Priestly Defects - Leviticus 21:16-20

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Today we will read Leviticus 21:16-20 which says, “The LORD spoke to Moses: ‘Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect is to come near to present the food of his God. No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; no man who has a broken foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or is a dwarf (or emaciated), or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.”

Strange right? Does this surprise you to be in the Bible? Not only because it forbids a priest from coming near to God for having a crushed testicle, but because so many things in this list wouldn’t even be the fault of the priest. Deformity, blindness…no one would choose that. And yet the priest is restricted through no fault of their own. One could read this as petty, and unfair. Too high a bar.

But consider the role of a priest. A priest becomes the representative of people before God. And God Himself demands perfection, or wholeness. In fact the idea of God’s holiness is not entirely that He is sinless (although He is). Holiness has more to do with God being unique, special, utterly set apart. And therefore whatever comes into His presence is to also be set apart, special, and perfect.

Which brings us to the defective priests. The passage goes on to say that they may eat the priestly food, and still participate in priestly activities. They are not cut off or treated cruelly for their limitations. But to come near and present the offering before God, to enter His Presence, to be the perfect representative has nothing to do with the priests feelings, but their perfection. Only a perfect human can come before God. A whole, fully functioning, morally pure, truly human priest may adequately offer the sacrifice.

Who does that sound like? Yes - it is Jesus. Once again we get to the One and only perfect High Priest - the perfect human - the only One capable of representing us to God perfectly. It is wonderful too to reflect on Jesus work on earth. He made the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf to hear. He straightened withered hands. He fed the emaciated. He brought defective people back to wholeness physically, and spiritually. And He is actively doing that even now before God. What a Priest we have.

Jesus, You can come before God. And in You, I can come before God. Thank You.