How Jesus is like the Old Testament *meal offering*

Christ is our meal offering (Leviticus 2:1–16; 6:14–23; 7:9–10) (service).

The meal sacrifice could be presented at the altar in one of five forms: fine flour, oven-baked cakes, cakes baked in a pan, cakes baked in a frying pan, or crushed roasted heads of new grain. These cakes would resemble our modern baked pie crust or pizza dough. The priest offered part of it to God and kept the rest for his own use.1

This offering represents Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life (John 6:48). He nourishes our souls as we worship Him and ponder His Word (Acts 20:32). Jesus compared Himself to a grain of wheat that had to die before it could live again in a better form (John 12:23–25). On the cross, Jesus was crushed as “fine flour;” at the tomb the grain of wheat was buried. On resurrection morning, He came forth in a more glorious form.

Since this sacrifice typified Jesus, we understand why God laid down such strict conditions for the offerer to meet before the meal offering would be accepted.

The offering had to be accompanied with oil (Leviticus 2:1–2, 4, 6, 15), a picture of the Holy Spirit of God, who was given to Christ without measure (John 3:34; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21–23; 1 John 2:20, 27). Through the eternal Spirit, He “offered himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14).
The offering required salt (Leviticus 2:13), which speaks of our Lord’s purity of character (cf. Matthew 5:13).
Leaven (yeast) and honey were prohibited from the meal offering (Leviticus 2:11). The Jews associated leaven with evil because of the Passover rules (Exodus 12:19–20; cf. Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:8). There was no sin in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 2:21–22). The fact that yeast and honey both ferment is likely the reason for the prohibition.2

This burning grain was “a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Leviticus 2:2, 9, 12). The Bible often associates God’s sense of smell with offerings (Genesis 8:21; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 3:16; Amos 5:21). Jesus’ perfect character was always a sweet fragrance to God, and it gave His offering at Calvary a pleasant aroma to God. Paul wrote, “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2).

The meal offering focused on God’s goodness and provisions. It was a voluntary act of worship and was offered as thanks for blessing the fruits of one’s labor. This was the sacrifice of daily devotion. In application, we must come to God first with our whole burnt offering, and then we continue coming to Him with our continual meal offering. These actions are represented in Scripture as pleasing God’s sense of smell. Paul wrote, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish” (2 Corinthians 2:15). He later mentioned that he “received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

The frankincense that was burned with the memorial portion represents prayer. David wrote, “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:1–2; cf. Revelation 5:8). It serves as a reminder of the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

— Allen Webster

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