Leviticus 2:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Such statements convey a profound truth: such a magnificent being as man could not be created by the Almighty to be easily destroyed. Rather, death intruded as a consequence of anger, stemming from Adam, our ancestral figure, who disobeyed the divine command and fell into disobedience. However, through Christ, by virtue of one man's obedience, the transgressions of our ancestor have been eradicated. In Him, we are justified, as the Apostle Paul attests when he writes, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). In the first Adam, we were doomed to death, but through Christ, we are forgiven and brought back to life since He obeyed the Father unto death and sacrificed Himself for us. By His wounds, we find healing (Isaiah 53:5), as written in Scripture. Thus, we can affirm that, afflicted by sin in Adam for the sake of the world, we have become in Christ a spiritual and fragrant offering to God the Father, a sacrifice that is good, pleasing, and incomparably superior to the offerings outlined in the shadow of the law. Christ is our origin, renewing our path, as David professes to his heavenly Father in the Psalms, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened; burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require. Then I said, Behold, I come; I delight to do Your will, O my God" (Psalm 39:7-9). Similarly, the book of Leviticus instructs, "If you bring to the Lord a grain offering of your first fruits, you shall offer a gift from the first fruits of your ears, toasted by fire, threshed grains, and poured oil upon them, along with frankincense: it is a grain offering, and the priest shall burn a portion of the grain and the oil, with all the frankincense: it is an offering made by fire to the Lord" (Leviticus 2:14-16). The literal interpretation is evidently clear and straightforward, as I believe, and requires little extra effort to grasp. I only wish to note that the fruit of the ears symbolizes the ground flour, functioning as a type of the sacrament of Christ. He is our sacrifice, the spiritual firstborn, the beginning of humankind, the firstborn from the dead, the dawn of the resurrection, akin to a grain of wheat that, having fallen to the ground and died, yields much fruit. He revealed this to us by stating, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). Yet, He did not die for Himself, but for our sake. The law beautifully illustrates this, as it decrees, "If anyone offers to the Lord a grain offering of your first fruits, an offering of your first fruits from the ears" (Lev. 2:14). Observe how Moses and the writings of the law prompt us to present a sacrifice from new fruits. As I have mentioned, Christ is the source of creation, and in Him, we find that new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The offerings for the sacrifice are not limited to wheat but also include crushed grains; for the law dictates that the burnt offering be made from fine flour rather than from the grain itself in its raw form. Thus, the offerings must be ground, ensuring they are suitable for consumption; we do not typically prepare food from whole grains but from milled grains. Hence, Christ is our firstborn and a pleasing and fragrant sacrifice to God (Phil. 4:18) and abundantly nourishing for us. He Himself is the bread that descended from heaven, providing life to the world (John 6:41, 33), and in a way offers Himself to us as sustenance, akin to flour of wheat or ground grains. The law also instructs that oil be poured upon the offering and that frankincense be added, as oil symbolizes abundance and joy, while frankincense signifies the holy and fragrant. As I noted, Christ became our sacrifice and represents the beginning of the fields, the inception of spiritual fruits. His death was not marked by sorrow and weeping; rather, it eradicated those very afflictions, inspiring joyful hope. How can one doubt this? For He was not confined by the gates of death nor did He remain among the dead. Though death may have prevailed and consumed Him, as prophesied (Hos. 13:14), God removed every tear from every face, abolishing the shame of His people from all the earth. How did this happen? Christ has risen, having conquered death, that He might set us free from corruption and, having utterly vanquished mourning, lead us to proclaim in joy, "You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy" (Psalm 29:12). Thus, the imagery of sacrifice embodies joy and hope. However, one may interpret it differently. In Christ, we are forgiven, as implied when it states, “He has anointed my head with oil” (Psalm 22:5). Furthermore, Christ’s death was not the consequence of gentle cause or transgression on His part, but rather the most honorable, blameless sacrifice for our sake (as He was sacrificed to liberate us from sin and its repercussions); this is exemplified by the incense placed upon the offering. The first Adam faced just punishment for his early sins, falling prey to the illness that is sin, and was justly condemned. Yet, our Savior, the Lord, bore no guilt and became a good and fragrant sacrifice for us, symbolizing both the beginning of new fruits and appearing in every form – as wheat and as grains. He died for all people, small and great, Jew and gentile, and through Him, we have become a memorial before God and the Father. The prescribed law states, "The priest shall burn for a memorial a portion of the grain and the oil, with all the frankincense: this is an offering made by fire to the Lord" (Lev. 2:16). For having provoked the Father with many transgressions, we were nearly deprived of His presence. But because Christ became our sacrifice, He remembered us and blessed us: “Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 113:21). Therefore, we are prompted to sing and declare, “Blessed are you by the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 113:23).