The basic process is to wash all the dirty (now smelly) water out with clean water then let the item dry in the sun. This is a tedious process, so lots of things that were once precious are now on the pile to throw out.
Cleansing was no less complex for lepers: The now-clean leper is to go show himself "to the priest and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded".
Moses' commands are found in Leviticus 14.
To summarise this process for a poor man:
- The priest takes the man away from a settled area to examine him for signs of leprosy
- If the leper is found to be clean, the priest will take two "clean and living birds", apparently wild birds, often sparrows. (Was this why two sparrows are sold?) The priest kills one bird over a stream and catches it's blood in an earthen vessel.
- The living bird, along with some cedar wood, scarlet (dyed wool) and hyssop (cleansing herb), is dipped into the blood.
- The drenched living bird is sprinkled, seven times, over the leper, who is now pronounced clean.
- The living bird is released there in the field.
- The now-clean man washes his clothes, shaves completely and washes himself.
- The man goes home, but he is not allowed inside, he has to camp outside for seven days.
- On the seventh day he shaves again (head, beard, eyebrows), washes his clothes and himself in water and "he shall be clean".
- On the eighth day he visits the temple for the first time, taking a male lamb, two doves or young pigeons, 2 litres of fine flour mixed with oil and 300mls of oil. He gives these things to priest at the temple door.
- The priest takes the lamb, as a trespass offering - "to make atonement for him", and the oil and "waves" them before the LORD. The priest then kills the lamb and puts some of its blood on the man's right ear, right thumb and right right big toe.
- The priest pours some of the oil into his left palm and using his right-hand fingers, sprinkles some of the oil "seven times before the LORD", he puts some on the man's right ear, thumb and big toe on top of the blood and the rest is put on the man's head "to make atonement".
- The priest offers one of the doves as a sin offering and the other with the grain as a burnt offering.
Why did Jesus command him to do this, he was obviously clean. already. Why go through all this unnecessary ritual?
Some of the reasons may have been:
- As LORD himself, Jesus would uphold the laws that He Himself had told Moses to enact.
- The purpose of the ritual was to "make atonement", and Jesus' purpose was to preach the good news of atonement.
- His stated purpose in this verse, is that it would be a testimony to the priests. He was intent on converting the priests and didn't want any "illegal" behaviour to get in the way of their acceptance of Him
- My cleansing.requires lots of blood and a long process. It is no simple, one-off event.
- The birds show me justification: Jesus died and washed in that blood I am "free as a bird".
- The wait outside home shows me that, despite the fact that I am clean, I still haven't "arrived" yet, I am still not home, there is more to be done. In a way I'm on probation.
- The real atonement, becoming close to God, didn't happen out in the field, it happens through Christ's sacrifice and work as a priest.
- This atonement is only complete when the "Lamb's" life blood has made a restitution for my wasted and filthy life and the same blood has been applied to my all hearing, doing and going And then the oil (the Spirit?) sanctifies those same areas and blesses my clean-shaven head. So now I am consecrated to God in the same way as a priest.
- The atonement is complete, I am back with God!. But the process is not finished yet. A sin offering must be made. Even though I am clean and at peace with God, I still offend Him. Christ as my High Priest must continue to present His blood for me in the heavenly sanctuary.
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