Leviticus Chapter 15

Leviticus 15 — “From the Hidden Places: Bodily Uncleanness and the Promise of Inner Cleansing”

Leviticus 13–14 dealt with visible disease and exile.
Leviticus 15 now deals with hidden impurity — what comes from within the body itself.

This chapter teaches one central truth:

Man is not only wounded from without but from within, and only God can cleanse what flows from the depths of human weakness — a mystery fulfilled in Christ, who purifies the heart and the body.

1. Uncleanness That Flows from Within

“When any man has a discharge from his body…” (Lev 15:2)

Uncleanness is not only contracted by touch;
it can arise from the body itself.

St Augustine writes:

“Corruption flows from the wound of nature.”
(City of God)

Typology:

Sin is not only imitation;
it is inheritance.

Christ comes not only to wash the outside
but to heal the source.

2. Persistent Discharge

(vv. 2–3)

Whether stopped or flowing,
the man is unclean.

St Gregory the Great teaches:

“Sin stains whether it is active or restrained.”
(Homilies)

Typology:

Even restrained passions
need purification.

Christ cleanses not only acts
but desires.

3. Everything He Touches Is Defiled

(vv. 4–6)

Bed, chair, and body
become unclean.

St Jerome comments:

“Sin spreads to what a man rests upon.”
(Commentary)

Typology:

The inner life shapes the outer life.

Christ renews the heart
so that the life may be clean.

4. Washing and Waiting

(vv. 7–8)

Contact requires washing
and waiting until evening.

St Ambrose writes:

“Purification requires time as well as water.”
(On the Mysteries)

Typology:

Repentance is not instant perfection.
Healing matures through obedience.

Christ is patient
with the slow work of grace.

5. Spittle and Transmission

(v. 8)

Even saliva transmits uncleanness.

St Augustine teaches:

“What is slight to man is not slight to God.”
(Sermons)

Typology:

Small sins matter
because they reveal the heart.

Christ teaches:

“He who is faithful in little is faithful in much.”

6. Earthen and Bronze Vessels

(v. 12)

Clay vessels must be broken;
bronze vessels washed.

St Gregory the Great writes:

“What is weak must be destroyed; what is strong may be purified.”
(Homilies)

Typology:

Old humanity is broken.
New humanity is washed.

Christ makes new vessels
by grace.

7. Healing Requires Sacrifice

(vv. 13–15)

When the discharge stops,
offerings are brought.

St Augustine writes:

“Healing is sealed by thanksgiving and atonement.”
(Sermons)

Typology:

Christ heals freely,
but restoration leads to sacrifice.

Cleansing ends in worship.

8. Emission of Seed

(vv. 16–18)

Even natural functions
require cleansing.

St Ambrose teaches:

“The Law humbles pride in the body.”
(On the Mysteries)

Typology:

Sex is good,
but humanity is wounded.

Christ restores purity
without denying the body.

9. The Woman’s Flow of Blood

(vv. 19–24)

Menstruation brings uncleanness.

St Jerome comments:

“The Law teaches reverence for life’s mysteries.”
(Commentary)

Typology:

Blood is life,
but fallen life bleeds.

Christ will be touched
by a woman with a flow of blood
and will heal her:

“He felt power go out from Him.” (Luke 8:46)

10. Prolonged Flow

(vv. 25–30)

A woman who bleeds long
is like a leper.

St Augustine teaches:

“Long sickness becomes exile.”
(Sermons)

Typology:

Chronic sin
isolates the soul.

Christ seeks
the long-suffering sinner.

11. Everything She Touches Is Unclean

(vv. 26–27)

Uncleanness spreads
through contact.

St Gregory the Great writes:

“Hidden corruption becomes public harm.”
(Homilies)

Typology:

Private sin
damages community.

Christ heals individuals
to heal the Church.

12. Sacrifice on the Eighth Day

(vv. 29–30)

Two birds are offered.

St Ambrose writes:

“The eighth day is the day of new life.”
(On the Mysteries)

Typology:

Christ rises on the eighth day.
Restoration comes through Resurrection.

13. Guarding the Sanctuary

(v. 31)

“Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness…”

St Augustine teaches:

“Uncleanness must not be carried into God’s dwelling.”
(Sermons)

Typology:

Sin must not rule
the place of worship.

Christ cleanses the Temple
and makes the Church holy.

14. The Meaning of Leviticus 15

This chapter teaches:

• impurity can be hidden
• weakness is inherited
• uncleanness spreads
• washing is required
• sacrifice completes cleansing
• worship must be protected

It proclaims:

Man needs cleansing
from within.

15. Christ and Bodily Uncleanness

Christ fulfills Leviticus 15 as:

• the Healer of inner wounds
• the Clean One who cleanses
• the One touched by blood
• the Giver of living water
• the Restorer of dignity
• the Protector of holiness
• the New Temple

“Out of His heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

16. The Church and Purity

In Christ, the Church becomes:

• a people washed by water
• a temple guarded from corruption
• a community healed from within
• a house of holiness

Baptism replaces ritual washing.
Grace replaces shadow.

Spiritual Application

Do not despise hidden faults.

Bring secret wounds to Christ.

Let Him heal what flows within.

Guard the holiness of worship.

Seek cleansing, not concealment.

Trust the power of the Cross.

Christ in Leviticus 15

Jesus is:

• the Inner Healer
• the Cleanser of Blood
• the Giver of Living Water
• the Restorer of the Outcast
• the Purifier of the Temple
• the Sanctifier of the Body
• the Savior of the Whole Man

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
Physician of souls and bodies,
You were not defiled by the unclean
but made them clean by Your touch.

Heal what is wounded within us.
Cleanse what flows from weakness.
Wash us with the living water of Your Spirit.
Seal our healing by Your holy sacrifice.

Guard us from hidden corruption.
Make us temples of Your presence.
Restore our dignity and our purity,
until the day when every wound is healed
and nothing unclean remains
in the Kingdom of God
for ever and ever.

Amen.