For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.
Hebrews 7:26
After raising our eight boys, my wife, Carol, and I decided to do the unimaginable and took in four foster sons ages 6, 5, 3, and 1. Since we’re both in our 60s, I blame the decision on senility; we truly forgot how hard it was. However, the repressed memories started coming back after a day or two. One such recollection was the smells and challenges of having two kids in diapers at the same time.
Old Testament law mandated that anyone who touches human waste is unclean and must separate himself from the rest of society until evening. Wow! Families with toddlers back then would have been doomed to long-term social isolation. I live at a time when I have custom fit diapers, baby wipes, and Lysol spray at my disposal, but the house still seems to remain in perpetual defilement. It brings new meaning to the word “messy house.”
The ceremonial uncleanliness of Old Testament law was given to establish the principle of separation from things that contaminate. The Lord Jesus made it very clear what the real problem was: “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15:17-20).
As High Priest, Christ was required to be ceremonially clean in everything. He would have kept a kosher diet and fulfilled the letter of the law of Moses. His accusers looked at every detail of Jesus’ life to find something to charge Him with, but failed. They finally brought charges against Him for healing on the Sabbath. However, there was a problem. He had healing power that they didn’t! He was Undefiled!
The Lamb of God was morally pure, without hypocrisy, and totally righteous. All the fruit of the Spirit was ripe and constantly evident. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet Undefiled.
September 20
