Contradiction with Mark 7:15
Contradicts by stating that nothing external can defile a person, unlike the requirement for ceremonial cleansing with ashes of a red heifer in Numbers 19:17.
Mark 7:15: If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Contradiction with Colossians 2:16-17
States that religious rituals are merely a shadow of things to come, suggesting that such practices are no longer necessary, contrasting with the ceremonial requirement in Numbers 19:17.
Colossians 2:16-17: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: [in meat...: or, for eating and drinking] [respect: or, part]
Contradiction with Hebrews 9:13-14
Suggests that the blood of Christ is superior to the ritual cleansing of the Old Testament, such as that described in Numbers 19:17.
Hebrews 9:13-14: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Contradiction with Matthew 15:11
Indicates that defilement comes not from what enters the mouth but from what comes out, challenging the idea of needing purification from external defilement like in Numbers 19:17.
Matthew 15:11: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Contradiction with Hebrews 10:1-4
Argues that the law, including rituals like the one in Numbers 19:17, cannot make perfect those who draw near, implying their limited efficacy.
Hebrews 10:1-4: For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Contradiction with Acts 10:15
States that what God has made clean, let no one call common or unclean, which challenges the concept of needing specific purification like in Numbers 19:17.
Acts 10:15: And the voice [spake] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, [that] call not thou common.
Paradox #1
The contradiction in Numbers 19:17 relates to the use of ashes in purification rituals for those who have touched a dead body. From a modern scientific perspective, ashes and water don't have disinfecting properties to purify or cleanse in a medical or hygienic sense. Therefore, the ritualistic use of ashes for purification may contradict contemporary scientific understanding of hygiene and sanitation.