“And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.”
Exodus 29:32-33 ESV
Through the Bible: Exodus 28-29
Confession time: I typically think of passages like Exodus 29 as “chore chapters.” These are passages that I can listen to while I’m doing laundry, or washing dishes, or mowing the lawn. Since I’m not expecting any huge insights from genealogies or instructions for building the tabernacle or the division of land among the 12 tribes, I don’t really have to pay attention. Right?
Oh, how quick I am to minimize the power of God’s Word. Because today, in the middle of one of those chore chapters, was a stunning foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper.
God lays out the instructions for the ordination of priests in Exodus 29. The preparation of the bull for the sin offering (v. 10-14), the sprinkling of blood on the ear, thumb, and big toe (v. 20-21), the preparation of the ram as an atonement offering, the unleavened bread for the wave offering (verses 24-25). On the surface, most of this is just boring, with the exception of the details about removing the fat, liver, and entrails of the atonement offering (verse 22), which is not only dull, but also a little gross.
But in the middle of verse 22, it suddenly occurred to me that this is how a butcher prepares a cut of meat. This isn’t just a burnt offering.
These are lamb chops.
The priest was not just preparing the sacrifice; he was preparing the meal. This is made explicitly clear in the verses that follow:
26 “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion. 27 And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.
Ex 29:26–28.
Bear in mind that the priests had no portion of land in Israel. They were fed from the offerings the people made. This was another example of God’s practical provision. This would include the cakes made of unleavened bread described in verses 24-25.
And then, one phrase from verses 32-33 hit me like a bolt of lightning:
They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration.
The night before Jesus was crucified, He and His disciples observed Passover together. Jesus served his disciples bread and wine, two of the elements of the Passover meal. None of the gospel writers mention the roasted lamb, the centerpiece of the meal. At least not in the Upper Room. John the Baptizer did, on the banks of the Jordan River:
- “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away [atones for] the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
So did the apostle Paul:
- Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Cor. 5:7).
And of course, Jesus Himself did:
- Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (Jn 6:53–55).
The priests were to eat that with which atonement was made for them. Jesus is that atoning sacrifice. “Take and eat,” He says (Matthew 26:26).
Some might say that there’s a difference between an ordination ceremony, which is what Exodus describes, and a Communion observance. The ceremony in Exodus didn’t just focus on atonement, it also emphasized ordination and consecration. You could argue that the ordination service was just for priests, but that Communion is for all believers.
But wait: Aren’t all believers priests? And if all are priests, then all are consecrated (set apart). And if all are priests are consecrated and set apart, then all are ordained (commissioned for service). Here is how the Apostle Peter described every believer.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)
Ordination is about more than just consecration. It’s also about atonement.
Communion is about more than just atonement. It’s also about ordination and consecration.
Take and eat.
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