THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
He is also the bread of life that comes down from heaven (John 6:33) and from on high. Furthermore, He redeems from sin and liberates those on earth from the blindness of transgressions, presenting Himself as a pleasing aroma to God the Father. This truth becomes clearer when you reflect with your mind's eye on His sacrificial death, akin to a bull offered in a burnt offering or a goat for the people's unintentional sins. As it is written, “who can understand the sins of sin?” (Psalm 18:13). Observe how the lawgiver elevates the purification achieved through Christ, placing it far above the rituals outlined in the law.
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He states that if you fail to keep Moses’ commandments and neglect the law, you will find forgiveness through the blood of the sacrificial offerings, namely when the bull is slain and the goat is sacrificed. These sacrifices foreshadow Christ. The law establishes the consequences for those who falter, but it is the precious blood of Christ that rescues us from those consequences and cleanses us from the guilt of our ignorance. He willingly offered His life to eradicate the sin of the world.
Therefore, through the bread, we can recognize Christ as life-giving; through the calf, we see Him as a burnt offering, presenting Himself as a fragrant offering to God the Father; and in the form of a goat, He stands as a sin offering, sacrificed for our transgressions. Though He is represented spiritually by bread, He is also symbolized by a bullock, offered in a burnt offering accompanied by incense, and a goat meant for the unintentional sins of the people. Likewise, although He is spiritually depicted by a sheaf, He is also the perfect year-old lamb (cf. Lev. 23:12), for Christ embodies perfection and is free from any flaw in His essence. He is entirely without blame, having known “no sin,” and “neither was there deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). He is also like fine flour, light and enriched with oil, representing a life full of abundance and joy. We are alive in Him, rejoicing “in the hope of things prepared” (Col. 1:5); and nurtured by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we affirm the words of the psalmist: “I have anointed my head with oil” (Ps. 22:5), for we have received forgiveness through faith in Christ.