Emphasis Preaching Journal

Leprosy was mostly an issue of being ritually unclean. While the person had the disease, others could also become ritually unclean by having contact with him. Ritual uncleanness required one to appear as a mourner and go into isolation. Once the disease was passed, the leper could be ritually cleansed and take his place in the community again. Consciously, we do not have the same sense about ritual uncleanness that was present in the Israelite community at that time. But possibly we still harbor a fear that some form of ritual uncleanness can affect us if we are not careful.