Leviticus 13

Skin diseases and uncleanliness....not very inspiring.

It does shed some light on why everyone went to show themselves to the priests after Jesus healed them.

And though I know that leviticus is primarily about living a holy life, this is one of the places where the book sets out some basic health laws for the people. I wouldn't want to be cast out from the community and shout "unclean!" every time someone came near me --- but I can't really think of a better way to enact a quarantine among an illiterate populace.

There are also some very interesting corrolaries between this chapter and race relations in the United States....segregation based on skin, shouts of "unclean".....

I'm also struck by how the priests are set apart not just as religious officials, but as the educated and knowledgeable class in this society. They are the authorities and the most knowledgeable. Things are changing now, but we still see ties to this mentality....the educated pastor who owned more books than other settlers - in the middle ages as the ones who could read and write - the Master's Degree required today in order to become clergy.