John Calvin Commentary Leviticus 14:2

"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest:" — Leviticus 14:2 (ASV)

This shall be the law of the leper. Moses now discusses the manner in which those cured of leprosy were to be cleansed and restored. Until now, he had shown whom the priest was to admit into the holy congregation and consider clean. He now prescribes the rite of expiation, by which the people might learn how greatly God detests the uncleanness that He commands to be purified by a solemn propitiation. This was also so that the one who is healed might acknowledge that he is rescued from death by God’s special blessing, and might in the future be more diligent in seeking to be pure.

For there were two parts in the sacrifice demanded here: purification and thanksgiving. But we must always keep in view the objective I stated in the last chapter: that the Israelites were instructed by this ceremony to serve God in chastity and purity, and to keep far away from those defilements by which religion would be profaned.

Since, then, leprosy was a kind of pollution, God was unwilling for those cured of it to be received into the holy congregation,¹³ except after offering a sacrifice, as if the priest reconciled them after excommunication.

Let us now discuss the points worthy of consideration. The duty of cleansing is assigned to the priest; yet he is forbidden to cleanse anyone except those who were already pure and clean. In this, on the one hand, God claims for Himself the honor of the cure, so that men should not assume it. On the other hand, He also establishes the discipline that He desires to prevail in His Church.

To clarify this, forgiving sins belongs only to God. What, then, remains for humans, except to be witnesses and heralds of the grace He confers? Therefore, God’s minister can absolve no one whom God has not already absolved. In summary, absolution is not in human power or will; the minister only plays a subordinate role, to endorse God’s judgment or, rather, to proclaim God’s sentence.

Hence that remarkable expression from Isaiah: I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, O Israel, and none but me.¹⁴ (Isaiah 43:25). In this sense, too, God everywhere promises through the prophets that the people will be clean when He has cleansed them.

Meanwhile, however, this does not prevent those called to the office of teaching from purging the people’s uncleanness in a particular way. For since faith alone purifies the heart, insofar as it receives the testimony God offers through human speech, the minister who testifies that we are reconciled to God is justly considered to take away our pollution.

This expiation is still in effect, though the ceremony has long been out of use. But since the spiritual healing we receive by faith proceeds from God’s mere grace, human ministry does not in any way detract from His glory.

Let us remember, then, that these two things are perfectly consistent: God is the sole author of our purity, and yet the method He uses for our justification must not, for that reason, be neglected. This properly relates to discipline: whoever has once been cast out of the holy congregation by public authority must not be received again except upon professing penitence and a new life.

We must also observe that this jurisdiction was given to the priests not only because they represented Christ, but also in respect to the ministry we share with them.

¹³ “Rentrassent au rang de ses enfans;” should be restored to the rank of His children. — ;” should be restored to the rank of His children. — Fr..

¹⁴ The words in italics seem to be added paraphrastically by C..