Leviticus 14:2 “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:
It can be very difficult for someone when they have become an outcast to return to society. We see this today when convicted felons try to return from prison and enter the real world again. They have great difficulty finding employment because of their past. And if you can’t get a job, it is hard to pay any bills, like rent, food, transportation.
We see this as we read history. When Germany lost WWI the penalties imposed by the victors made it impossible for Germany to stand up on its own. They were so oppressed that Hitler’s message of strength was accepted and good news. Even after WWII, recovery was very difficult for all countries. War robs the future!
The United States help helped both Germany and Japan rebuild after the war. It was our tax dollars and the energy of these two country’s people that fueled the rebuilding. Now they both stand on their own feet. But they couldn’t have done it without our intervention and help.
But restoration is necessary. People and countries need a way to rejoin society. Even Russia will need a way to rejoin after their war with Ukraine. Redemption must be possible.
Our text follows several chapters about how people become “unclean” and are removed from normal contact with the group as a whole. Much of this has to do with skin diseases that we now have the ability to cure. But they didn’t, and they needed a way to protect the community as a whole.
So as a result, people would be exiled from the community, living on the fringes, out of contact with their old life. Can you imagine what that would be like? Imagine being restricted and not able to go to funerals, weddings, meals, church, school? Oh, I guess we can imagine this, can’t we!
So how do those who become “clean” again return to the community? That is what our text begins to tell the community of Israel. These are the steps to take in that situation. It gives hope to the community and to the individuals involved. There is a pathway to restoration.
How do we as communities of faith bring people back into our collective folds? How do we mark restoration? How do we include those who have once been on the outside of social norms? What do we do that signals they are included?
But even more importantly, how do we treat them? Do we really accept them back in, or do we still hold them at a distance? What do we do with our own mistrust and suspicions? It can be difficult to put the past in the past for both sides. How do we make this transition?
Some churches have the Celebrate Recovery group that helps people make the transition. They support and care and provide a bridge from the past to the future. Prison Fellowship provides support for those who move from incarceration to the outside, helping former prisoners rejoin healthy communities and regain control over their lives.
But it isn’t just these extreme cases that need a way to join. Those who begin their journey with Jesus need a way to leave their past and be integrated into their new family, the Body of Christ. How do we help them begin and sustain their walk? What mechanisms do we have that bring them on board and then get them eating meat and beyond the milk?
The Arnold Journey 