Sin, Death and Cannibalism

Going into my study on the book of Leviticus, i must admit that i was fairly pessimistic. I have read the book before and could equate my reading time as a great high in Genesis (one of my favorite books in the Bible), a slight decline of excitement into Exodus with an incredible boring lull in Leviticus which carries me through the remainder of the Pentateuch. However, i am pleased to say that i am thoroughly enjoying my time in Leviticus and came across an incredible set of verses that i'd like to share with you.

The portion of scripture is highlighting the 'sin offering' which was the animal sacrifice that the Jewish people would make to atone (or amends for) their sin and is found in Leviticus 6:24-30. Now, i haven't made sense of every detail yet, but i find a striking resemblance here to some very common New Testament words of Jesus.

"The Lord said to Moses, 'The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord ... it is most Holy... Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is splattered on a garment, you must wash it in a Holy Place... Any male in the priest's family may eat. It is most holy.'"

Here's a description of what Jesus did and said. "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19-20

The Sin Offering? One who takes away the sins of the world? One who washes clean? One who can be taken and eaten?

I'm reminded of my Catholic upbringing and one of the prayers that has been singed into my brain stem from weekly repetition...

"...Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father
You take away the sins of the world
Have mercy on us
You take away the sins of the world
Receive our prayer..."

Now I've studied about the scapegoat and the laying on of hands by the priest and sending the goat from the camp and if you're unfamiliar with this story, i'd encourage you to study it out or stay tuned and we'll cover this in the future. However, this portion of scripture in Leviticus gives us insight into the words of Jesus - 'this is my body'.

'Body' in this context is the Greek word 'soma' which simply means 'the body of a man or an animal'. Flesh. Meat. Body. So, when Jesus is saying this, He's declaring that this bread was His actual flesh. Now i'm not going to debate transubstantiation right now, but i do want you to see the word picture that the disciples are seeing. They are quite familiar with Leviticus. They've learned about offerings their entire lives. They had read Leviticus 6 many times and now Jesus is standing before them saying, 'Take and eat my body'. What a vivid picture of Jesus telling them, 'Listen up guys! I am the sin offering. I am here to take away your sins and the sins of the entire world. You guys are worthy. You guys are my priests. You guys, come on, take and eat the sin offering today. This is it guys.'

So, what we see here is the realization that Jesus has come for a greater purpose than to be a great teacher. We see that Jesus is calling them out of a life of mediocrity and telling them that they were worthy to be called priests. We see that Jesus is saying, 'Yes guys. You are priests now. You have a mission and today I'm allowing you to see yourself, not as fishermen or tax collectors, but as priests. Priests for a Holy God. Take and eat.'

Now, in this same way, we are called to take and eat. We are called to partake in the Lord's supper. We are called to 'do this in remembrance of me'. Understanding that when we do, we are taking of the sin offering. We are receiving that free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we are accepting the realization that we are called to be God's priests on this earth. No matter what our occupation may be. No matter what our family may see us as. No matter what our history looks like. When we take and eat, we are lining ourselves up with the will and plans of God and saying, 'Yes!'

1 Peter 2:5-6 "As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

The sin offering has been made and we are encouraged to take and eat of it. If you've not made that decision in your life, i'd encourage you to stop, find a quiet place and spend some time communicating with God. You speak, but also be quiet before Him and allow Him to minister to you. His plans for you are great - take the first step today.

GP
http://www.gphintz.com/