Leviticus 14 sets out the procedure by which a person healed of a serious skin disease was examined by a priest and formally restored to the community. The priest did not cause the healing; rather, he verified that cleansing had occurred and administered the rites prescribed by the Law. This background explains Jesus' instruction to the man He healed in Luke 5:12-14: "show yourself to the priest" and make the offering commanded by Moses.

Jesus' command demonstrated respect for the Mosaic Law and also provided the priesthood with direct testimony that an extraordinary cleansing had taken place. Acts 6:7 later reports that many priests became obedient to the Christian faith, but Scripture does not explicitly say that the particular healing of Luke 5 caused their conversion. Thus Leviticus 14:11 is best understood not as a prediction of Christ but as the legal and ceremonial background that gives Jesus' healing its significance. Christ does what the priest could not do: He actually cleanses the unclean, then sends the healed person to the priest as the Law required.