It Shall Be Unclean

             Thus says the Lord of hosts: Now ask the priests concerning the law, saying, “‘If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?’”

            Then the priests answered and said, “no.”

            And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it become unclean?”

            And the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

            Then Haggai answered and said, “‘So is this people, and so is this nation before me,’ says the Lord, “and so is every work of their hands, and what they offer there is unclean.’” (Haggai 1:10-14)

 

            What God said to the priests through Haggai probably wasn’t as strange sounding to them as it is to us. This was the sort of thing they spent time considering. But there’s a modern parallel that will make the issue lot clearer. If someone who did not have COVID walked into a room full of people with COVID, would his presence cure all those who were sick? On the other hand, if a person with COVID walked into a room full of healthy people, chances are that at least some of them would get sick, and the ones most likely to get sick would be the ones with whom he spent the most time. For that matter, if you have dirty hands and you shake hands with someone whose hands are clean, the result is that neither of you has clean hands.

            Some people quickly remind us that Jesus spent far more time with sinners than with religious folks. That’s true, but while Jesus ate and drank with sinners, He did not join them in their sins – and He is the only person in history to accomplish that. The principle stands. Cleanliness, goodness, and health are generally not “catchy.” In fact, they can require lots of hard work. But uncleanness, evil, and illness can be exceedingly catchy.

            None of that changes the fact that we must act as nurses, to heal the sick and raise the dead per God’s will, keeping in mind that spiritual illness and death are more dangerous than physical illness and death. With COVID, we were warned to stay 6 feet away and wear masks. And we were told to stay home because we might still have the disease even if we had no symptoms. The only way to be sure was to get tested frequently, especially if we or those around us noticed any signs. Medical people wore heavier-duty “armor” to protect themselves from others and others from themselves because, of course, those working around sick people are more likely to get sick.

            Similarly, those working among the spiritually ill and dead need the armor described in Ephesians 6: truth, righteousness, salvation, the preparation of the gospel of peace, faith, and the Word of God. Even with all that, we should recognize our need to be tested regularly and endure the possibly painful, probably inconvenient examinations of our lives and thoughts to ensure that we have not become a victim of the world's sickness. This isn’t done with a swab up the nose but with the light of the Word of the Lord.