What Is Ritual Purity?

As New Covenant (New Testament) believers, we do not often think in terms of being ceremonially clean or unclean (pure or impure). We are more inclined to focus on the concept of being forgiven or unforgiven. This perspective is accurate because we are a spiritual people and are not required to go to a physical temple at least three times a year to make sacrifices as was done under the old covenant.

Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

—Deuteronomy 16:16

By faith in Christ, we are purified and eternally forgiven through the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 9:13–14; 10:1–14). Jesus also predicted there would be a time after His departure when a physical temple (and sacrifices) would not be necessary to worship and approach the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:21–25).

However, since modern religious Jews have not yet accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins, they think only in terms of the Old Testament Mosaic system and its emphasis on sacrifices within a temple context. For them, this system does include forgiveness for sins but involves the standard of being clean or unclean in a ritual sense. God gave very specific instructions for approaching Him in the tabernacle or temple precincts.

Because the temple will be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, the area must be ritually cleansed before construction begins. In order to accomplish this cleansing, many believe the ashes are needed from a burned (slaughtered) red heifer, which will be mixed with water as outlined in Numbers 19. Let me introduce one of the cryptic aspects of the commandment God gave in Numbers 19.

Moses wrote:

And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

—Numbers 19:9–10, emphasis added

Commenting on this passage, Barry Holtz, PhD, a professor of Jewish education at The Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote, “Adding to the mystery is the fact that those who are impure become purified, but those who are already pure and then come in contact with the ashes of the heifer become impure (Num. 19:10).” These commandments were considered puzzling, causing much consternation through the ages as the various rabbinic sages sought to understand them.

Maimonides, a twelfth-century Spanish rabbi and philosopher also known as “Rambam,” wrote prolifically and penned an applicable work called The Guide for the Perplexed. In his guide, Maimonides discussed how some of God’s commandments are inexplicable.

Our Sages…hold that even these [mysterious] ordinances have a cause, and are certainly intended for some use, although it is not known to us; owing either to the deficiency of our knowledge or the weakness of our intellect… You certainly know the famous saying that Solomon knew the reason for all commandments except that of the “red heifer.” Our Sages also said that God concealed the causes of [some] commandments, lest people should despise them, as Solomon did in respect to three commandments, the reason for which is clearly stated. In this sense they always speak, and Scriptural texts support the idea.

As Christians, we understand that Solomon was the wisest king who ever lived (1 Kings 3:12). As wise as he was, Jewish sages proclaim that even Solomon was not wise enough to understand the mystery of the red heifer commandment.

It is not surprising, then, that rabbis through the last two thousand years have not fully understood the mystery of the red heifer. Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law in all its aspects (Matt. 5:17), and we know all His actions fulfilled the will of the Father and that He lived a perfect life of obedience to all of God’s commandments (Matt. 3:15; John 6:38).

Paul wrote that when the Jews read the Old Testament, they do so in a state of blindness and ignorance, yet if they were to receive Jesus as Messiah, the blinders (or veil) would be lifted, and they would understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of all aspects of the Law (2 Cor. 3:14–16). This includes the red heifer and is discussed in the Book of Hebrews.

To learn more about Mondo Gonzales’s new book, The Mystery of the Red Heifer, visit MyCharismaShop.com