Leviticus 23:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Prepare also out of the flock of goats one goat for a sin offering, and two yearling lambs for a peace-offering.... And the priest shall bring it, shaking it before the Lord, together with the first-fruits loaves and the two lambs, and it shall be a holy thing unto the Lord: to the priest that bringeth it shall belong: and ye shall call the people this day, a holy convocation shall ye have, ye shall work no work: this is an everlasting ordinance in all your dwellings throughout your generations’ (Leviticus 23:16-21). (Lev. 16:21).

The commencement and, in a sense, the firstfruits of creation being renewed in Christ is Immanuel. He is regarded among us as the primary bread and the new mixture, inviting us to consider ourselves as a new blend, having embarked on a similar journey. This is aptly represented by the offering of the bread of new fruits, with the law stipulating that two loaves, not one, should be presented. This reflects the existence of two nations, which find unity through Christ, our Mediator. However, it is specified that only leavened loaves should be prepared.

What then is the significance of this enigmatic declaration? As we thoroughly analyze the law's nuances, we must not interpret leaven here as the corruption of wickedness and injustice. Such a perception would be foolish; after all, how could those renewed by the gospel life be deemed devoid of malice? Moreover, how can anyone truly be considered a new mixture if a vestige of this leaven remains, preventing complete purity? Thus, we arrive at an essential understanding: this leaven represents a kind that is not condemned, but rather regarded with reverence in divine Scripture.

Our Savior compares the power of the Divine teaching to leaven, stating: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which the woman took and put into three measures of flour, until all was boiled' (Matthew 13:33). The transformative effect of the gospel, when embraced in the mind and heart, revitalizes the soul, body, and spirit as if infusing them with its essence. This is the leaven by which the nations, symbolically represented as loaves, are to be enriched. Each offering consists of 'two tithes,' an image that subtly alludes to a dual aspect of instruction.