, but it's still important for us to know how to spot spiritual diseases. By this, I definitely do not mean mental illness: rather, I mean attitudes that we often take for granted that are harmful to our neighbors and ourselves. Just as Jesus had a keen eye for spotting spiritual illness--he could sense greed, xenophobia, and self-righteousness from a hundred paces--it's vitally important for us to train our own sight. Spiritual illness doesn't just go away on its own, and it's human nature to let it go untreated. That's where followers of Jesus come in. Let's be the priesthood the world needs.
Prayer: God, heal my spirit. Heal me of my need for control, my inability to trust in you. Help me to walk humbly alongside your other patients, as we come to you for care. Amen.
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