Leviticus 14:13, commentary and pictures

Leviticus 14:13 belongs to the law of Moses, the ceremonial ritual law, which lays out the offerings and priestly procedure for a person cleansed of leprosy. It requires the cleansed leper to bring the prescribed offering to the priest, including the lamb slain in the place where the sin offering and burnt offering are killed, in the holy place, as a most holy trespass offering that is the priest's as the sin offering is. These offering requirements were religious precepts given to govern daily life and to explain and guard the moral law. They were types that remained in force until Christ's death, when type met antitype, and Christ's death reveals what they represented.

Under the laws concerning leprosy, a diseased person had to be examined by a priest, declared unclean, and separated from family and the community of Israel. A healed leper had to go to the priest, be thoroughly examined, and be publicly pronounced entirely free from disease, sound in health, and able to reunite with family and friends without endangering them, before the priest could accept the cleansing offering. That examination and offering provided public certification that the person was free and could return to family and society.

Jesus honored this requirement and directed the healed man to go to the priests who had banished him and present the offering Moses commanded. In doing so He showed respect for the ritual law and for the Jewish law and code. His direction proved that His teaching was not opposed to the law of Moses and disproved the charge against Him.

The required examination, public pronouncement and certification, and offering stood as irrefutable public testimony to the priests and to the people that His healing power was divine. It revealed His power and love and made the restored man a witness among Israel.