Leviticus 12:1-13:59
Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:42-5:19

Leviticus 14:1-15:33
Haftarah: 2 Kings 7:3-20

This Torah portion, scheduled for April 18, 2026, covers the laws for cleanliness and purification for women who give birth, for lepers, for diseased objects and homes, and healthy and unhealthy bodily discharges of male and female alike. Yay… The Haftarah covers the story of Naaman the leper, along with a little story just a few verses long that I completely forgot about, and the story of the four lepers who discovered the abandonment of the enemy Syrian camp. I would like to take some time to discuss a fascinating parallel between two men: Naaman, the man upon whom the king of Syria leaned, and the unnamed servant upon whom the king of Israel leaned, their faith and obedience (or lack thereof), and their fates as a result of their response to faith and obedience. I would also like to take some time and discuss leprosy in the eyes of the rabbis that the Church does not consider. This is a double portion, which allows for this compare/contrast this year. As always, I’m going to point out the Messiah in the Torah and also in this little brief (even forgotten) story in 2 Kings about the “man of God” that is only a few verses long. There is a lot in this pairing of portions, so again, I can’t be comprehensive, but I will try to do it justice.

She Conceived and Gave Birth

⁶ “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, ⁷ and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. ⁸ And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean (Lev. 12:6-8).

Jesus was obedient to the Torah before He could physically do anything Himself out of obedience. As an infant, Mary did it for him.

²² And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Lk. 2:22-24).

We know from this passage that they were very poor, because they did not offer the regular sacrifice, but rather the one that God permitted if they could not afford the regular offering.

Isaiah 53 says,

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him (Is. 53:2).

What majesty does a poor person in the Roman Empire have? What beauty? None. What’s desirable about poverty? The prophet Isaiah told us He had to be poor, and Luke makes sure to record for us, just in case there was any question, that He was poor, and that from birth, Mary kept her life and His obedient to the Torah.

The Communicable Sin

Leprosy’s connection to a specific sin according to the rabbis is “rarely commented on by Christian theologians,” but apparently “[h]istorically, the rabbis have seen tzara’at [leprosy] as an outward sign of an inward problem…a result of lashon hara, speaking evil of other people” (Complete Jewish Study Bible, 144-145). Miriam was turned leprous for speaking against Moses, the leader of the Israelites, for example. But Biblically, that wasn’t always the case. Job was covered in boils from head to toe, and his friends thought all his tragedy had come upon him because of sin, which was not the case. In the New Testament, the disciples asked Jesus if a man was born blind because of his sins or his parents’ sins (Jn. 9:2). Jesus said neither. Although the question was not raised in regard to leprosy, I think Jesus’ truth can still apply. The Bible seems to say that sometimes our physical condition, such as leprosy, can be a consequence of our choices, but not always.

Leprosy does make a good metaphor for gossip. Gossip spreads like wildfire, and the conditions that fall under the definition of leprosy were bacterial and highly communicable. The lepers had to be removed from the camp and put outside the camp of Israel. Gossip and speaking evil of others in the new Testament seem to have been treated similarly.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels (2 Tim. 2:23).

By having nothing to do with people who had a chronic problem with gossip and foolish ignorant controversies, the church was putting them “outside the camp” figuratively speaking.

It’s important to stop and be self-reflective, and this portion provides me one of those moments.

you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? (Rom. 2:21).

If you read my last post, I was pretty critical of a pastor of my church. I have to take pause and ask myself, “Am I being a gossip? Am I speaking evil of another, especially a leader, like Miriam did?”

A quick dictionary definition of gossip is this: “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others” (Dictionary.com). Does my criticism match this? Not entirely, but I was wording it as if I knew the pastor’s intentions in preaching Numbers. I need to back off that, but I can say that his sermon is very public, not private, and he has likewise publicly said he wants to preach through the Bible and we will not hear him preach from Leviticus again. He also “put his foot on the pedal” to hurry up and finish the book. I surmised this conclusion from his public statements, but I will back pedal and confess that I should not assume the thoughts and intentions of others. Is my criticism regarding a private affair? Definitely not. The Bible must be held in reverence, every part of it, and his sermon was public. Miriam, on the other hand, was not criticizing one of Moses’ messages. She and Aaron “spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married” (Num. 12:1). It was not a matter of upholding the Lord as holy or a community affair. It was about a private affair, marriage, and one that was not Biblically forbidden.

My situation seems very different than this, but I still need to be careful and watch myself and guard myself. I shared that story because I think it’s relevant to a greater problem in the Christian world and making it a talking point can help identify and counter the unequal treatment of Scripture and replacement theology. I did not tell you the name of the pastor or the church so as not to influence a general public opinion of them. I have tried going directly to the pastor about some of my concerns, but he doesn’t seem to care. I won’t assume that, but his lack of responsiveness leaves room for that possibility. The best I can do is learn from this and use it as an anecdote for the larger problem in the Christian world. Now that my disclaimer is over, let’s get back to the Word.

Lepers Are Cleansed

In Leviticus chapter 13, the Hebrew word nega’, translated as “disease” in the ESV, literally means “touch.” I wouldn’t have guessed that one. Apparently, there was “the widespread, ancient belief that gods afflicted persons by their touch” (The JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 76). I can see this being the case with demons whom people worshiped as gods. But it also is an expression of a condition sent by God, for God “touched” Uziah so that he was a leper the rest of his life (see 2 Kings 15:5). But when you get to the Son of God Who enters the picture, you see something different. Jesus’ touch cleanses lepers and in fact every disease: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Mt. 11:5). Matthew 9:25 says, “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” Concerning Jesus’ healing touch, here is one story about one of those lepers Jesus healed:

² And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ³ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them” (Mt. 8:2-4).

Now what was the gift Moses commanded be offered? It’s recorded right here in Leviticus 13. In basic summary, a priest went to the person who was healed to examine them and declare them clean. If they were healed, the priest took an earthenware vessel, cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet yarn, and two live ritually clean birds (those deemed clean according to the laws in Leviticus 11). Over a source of living water (Heb. mayim hayim), they should kill one of the birds in the earthenware vessel, drain its blood into the vessel, dip the live bird with the other accessories into the blood in the vessel, sprinkle the leper seven times with the blood, then let the live bird go into the wilderness. According to my commentary, the live bird carried the evil that caused the disease away, and it would have been a type a bird that would not return. (The hyssop, scarlet yarn, and cedarwood are also part of the process for making ashes of the red heifer that purified individuals who have come in contact with a dead body. It’s interesting to see how similar the details are for these different rituals, but I will try to stay focused here.) Once this ritual is accomplished, the leper is now clean, but he still needs to take a bath, shave, wash his clothes, and live in the community again but outside of his own house for a week. Then he is supposed to take another bath, shave again, and wash his clothes.

When he is clean to enter the tabernacle, he is supposed to bring two male lambs and one ewe, along with a grain offering and oil. One male lamb was a guilt offering, one male lamb was a burnt offering, and the female lamb was a sin offering (If you want my breakdown of these different types of offering, check out my earlier posts The Burnt Offering He Called for and The Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering He Called for). The order was guilt offering, sin offering, then burnt offering. After the guilt offering was made, the priest took some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the cleansed leper, then poured some of the oil into his left hand and sprinkled with the oil seven times “before the Lord,” then applied some of the oil to the former leper’s right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe (like the dedication ritual for priests, but again I will try to stay focused), then took the rest of the oil in his left hand an put it on top of the cleansed leper. Then the sin offering and the burnt offering were offered. “The rites ordained for the purification of a person who had suffered from tsara’at are among the most elaborate in the priestly laws” (The JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 84). Yeah, I can see that. There has to be a significant reason for it, or God wouldn’t go through the trouble of detailing it and instructing his people to observe this protocol. So let’s dive right in. First, let’s take a look at each of the elements required for the first cleansing ritual: the birds, the vessel, the scarlet yarn, the hyssop, and the cedar, and how they point to Messiah. Then, let’s look at the second ritual performed in the tabernacle and how that foreshadows Messiah too and the giving of His Spirit to those He makes clean. I won’t promise to capture everything, but I’ll tackle what I can in this largely enigmatic passage to Christians.

Is there a place in the New Testament where Jesus is associated with living water, an earthen vessel, and clean birds? Yes.

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus is God incarnate, and His body is the earthen vessel (see my earlier post The Order, Fire, Clay Pot, and Third Day about this). Living water represents the Holy Spirit (Jn. 7:37-39), and the Holy Spirit was present at Jesus’ baptism that was in living water (the Jordan). But there’s more to this that one would miss unless they know well the Torah instructions for cleansing lepers.

Let me take a side step and tack on a deeper context to the Holy Spirit as a dove. Before God created the earth, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:2). Then God made the world. When God sent the flood, the world was in chaos, and He made the world new after that. Noah sent out birds to fly to and fro for a landing place. When the dove he sent out did not return, Noah knew God had provided a new world and a new home for them to live in. God had re-made the world. When Jesus came, the world was in the chaos and disorder of sin. At Jesus’ baptism, a dove descended over the water and landed on Jesus. He is that new hope for the world. He is that sign of promise of new hope and life for the world after judgment. In Revelation, Jesus says,

“Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:5).

Getting back to Leviticus, instead of a clean bird “set free to carry away the evil of the disease” in the ritual cleansing of the leper (JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 83), the Holy Spirit in the form of a bird lands on Jesus. I would argue this could be symbolic of God taking the evil removed from us and placing it on Jesus. I’m not saying the Holy Spirit as a dove embodies or represents evil. No way! Rather, the bird carried away the evil, and here, the bird lands on Jesus. God removes our sin. Our evil was placed upon Him:

I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day (Zech. 3:9).

the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6b).

What about the cedar and scarlet yarn and hyssop? Those weren’t in the baptism of Jesus, right? Not that we know of, no. But we do see wood (the type is unspecified) and scarlet and hyssop associated with Jesus’ crucifixion. Between the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the end, you have it all. The sacrificed bird was “together with” (‘Heb. ‘al) the cedar and scarlet yarn. ‘Al can mean “together with, near” (JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 86). If Jesus is the bird, He is most definitely together with and near the cross, the wood.

Now let’s talk about the hyssop that had to be near the bird. Hyssop first shows up in the Bible during the historical Passover when God commands the Hebrews to take hyssop and dip it in the blood of the Passover lamb and apply the blood to the lintel and doorposts of their homes. Hyssop was used in the purification of lepers by dipping it in the blood of the bird that was killed. It also appears in the purification of those who came in contact with a dead body (see Numbers 19). It is also referenced to in David’s Psalm of repentance after committing adultery with Bathsheba.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Ps. 51:7).

Hyssop, in all passages that mention it, is associated with passing over judgment and cleansing. Through the cross of Jesus, we receive these two things today. Hyssop was present with Jesus at the crucifixion.

A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth (Jn. 19:29).

By Jesus’ sacrifice, God passed His judgement over us and placed it on the Son. By Jesus’ sacrifice, we are cleaned from all our uncleanness.

What about scarlet yarn? The Bible doesn’t say what material the scarlet yarn was to be made of, but tradition says it was wool (JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 86). Jesus is the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29). Wool comes from sheep. What is translated into English as crimson yarn in Hebrew is sheni tola, which literally means “the scarlet of the worm.” Tola can be used for the color, often translated “crimson,” or for an insect, often translated “worm.” What? Why? Because of the source of the scarlet color, which was from the eggs of a insect living in palm trees. So tola can refer to the color derived from the eggs or the insect that lays the eggs. Okay, so what? Well, there is a significant passage Jesus Himself quoted while hanging on the cross:

Psalm 22, says,

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by mankind and despised by the people (Ps. 22:6).

That Hebrew word our English Bibles translate as worm is the word tola. So it can be translated “But I am crimson” or “I am scarlet” (see Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, numbers 8144 and 3438).

So is Jesus associated with the scarlet and the wood too? Absolutely. Isaiah 1:18 says,

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Psalm 103 says,

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases (Ps. 103:1-3).

And that’s what happened on the cross for those who accept it.

Now there was another ritual that had to be performed a week later in the tabernacle. I have already discussed at length the symbolic meaning of burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings in earlier posts, so I won’t go into it again here. But I will talk about how the blood of the guilt offering and the oil brought with the offering were applied to the leper being cleansed, and what they have to do with Messiah and the Holy Spirit.

One male lamb was a guilt offering. “It is not clear just why this type of sacrifice was required in the purification of one afflicted with tsara’at [leprosy], since the usual purpose of an ‘asham [guilt offering] was to expiate an offense that caused a loss to the sanctuary or to another person as a result of a false oath. In the case of one who suffered from tsara’at, what loss had occured? The traditional answer is that the sufferer must have committed some offense, such as maligning others, that made an ‘asham appropriate. From the context, however, it is more likely that the ‘asham served as a sacrifice for purification. It provided sacrificial blood for sprinkling on the extremities of the individual being purified” (The JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, 87).

Jesus, as the guilt offering specifically (though I argue He is represented in all of them) offers the sacrificial blood for purification.

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you (1 Pet. 1:1-2).

It appears the Apostle Peter understood this connection between Jesus, His blood, the Holy Spirit, and purification. When did we lose this rich context? That topic is for another time.

Then there was the oil. The oil also had to be applied to the leper being cleansed. This would have been olive oil, and it is associated with anointing, including anointing with the Holy Spirit. First, the blood is applied to the leper, and then the oil. First, the blood of Christ is applied to us when we believe, and then we receive the Holy Spirit. It’s the same pattern. The blood is Christ and the oil is the Spirit.

So in some of the most complicated ceremonies recorded in the Bible, the cleansing of lepers, we see little hints and clues that foreshadow the Messiah who cleanses those who believe.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn. 1:7).

Enough and Some Left Over

I’m very excited to cover this story as it is short and tucked away in 2 Kings, virtually undiscussed in Christian circles. It’s connection to Jesus as Messiah is, I assume, for the most part, not made in Jewish circles.

When I teach my kids elementary math, we call addition problems “some, some more stories” and subtraction problems “some, some went away stories.” This story’s peg doesn’t fit in any hole.

⁴² A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” ⁴³ But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord (2 Kings 4:42-44).

Here, as in other verses, Elisha is identified as “the man of God.” The miracle of the multiplication of the bread for the men with Elisha is a sign of his association with God. Only God could perform such a miracle. Do we see the Messiah do the same thing? Two very popular stories about Him in the New Testament would overwhelmingly say yes, more so and twice over.

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt. 14:17-21).

³² Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” ³³ And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵ And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶ he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children (Mt. 15:32-38).

Elisha fed maybe at least 100 men with 20 loaves. Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish, with more left over than what they began with. Jesus again fed 4,000 men plus women and children with seven loaves and a few small fish and there was some to spare when they were done. If Elisha was the man of God, Jesus was exponentially that! The man from Baal Shalishah questioned Elisha’s instructions. Twice over, the disciples question Jesus’ instructions. Elisha repeats his instructions to feed the men. Jesus repeats His instructions to feed the crowd. Herein is a lesson. Offer God what you have, even if it isn’t enough in your eyes, and He will feed you and others with it and provide you more than enough.

A Foreigner of Faith and a Skeptical Son of the Covenant

With it being a double portion this year, I get to do an amazing compare and contrast between the people in the two Haftarah portions. I get to compare the Syrian Naaman and the captain of the king of Israel to each other.

Naaman was a Syrian, a Gentile, the servant of the king of Syria upon whom he leaned (2 Kings 5:18), and moreover, an enemy of Israel, God’s chosen people. He attacked and raided Israelite villages and captured Israelite slaves. One young girl became a slave girl in his own home. Then through this one little girl, Naaman chose to go down the road of miracles. Naaman was a leper. “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy,” said the little slave girl. Naaman must have been at the end of his options when he chose to take the advice of a little slave girl. Long story short, Naaman was told by Elisha to wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be healed. A little bad talk started to spew out of his mouth at this, hoping for an elaborate ceremony, but he checked his tongue and obeyed. As a result of his obedience, he was healed, and Elisha gave him no additional instructions to rectify his life other than “Go in peace” (vs. 19). He was a changed man. Not only was his skin like a baby’s but his heart changed, He knew God was the only God, and he wanted to worship only God from that day on. He was baptized (immersed) in the Jordan, and baptism is associated with death and rebirth (just like in Christian baptism! Baptism, being born again, symbollically dying and being raised to new life is a Jewish thing!) Naaman was lke he was born again, with the skin of a baby, and his heart was new. Before, he slandered the Jordan river’s water quality, and afterward, he was asking Elisha for dirt from the land of Israel so he could make an altar to God back home in Syria. It’s an amazing story of a Gentile whose life was absolutely transformed by the God of Israel. I want to point out that he remained a Gentile. He was not instructed by Elisha to fulfill the Torah’s instructions for the cleansing of lepers. He obeyed, had faith, and was sent away in peace. In love, may I say that this is an important message to messianic believers today who struggle with whether they should convert to Judaism and obey the Torah if they are not Jewish.

Now let’s look at someone who shows up a few chapters over in 2 Kings: the servant of the king of Israel, upon whom he leaned (2 Kings 7:17). Famine was on the land. The city of Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel during the days of the divided kingdom, was under siege by the Syrians. People were starving and inflation was off the charts. The king sought out the man of God, Elisha, and Elisha gave him a word too: “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria” (2 Kings 7:18). But the man upon whom the king of Israel leaned scoffed at this and said, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” (2 Kings 7:19). In other words, he didn’t believe. So Elisha said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” As a result of his lack of faith, he would see the prophecy fulfilled but would not participate in or receive the blessing himself. He was trampled to death by the mob that stampeded out of the city to plunder the abandoned Syrian camp. Israel was suffering judgments from God for their disobedience. This man’s heart was not changed in the face of Elisha’s prophecy as had Naama’s heart been changed. There was no imperative act of obedience but to simply believe, and he didn’t.

It’s an amazing contrast. Naaman was a Gentile, an enemy, a commander, and the man upon whom his king leaned. The man in chapter 7 is not even named by name, but he was an Israelite, a son of the covenant, a captain, and the man upon whom his king leaned. Naaman believed and obeyed. The Israelite did not even believe.

The gospel might sound too good to be true. How could God forgive all sin and grant eternal life and freedom through simple faith in the death of one man who claimed to be God’s Son? The Israelite mocked the word of blessing from Elisha that it was impossible even if God opened the windows of heaven. For the blessing God gave through Jesus, God did open the windows of heaven:

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him (Mt. 3:16).

In Luke chapter 17, Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to thank him. Apparently, this one who returned was a foreigner, that is, a Gentile, not a Jew. Jesus said, “‘¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well’” (Verses 18-19).

Don’t be like the skeptical captain of Israel’s king. God and the ways of God might be foreign to someone, and someone might consider him or herself a foreigner to God and the things of God, or even an enemy, but that in no way should keep him or her from coming to Him. He will receive. He will cleanse. He will send you out in peace, and your faith will make you well. Today, I pray that you and the world would simply believe and receive the good news we have in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Until next time, God bless.

I’m having writer’s block in regard to a poem right now, and I don’t want to force it. I wanted to go ahead and get the content out, but if I come up with a poem later, I will add it to the end here at that time.

Sources

Baker, Warren and Eugene Carpenter. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament. Chattanooga, AMG Publishers, 2003

The Bible. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

The Complete Jewish Study Bible. Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers, 2016.

The JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus. Philadelphia, The Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1990.