When last did you go to a priest?
The man we meet in this true story was ordered by Jesus to go to a priest!
Why the priest? Let us find out why; and we will also learn about the Priest we need today!
This man had come to Jesus having great faith in His ability to heal him from the horrible disease of leprosy. Jesus is always ready to respond to true faith in Him, and so He said, "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him!
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him." 1*.
Today Jesus wants you to come to Him in true faith and to ask Him to make you clean from something far worse than leprosy! Never forget how terrible your sin is before God! Your sins separate you from God! 2*. Only Jesus can make you clean from your sins. 3*.
Have you put your trust in Him to do that for you, or are you still hoping the words and actions of other people or priests will do instead? Only Jesus Himself can save you. 4*.
Jesus then gave the leper this order; "Go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 5*.
In those days God had appointed priests to serve the people. One of their many duties was to inspect any person who claimed to have recovered from having a serious disease. If the priest was satisfied he would officially pronounce the person "clean". The person would then present a thank offering to God. 6*.
Can you picture the confidence with which this healed leper would approach the priest in order to be checked over? Jesus had done something for him that none of the priests could ever have done! Jesus hadn't just inspected him - Jesus had healed him! The evidence was a clear "testimony" to the work Jesus had completed!
Just as Jesus proved His power and purpose to be far superior to the priests in this story from Luke chapter 5, verses 12-16, His work would be superior in every way to the work of other priests.
At that time those priests were also responsible for offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. But Jesus had come to do His greatest work as our Priest - to pay for mankind's sin. So Jesus went to the cross where He "offered for all time one sacrifice for sins", and by that offering "He has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy." 7*.Jesus has proved He is the only Saviour by His death and resurrection for our sins. 8*. The offerings of other priests are no longer of any value or use. 9*.
Jesus' work as a priest to cleanse us from sin must never be passed on or shared with other priests. Make sure you are trusting in Jesus to do for you what no other priest could ever do: to forgive your sins and make you acceptable to God? 10*.
Bye for now, John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Hebrews 11:6.
2 Isaiah 59:2.
3 1st John 1:7-9.
4 Acts 4:12.
5 Luke 5:14.
6 Leviticus 14:2ff.
7 Hebrews 10:11-14.
8 Romans 4:20 - 5:2.
9 Hebrews 7:23-28.
10 1st Peter 3:18. 1st Timothy 2:5-6.