“‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.’”
Leviticus 15:31 (NIV)

Wee ones are hilarious as they are developing their vocabularies. A few I remember from our girls was that an umbrella was a “rainbrella” (made sense). When grandma was having a heat flash and suddenly her face was covered with sweat, she was “raining.” When something was dirty or nasty or something you shouldn’t touch, it was “acky.” This, as I recall, became a euphemism for when they did the number two in their diapers. They would tell me they were “acky.”

Today is the last of several chapters regarding the distinctions of “clean” and “unclean” that God gave the ancient Hebrews. These distinctions were part of system of rituals and offerings given to newly appointed priests. God was preparing the ancient Hebrews to live in community with God dwelling in the center of their camp in a traveling tent temple. A Holy God, Creator of the heavens and the earth who created human beings. When they were deceived and disobeyed God’s one prohibitive command, they became “unholy.” A series of judgments followed and they were sent from God’s presence.

A Holy God desires only holy things to be in His presence.

A good parent teaches a their young child that we can’t abide with “acky” in any of its forms in our home community. Mom and Dad won’t put up with it. It could be a poopy diaper, it could be dirty hands and clothes after playing outside, or it could be that gross moldy leftover in the fridge. If it’s “acky” then we need to avoid it and clean it up. We want a clean and healthy house.

God is teaching His toddler children the same spiritual lesson through daily life rituals. And, as I pondered these things in the quiet this morning I was reminded that the ritual cleansing for most of these forms of “acky” were as simple as washing up. The ritual “uncleanness” lasted no more than the end of the day. Being unclean wasn’t a condemnation. The cleansing wasn’t punitive. The entire was system was about what was good for the community and God not being able to abide “acky” in His people and His presence at the tent temple

Today’s final chapter of “unclean” distinctions is all about human “discharges” that made a person ritually unclean. It included both male sexual discharge and female bleeding that happens with her monthly menstrual cycle. As I read the part about men being unclean for the rest of the day after having sex, I couldn’t help but laugh. I am quite sure that his was a “thing” between Hebrew dudes in the day.

“Hey Josh? Want to grab some grilled goat poppers and wine in the market with me and the bros?”

“Nah! I’m ‘unclean ’til evening,’ if you know what I mean.”

“Ha! Good for you, dude!”

Joking aside, the downside of the ritual distinctions came when the realities of living in a fallen world of sickness and death made being ritually clean impossible. Such as a woman who because of a medical issues has been vaginally bleeding continuously for twelve years. There was no easy ceremony. Being ritually clean was impossible. This was a tragic circumstance.

When Jesus arrives on the scene a thousand years later, He makes it clear that it was exactly these kinds of tragic situations that He came to “clean up” once, and for all. His sacrifice would provide a way for anyone, now matter how perpetually unclean, to be washed in Living Water, to be made holy, and to have God’s Spirit take up residence inside them.

This larger spiritual truth is beautifully embodied in the story of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Perpetually unclean, she was an outcast. Her family kicked her out. She had no friends, no life, and no hope. Her perpetual, “ritual” uncleanness made her every day existence unbearable. In desperation, she throws a Hail Mary. She thinks to herself that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak, perhaps she would be healed like all the others she’d seen Him heal.

Driven by her faith, she pushed her way to Him through the crowd that was pressed in like a can of sardines. In doing so, she was making everyone she touched ritually unclean, and if they found out the consequences could be socially (and perhaps physically) lethal. Jesus doesn’t even know that she is there until her fingers touch his cloak and He feels the holy flow of divine power. She knew better than anyone else that she was “unclean.” Her faith in what Jesus could do for her forever healed her.

The beauty of her story is that it points to the larger spiritual lesson that God has forever been telling from the beginning of the Great Story. Our sin is “acky” and can’t be abided in God’s House. We can no more clean up our own sin than our two-year old granddaughter could change her own diaper. No, someone has to do that for her. That’s what Jesus came to do through His sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection.

Jesus cleaned up my perpetual, spiritual “acky” condition, and then He came to abide in me.

If you’ve never seen it, may I highly recommend that you watch this compilation of scenes from The Chosen that tells the story of the woman who was bleeding for twelve years? It’s well done, and captures the heart of what I’ve been trying say better than I could ever write it. Have a good weekend, my friend.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.