Leviticus 13-16

“He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp” (v46).  Some scholars have noted that in the days before antibiotics, these strict rules about contagious diseases probably made sense.  Life was lived in close community, and so a virus, bacteria, or other contagious illness could spread like wildfire.  Sick people weren’t permanently banished; when they recovered, they were welcomed home (14:1).

Sin also spreads quickly through a life or a community (I Cor 5:6), destroying both.  Jesus has power both to forgive and restore wholeness (Mark 2).