Exodus 29:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Procreative Interpretation Therefore, one who has been elevated by the Lord to the role of priest, having slain earthly wisdom with the spiritual blade that is ‘the Word of God’ (Eph. 6:17), remains in the holy place, offering a sacrifice to God. In this act, he dedicates himself, presenting his body ‘as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God’ (Rom. 12:1).

The bullock offered for sin was burned outside the camp. Yet, as the apostolic scripture states, our Lord Christ also endured suffering outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12), and He infused truth into this illustration.

As the apostle states, For our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). He dedicated Himself to the Father as a new and genuine offering of atonement, being crucified not in the Temple, which had already lost its former glory, nor within the city destined for destruction due to its transgressions, but outside it and beyond the encampment. This was so that after the old offerings had ceased, a new sacrifice could be made upon a new altar, allowing the cross of Christ to become an altar not limited to the Temple but meant for the whole world.

The incineration of the offering outside the boundary of the camp is an integral aspect of the sin offering ritual for both the priest and the congregation (Lev. 4:12 and 21). However, in the sin offerings made by the Israelites, the sacrifice was consumed by the priests rather than burned outside the camp.