Fr. Pencer Xavier –
Ancient Jewish law took purity very seriously. If you touched a dead body, you became unclean. If you came into contact with certain diseases or bodily discharges, you were also considered impure. The rules were clear, and the consequences were strict. People had to undergo rituals to become clean again. So, a natural question arises: when Jesus died, did his body (σῶμα – sōma) become impure? Did those who touched him after the resurrection become unclean? Or can we who partake in the Eucharistic meal with the risen Christ still be considered ‘untouchables’?
At first glance, the Old Testament seems to suggest exactly that. The Book of Numbers says that anyone who touches a dead body remains unclean for seven days. Even objects in the same space could be considered defiled (Num 19:15-16). In that world, death was the highest form of impurity. On the third and seventh days, purification rites were performed using the ashes of a heifer mixed with water. The difference is that the priest who sacrifices a heifer remains impure until midnight, even if he follows the procedures to cleanse the people (Num 19:8). In Second Temple Judaism, even righteous or holy people are not exempt from corpse impurity restrictions.
Jesus and the Reversal of Purity Boundaries
Now think about Jesus. He dies on the cross. According to the law, his body should be treated as unclean. Anyone touching it should become impure. But when we turn to the Gospels, something surprising happens: no purification rituals are mentioned. No one seems worried about ritual impurity after encountering the risen Jesus. Even before his death, Jesus was already crossing some boundaries which are prohibited by the purity laws. He touched a man with a skin disease (Mt 8:3); He allowed a bleeding woman to touch him (Mt 9:20-22); He entered the room of a dead girl and held her hand (Mt 9:25). According to the law (Num 19) each of these actions should have made him unclean. We have no evidence in the Gospels that Jesus used purification rituals to cleanse himself after engaging in any of the aforementioned behaviours.
There is a deeper biblical logic at work. Holy priests make food (meat of dead animals) holy by sacrificing it to God. For instance, the meat of the goat that was killed for the ‘Yom Kippur’ feast becomes holy, and all who eat also become pure. In a similar way, when Jesus touches those considered unclean like the leper, the bleeding woman, the dead girl, and Lazarus, they become clean as well. This is striking, because normally impurity spreads. As Hag 2:11-14 shows, when something unclean touches what is clean, the clean becomes unclean. So, we may ask if the unclean leper or others made Jesus impure. We know that Jesus Christ is different. He is the source of holiness, so when he touches people who are impure, he makes them clean instead of becoming unclean himself. So, when Jesus touches the unclean, the opposite happens. The sick is healed. The bleeding stops. The dead rise. Instead of impurity spreading to Jesus, something else spreads from him – life, healing, and wholeness. This turns the old understanding on its head.
From Impurity to Life: The Eucharistic Transformation
Still, what about his death? A dead body, by definition, is lifeless. It cannot purify anything. It cannot even purify itself. This is where the Christian understanding becomes unique. Jesus’ death is not just another death. It is not the end of his story. Christians believe that he enters death and defeats it from within. His resurrection is not simply coming back to life; it is the transformation of death itself. His body is the same, yet changed. It can be touched, it can eat, it can walk – but it is no longer subject to decay or death. What was once considered the highest impurity (death) has been emptied of its power. So, was Jesus impure in death?
From a purely legal perspective, one might say yes. But from a deeper theological perspective, the answer is no. His holiness is not something fragile that can be contaminated. It is something strong that transforms whatever it touches – even death. This helps answer the second question: what about us? Can we still call some who partake in the body of Jesus impure? Theologically speaking, we are not receiving a lifeless body. We are receiving the living Christ. The Eucharist is not contact with death but communion with life. In fact, the direction is reversed. We are the ones who come with weakness, sin, and brokenness. And instead of these things making Christ ‘unclean’, his presence makes us clean. This is the heart of the message.
Practically, we are not untouchables. Human society may label people, exclude us, or push us aside in the name of caste and tribe. History is full of such divisions. But in the encounter with Jesus, those labels lose their meaning. The leper, the bleeding woman, and even the dead Lazarus were not excluded. And neither are we. The story of Jesus shows that holiness is not about staying distant and protected. It is about entering into human reality and transforming it. It is about drawing near, breaking the barriers. Even after partaking in the Holy Eucharist, if we claim that some are unclean or untouchable or different, then it is not them who are impure. The problem is not with them but with us, who still hold these ruthless concepts, and we are not receiving the Eucharistic sacrifice of Jesus. Because, when we receive Him, all are dignified. One is not pushed out; all are drawn in. We are not untouchable; we are deeply touched by grace, and all of us are one, purified by the holy sacrifice, Eucharist.
—————————————
Fr. Pencer Xavier is a priest of the Diocese of Kuzhithurai in Kanyakumari district of southern state of Tamil Nadu in India and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Biblical Theology in Rome.