Closer Look: Show Yourselves to the Priests

Explain that the lepers stood at a distance from Jesus when they cried out to Him for healing because, according to Leviticus 13:45-46, those with skin diseases deemed "defiling" had to live outside the city, tear their clothes, and shout "unclean!" when they came into contact with others. Ask: Why did Jesus tell the lepers to go and show themselves to the priests (in v. 14)? Allow learners to respond, and then explain that the book of Leviticus prescribed a specific and complicated protocol for those who believed they had been healed from leprosy and various other skin diseases to undergo inspection by the priest before he declared them “clean” and eligible to re-enter society. Explain the process for restoring a person with a healed skin disease back into society:

• The process included several steps conducted over an eight-day period of time.
• First, the priest inspected the person outside the camp (Lev. 14:2).
• If the priest declared the person healed, he conducted a sacrificial ceremony (Lev. 14:4-7).
• The healed person would wash his clothes, shave his head, and bathe (Lev. 14:8a).
• For the next seven days, he was allowed inside the town, but not his own home (Lev. 14:8b).
• On the seventh day, he shaved his hair, beard, and eyebrows, then bathed and washed his clothes again (Lev. 14:9).
• On the eighth day, after more sacrifices were offered, the person was restored back to cleanliness and to society (Lev. 14:10-11).

Ask: By telling the lepers to go show themselves to the priest, what did Jesus imply? (Jesus was letting the lepers know that they were going to be cured before He actually cured them.) Ask: What compelled the lepers to find the priests who could declare them “clean”? Allow for discussion, and then emphasize that it was still a tremendous act of faith that the lepers went to the priests before Jesus had actually healed them.