If you had the power to make lots of people holy by touching them, would you go out touching as many people as you could? In today’s passage Ezekiel is shown a set of rooms for cooking the sacrificial offerings. The purpose of these rooms is to prevent holiness being transmitted to the people. What? Say that again please?
Over the last few chapters Ezekiel has been given instructions for how the priests and the prince are to behave around the temple. Soon afterward he is led into another area which has a special purpose.
19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them.
20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering,
in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.” (Eze 46.19-20)
The holy chambers are where the priests do all the cooking for their offerings. This place has the unusual purpose of preventing the transmission of holiness to people.
Has anyone ever transmitted holiness to you?
One would think becoming holy through touching an offering was not such a bad thing, but I suspect if it happened frequently enough, people would devalue ‘holiness’ and the process of becoming holy as a result. This is the probable rationale for the restriction.
21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court— 22 in the four corners of the court were small courts, forty cubits long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size.
23 On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.” (Eze 46.21-24)
Then the LORD shows Ezekiel several other chambers with the same purpose.
Everyone who wanted to offer a sacrifice for their sins and worship the LORD would be cared for.
What kinds of things could be transmitted from one person or object to another?
According to the law of Moses the most common transmission was uncleanliness and defilement. These could spread fairly easily in everyday life. The LORD says in Leviticus;
2 if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become unclean (Lev 5.2)
Only in a few and possibly rare occasions was the reverse true. Where people become holy because they are touched by something of greater power and holiness. In Exodus the LORD says;
Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy. (Ex 29.36-37)
The ultimate source of holiness is the LORD himself.
The offerings and the altar are holy because the LORD has made them so. As early in the bible as Exodus we can infer this. Talking about the tent of meeting the LORD says;
Hubbard, S. et al. with Logos Bible Software and KarBel Media, 2012. Faithlife Study Bible Infographics, Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.
44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar.
Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. (Ex 29.43-36)
The tent of meeting itself was made holy (sanctified) by the LORD and his glory.
In the gospel Jesus had no qualms about touching the unclean (Mt 8.1-3; Lk 5.12-16). He also demonstrates the same power of being able to transmit holiness, cleansing and wellness. This should give us some clue as to who he is and what he is about.
34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well [Gk. διασῴζω Translit. diasōzō; – saved]. (Mt 14.34-36)
The text doesn’t say they were made holy, they were made well. But I believe we can infer holiness as well because this is part of the cleansing that comes from faith (cf. Acts 15.9).
What is interesting about the underlying Greek in the text is that the word rendered ‘well’ can also be translated as ‘saved’. Surely physical healing is in view, but we cannot separate what Jesus is doing from bringing salvation to these people by his touch as well.
Jesus transmits holiness. If only you reach out and touch him you will be made well [saved].
If you had the power to make lots of people holy by touching them, would you go out touching as many people as you could? In today’s passage Ezekiel is shown a set of rooms for cooking the sacrificial offerings. The purpose of these rooms is to prevent holiness being transmitted to the people. What? Say that again please?19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them.
Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy. (Ex 29.36-37)
34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well [Gk. διασῴζω Translit. diasōzō; – saved]. (Mt 14.34-36)
