What is Jesus doing in Leviticus?

The book of Leviticus is equivalent to the "untouchables". All sorts of rules and regulations and all these crazy sacrifices and offerings. How are we supposed to understand what this means, let alone live it out in our daily life? Everyone would agree that Leviticus is one of the toughest books in the Bible to read, to understand, and to live out, but Leviticus is in the Bible for a reason. All scripture is breathed out and profitable (2 Tim. 3:16), not just the books in the NT that tell us what to do. Why is all scripture relevant to all of life? Because Jesus, who is life himself (John 10:10), is the point of every book in the Bible. All of the old testament points forward and foreshadows Jesus coming into the world for salvation (Luke 24:27), and all of the new testament points back to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

I don't know if you'll be reading Leviticus anytime soon, but I hope the next time you do this helps to show that Jesus Christ is not just the focal point of the gospels, or the new testament writings, but also the entire Bible. including the  book of Leviticus.

How Leviticus points to Jesus

The theme of Leviticus is God instructing his chosen people how to live (Leviticus 20:26). Michael Williams says that in Leviticus "God lays out procedures for the Israelites to follow that would remind them of His presence with them and of their dependence on him to accomplish the purposes  for which he had set them apart." These procedures are usually shown in the form of sacrifices or offerings to the Lord by the Israelites. There are 5 main offerings that speak into our lives today, and communicates how we are to live before the Lord to experience the fullness of joy that God promises to His people.

The 5 Offerings of Leviticus

1. The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1) - this offering had to be 100% burned, showing the total surrender and cost of following Christ (Luke 14:25-35). 
2. The Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) - the use of fine flour and costly spices in this offering showed the sweet and gracious provision of the Lord in the life of the Israelites, a people who were enslaved to the Egyptians, before the Lord led them into freedom through the Red Sea. Much like the Israelites, we as Christians were enslaved to the sins of this world, and Jesus Christ came to set us free from sin and death (Gal. 5:1). We now offer our lives, not as a sacrifice for our sins, but as grateful acknowledgement of what He has done for us in Jesus (Romans 12:1-2).
3. The Fellowship Offering (Leviticus 3) - this offering expressed and communicated peace or fellowship between the Israelites and the Lord. It was a communion meal and in Old Testament times such meals were a way of signifying a deep relationship. This offering showed that God's people desire a deep relationship with their God. Because of sin our relationship with God is eternally broken, but because of Jesus' sacrifice he has reconciled our relationship with God. Jesus is the only way we can have a true relationship with the Father (John 14:6)
4. The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4:1-5:13) - this offering acknowledged the sinfulness of the Israelites and is their way of making amends for their broken relationship with God. To have a relationship with the God, we have to be Holy, because He is holy. We can never be holy, because of our sinful nature, but Christ is our holiness and he is our spotless offering for sin (Col. 1:21-23)
5. The Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7) - this offering is very similiar to the sin offering and again is the acknowledgement of God's people that they are sinful. This offering is used to repair the relationship between sinners and the Lord. 

In the book, How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams explains that "These offerings emphasize acknowledging, celebrating, deepening, and restoring their relationship with the Lord." So why don't we do them anymore? Why aren't people lined up at the church today making offerings to the Lord through a priest? "God's demand for holiness in our relationship hasn't been removed or minimized (2 Peter 3:14). Not only do we need a perfect sacrifice, we need a perfect Priest to offer it for us. Jesus, because he is both the flawless sacrifice and the sinless priest fulfills both."

"Unlike the other high priests, Christ does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once and for all when he offered himself." (Hebrews 7:27)

The message of Leviticus, like every other book of the Bible, is that we need Jesus, not just for salvation, but for life. We need him more than the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. He is not a part of our life. He is our life. We might not be making burnt or grain offerings, but we might still be trying to work for our relationship with God. We might be basing our relationship with the Lord on what we do, and not on what Christ has done and is doing. As Moses writes in Leviticus, I also say get to Christ. Let the law drive you deeper into Christ, and let Christ change your heart so you can begin to follow the law. What a savior we have that closes the altar down forever and says I will be your sacrifice, your offering, your everything.