Please Do Not Lay This Sin On Us: Numbers 12:1-15

Numbers 12:1-15: "1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!' 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!' 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.' 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again."

In this pericope, we again see discontentment and jealousy. But this time it is not from the Israelite people, but from Moses' very own flesh and blood. We can see from the fact that Miriam's name is listed before Aaron's and the fact that she is the one plagued with leprosy, that she was in deed the instigator of the rebellion against Moses, the man of God. She, having convinced her brother Aaron, complain to Moses that they should be the ones in charge, since they too, have the Spirit of God, Miriam being a prophetess, and Aaron being the high priest. They also were the elder siblings of Moses. There is perhaps therefore, a hint of sibling rivalry.

This raises the whole question of why are some people chosen to serve our Lord God in the role of minister, and why others are not?

We learn from Holy Scripture that only men can serve in the office of holy ministry. We see that from the writings of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Corinth. We see it in the selection of the Apostles (all men) by our Lord Jesus. We see in the selection of those elected as Deacons (all men) in Jerusalem. And also in the selection of Bishops in the Early Church, such as St. Titus and St. Timothy. We also see it in the Old Testament where not only was the priests, and the high priest, to be men, but from the tribe of Levi. No one else from another tribe could serve in this capacity. We can also see this in the selection of the Kings and prophets of the Old Testament who were all men.

But not even all men are chosen for the role of minister. This can be seen in the fact that only one tribe out of the twelve of Israel, were to serve as priests. This is also true, because not every man was a prophet. There were only twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus. There were only seventy (or seventy-two) men sent out by our Lord to preach His Word in certain cities. (Their names are recorded by St. Hippolytus). Only certain men were chosen as Bishops, and only certain men served as companions of the Apostles, or presbyters (sometimes referred to as elders), or deacons. Therefore, even though our Lord God chooses only men to serve as ministers, even then, not all men are to serve in this role.

There are even those, who may have certain spiritual gifts, who are gifted in their knowledge of holy Scripture, and in their ability to explain the Word of God to other people, who are not allowed to hold this office. It is also certain that those who are manifest sinners are not to serve in this role, such as homosexuals, and other people who continue to go on sinning, showing no signs of repentance, and obeying God's commands. Someone who cannot obey God, is a poor example to those to whom he has been charged to teach the command and will of God. In short, God chooses who will serve in this role. We should not usurp His authority on this, no matter how gifted the individual may seem.

In this reading, Moses has been chosen by God to lead the people. Miriam and Aaron, although gifted with the Holy Spirit of God, are not chosen into this office of leading the people. Miriam and Aaron are even given the reason for why Moses is chosen before and above them. For He communicates with Moses in a way that He does not communicate with them. With them, He communicates through dreams and visions, but with Moses, He communicates face to face, like a familiar friend.

Then our Lord God, shows us how seriously He takes the office into which He places men to lead. And how serious He is that no one should usurp the office for their own ends, and for their own desires. Even if these desires are good ones. For He causes Miriam to be leprous. When this happens, we see something very interesting. Aaron, does not petition the Lord God himself, no longer presuming to speak to the Lord in the same way that Moses does, but instead petitions Moses to plead on his behalf. Which he does.

Another interesting thing, is that our Lord God does not heal Miriam instantly, but instead makes her to suffer outside the camp by herself for seven days. This is the same requirement that is listed in the Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, for the treatment of lepers.

Therefore, in this pericope, we see that our Lord, not only again takes covetousness very serious, but He also shows that those He has placed into the office of holy ministry, should be held in honor, for He has placed them into this office. We are told of Moses, that He was humble. It was this humility that made him perfect for the holy office which he was given. For true men of God, when they are placed into positions of authority, reveal their humility, and serve the Lord God with their whole heart and mind. Desiring to do His will, and not their own. Those who try to usurp the office of holy ministry by ignoring God's Word, or worse, changing it to fit their own selfish and sinful desires, already show they lack the one quality that makes them fit for the holy office, and that is humility. For a truly humble person, will submit to God's will, even, and especially, when it is contrary to his own will.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Power of the Lord Was Present to Heal Them: St. Luke 5:12-39

St. Luke 5:12-39: "12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.' 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, 'But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.' 15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. 17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you.' 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, 'Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, 'Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Rise up and walk?" 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'--He said to the man who was paralyzed, 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' 25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, 'We have seen strange things today!' 27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, 'Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' 31 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.' 33 Then they said to Him, 'Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?' 34 And He said to them, 'Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.' 36 Then He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, "The old is better."'

We are told by the Evangelist St. Luke that in a certain city our Lord Jesus was met by a man full of leprousy. We learned from the Evangelist St. Mark that this "certain city" was Capernaum. Why does the Evangelist St. Luke leave out the specific name of the city? It is because he is showing that this healing of the leper, although a specific instance here, happened throughout the land wherever our Lord Jesus went. And so, this same event happened often in many different places, and St. Luke, by relating one instance, relates all curing of lepers done by our Lord Jesus.

What is interesting about this healing embraces two things. One, the manner in which the leper approaches our Lord. And two, the fashion in which Lord Jesus heals the leper. In the first instance, the leper "fell on his face, and implored him." He approached Him as one would approach God. Let us first look at the ceremonial laws regarding lepers, for it will give us a greater understanding of what is happening here. For the full description of these laws governing leprousy, one can find them in Leviticus 13-14. Leprousy is a disease of the skin, that involves sores. It is still around today, but it is called "Hansen's disease." It can also be treated with a simple cream applied to the sores.

But for the Israelites of our Lord Jesus' time, and for the time during Moses, a leper had no cure. And this disease was very contagious. So if a leprous person touched another person, they could also acquire the disease. For this reason, lepers were considered "unclean." If one was diagnosed as a leper, and they were diagnosed by the priests, who would look at the sore, and determine if it was just a rash, or some other skin irration, or if it was indeed leprousy. If it was leprousy, then the person would be declared unclean, he would then be isolated from the rest of the people, most likely with other leprous people, he was to tear his clothes, and shave his head, and cover his mustache, and if he was out and about, and other people passed by, he was to shout out, "Unclean, unclean!" So that the person who they passed by knew that he was not to be approached on account of his leprousy.

The same was true when the leper was healed of his leprousy. He was to show himself to the priest, he was to shave his head, and wash himself and his clothes, and wait seven days outside his tent but among the people to see if it would return. If after seven days, he was still clean, he would shave his head again, along with his beard and eyebrows, and wash his clothes and his body, and then he would be clean. There were also sacrificial rituals attached to this as well. The most interesting being the taking of two clean birds, along with some cedar wood, and scarlet, then killing one of the birds over running water in a earthen vessel, and dipping the other bird, the cedar wood and scarlet into the blood of the other bird, and setting the alive bird free in a field as an atonement for the leper. For the complete details on the sacrificial element, they are in chapter 14 of Leviticus.

What is interesting about the approach of this leper to Jesus, is that he doesn't call out "Unclean, unclean!" like he was supposed to but instead approaches our Lord and falls on his face before Him. The priests were the only ones who could declare a leper clean or unclean, so what this leper is professing with his actions, is that our Lord Jesus is the True Priest. For what does he say? "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Now consider for a moment that this leper, on account of his uncleanness, could not worship in the synagogues, he could not approach let alone come into the Temple. He was by law forced to live by himself. Therefore this individual was forbidden to be anywhere near the people of God, or the Church. And only a priest could grant that.

We see in this individual his great desire to be a part of the Church, and so he goes to the One Man Who can grant that desire. So, he shows himself to the True Priest, to be declared clean, so that he might worship the Lord again with the other people.

Even more strange than the man's behavior, is our Lord Jesus' behavior, for our Lord does not run away, or take a few steps back, but instead proclaims that He is willing to make this man clean. Then He doesn't something which was forbidden by ceremonial law, that is, to touch the unclean person. But in this He shows that He, as true God, has power over uncleanness, for our Lord is so pure and clean, that He can pass that cleanness along to this leper, so that he may be healed. The leper is then told to go and show himself to the priests, and he would be declared clean, and be allowed to once again enter into the synagogue and the Temple. In short, he would be welcomed back into the Church.

In this we see a picture of Private Confession and Absolution. For on account of our sin, we are leprous and unclean. But when we confess our sins, we are approaching the True Priest through the man of God who serves in His place, and having confessed our sins, and asked to be made clean, the Lord Jesus, through the minister, pronounces that we are clean, by pronouncing us forgiven of sins. We then live no longer as one leprous and unclean, that is, we do not return and immediately keep doing the sin which we just confessed and professed to not do anymore, but we instead, seek to live according to God's commandments.

This healing of the leper also brings to mind the restoration of someone who has been excommunicated. For they have been barred from receiving Holy Communion, just like the leper was forbidden to approach unto the synagogue. But after repentance of the sin, and confessing that what he did was wrong, the Church welcomes him back with open arms, no longer considering him unclean.

Therefore, we as the Church desire, like our Lord Jesus, that all those who remain outside, full of leprousy, unclean from sin, may show themselves to the priests, that is, the ministers of Giod, and confess their sins, and desire for themselves to be made clean through the waters of Holy Baptism, that they, like this leper, may be made a part of the synagogue of our Lord.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas