Leviticus 2:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The suffering of Christ brings salvation. The God of all creation did not intend death, nor does He take pleasure in the destruction of the living, for He designed all things for existence. Everything He made is meant to be redemptive, and there is no deadly poison among them, nor is there a domain of hell on earth, as it is stated: by the devil's envy death entered the world. These words carry a profound truth; such a splendid and remarkable being as humanity could not, by the Creator's design, be destined for easy destruction. Instead, death entered through wrath when Adam, our ancestral figure, chose disobedience over divine commandment. Nonetheless, through Christ, the disobedience of one man has been nullified through the obedience of another. In Christ, we have obtained justification, as Paul writes: “For as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, even so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” In Adam, we were condemned to death; yet, for Christ’s sake, we are pardoned and restored to life since He obeyed the Father unto death and gave His life for us, with His wounds bringing us healing, as Scripture proclaims.

Thus, it must be stated that while we suffered sin in Adam, we have become through Christ a spiritual and pleasing sacrifice to God the Father, a sacrifice far superior to the offerings of the Law. Christ is our beginning, renewing our path. David expresses this to God in the Psalms, stating that God has no desire for sacrifices or offerings but has opened his ears; He does not require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Therefore, David declares, “Behold, I come; I desire to do Thy will, O my God.”

This concept is also echoed in Leviticus, which states that if one offers bread of the first fruits to the Lord, it must come from dried ears, threshed grains, with oil poured over them and frankincense added. The literal meaning here is plain and doesn’t need any particular interpretation. The fruit of the ears symbolizes the flour made from grains, representing the sacrament of Christ. He is our sacrificial offering, the spiritual firstborn, the first created among the deceased, and the first to rise to incorruption, analogous to a grain of wheat that dies in the ground and produces many more grains. He explained this by saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He did not die for Himself but for our sake. The Law powerfully directs us to offer a sacrifice of fresh fruits; indeed, Christ is the commencement of creation, and through Him, there exists a new creation.

Sacrifices are not limited to wheat alone but also include crushed grains; the Law stipulated that burnt offerings should consist of wheat flour rather than whole grains. Similarly, the offerings must be ground into flour for edibility. Hence, Christ is our firstborn and a pleasing and fragrant offering to God, nourishing for us. He is the bread that came down from heaven and sustains the world while somehow offering Himself to us as flour made from grains. The Law also instructs that oil should be poured upon the offering and that frankincense must be added; oil symbolizes abundance and joy, while frankincense conveys the sacred and aromatic nature of the offering. Thus, as previously stated, Christ became our sacrifice, representing the beginning of spiritual fruits.

His death did not come as a result of tears and grief but rather to abolish tears and instill joyful hope. How can anyone doubt this? He was not confined by the gates of hell nor did he remain among the dead. If death did swallow Him, as the prophet says, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death,” God removed every tear from our faces and lifted the disgrace of His people from the earth. How did this occur? Christ has risen again, overcoming death to grant us freedom from corruption and to completely eradicate mourning, leading us to joyfully proclaim, “You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.”

Thus, the symbolism of sacrifice truly represents joy and hope. One can also interpret this as our forgiveness through Christ, reflected in the phrase, “He has anointed my head with oil.” The death of Christ stemmed not from any fault of His own; it was the most honorable and blameless offering for us, for He was sacrificed to liberate us from sin and its resulting death. This is symbolized by the incense used in the sacrifice. Adam, our first father, was justly punished for his early transgressions and was condemned due to the stench of sin. However, our Savior, perfect and without sin, became an acceptable offering for us, embodying the new fruits in every form, including wheat and vegetables. He died for everyone, large and small, Jew and Gentile, and through Him, we, too, became a memorial to God the Father. Thus, the prescribed Law states, “And the priest shall burn for a memorial a portion of the grain and oil with all the frankincense; it is an offering to the Lord.”

We had angered the Father through numerous sins, nearly losing His presence. Yet, because Christ became our sacrifice, He remembered us and blessed us; He blesses those who fear the Lord, the small with the great. Therefore, we are also encouraged to sing, “Blessed be the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”