In a book that is absolutely filled with allusions to Jesus, Leviticus 14 might hold the record for the most in a single chapter. The whole chapter is about the process of cleansing a leper, which, as we’ve talked about before, is a metaphor for our spiritual cleansing through Christ.
It makes sense then, that there would be some carryover. And while some of them are painfully obvious, others are so subtle that you can miss them if you’re not careful.
Take the ingredients for cleansing leprosy, for example. Leviticus 14:6 instructs the priests to carry three items (five, if you include the two birds): cedar wood, scarlet string, and hyssop.
On the surface, these three items seem somewhat random. After all, why can’t the priest bring a blue thread? Or gopher wood? Or a kitchen sponge?
Speaking purely from an Old Testament perspective, these three items all have correlations with Jewish worship. Cedar planks would be sent from Hiram to help Solomon build the Temple (1 Kings 5:10), whereas scarlet material is used in the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1). Hyssop is used during the Passover (Exodus 12:22).
In addition to cleaning a leper, all three of these items are used in the Red Heifer sacrifice (Leviticus 19). The ashes from the red heifer would be used later to cleanse people from uncleanness, which is exactly how the three elements are used with leprosy.
But there is another time you see these three pieces together: The sacrifice of Jesus.
After Jesus is beaten, He is given a scarlet robe to mock Him as the “King of Kings” (Matthew 27:28).
After that, He carries His own cross to the hill of Golgotha (John 19:17). According to tradition (which should always be taken with a grain of salt), the cross of Jesus was a composite of different trees, including cedar.
When He’s on the cross and cries out for a drink, a nearby soldier dunks a sponge of sour wine, puts it on the end of a branch of hyssop, and hoists it for Jesus to drink (John 19:29).
It’s entirely possible that these three elements are entirely random—both in the Old and New Testaments. It’s also possible that I’m simply making too much of these connections. When you think about it, the only useful thing we can do with this (if the similarity is intentional), is to use it to strengthen our faith.
But isn’t that what all types and antitypes do? When you read something in the New and it reminds you of something in the Old, the pieces of the Bible come into sharper focus. We’re more confident that what we’re reading isn’t random, but part of a bigger story that was known before time began.
That’s why I choose to see the connection here between the three elements in Leviticus 14 and in the Gospels. It’s too specific to be ignored. And I like to think that my faith is stronger as a result.
