Vayikra “And he called”
Leviticus 1:1–5:26
Isaiah 43:21–44:23
Romans 6-11

An Unblemished Offering

The killing of an animal in the days of the Tabernacle was not an unusual event. In fact, the area constantly smelled like a modern day barbeque. Seeing a man on the road leading a lamb or a goat in the direction of the Tabernacle was as common a sight as seeing someone walk into a grocery store today. The man would present his offering to the priest. Part of the offering was to be burnt, part was to be for the priest and part was for the man and his family to eat. It was a normal part of daily life.

Stop and think for a moment about the above scenario. Can you place yourself in that life? If you or I were transported via time machine into that culture, would it not be a shock to our systems? How long would it take for this daily sight of death to become a normal part of our lives?

Today death is far removed from our culture. We hear about a murder on the news or occasionally know of a person close to us who dies, but death is not something always in our face. Many today go through their entire lives without seeing an animal killed. For the most part we live in a very sterile environment when it comes to death. Most people eat meat every day of their lives, but take no thought as to where it came from. They do not take a moment to ponder the fact that the hamburger they are chewing was a few days prior chewing its cud in a field and mooing!

I wonder if this separation from death has had a negative impact when it comes to our reading through the Book of Leviticus? Do we subconsciously resent the bloody Tabernacle? Does our negative reaction to blood and death hinder our understanding of this method of drawing near to HaShem, following His direct instructions? We read about the offerings, but do we have a real life example to form a good basis of thought for our own lives? This can also affect the way we think about the death of Messiah Yeshua. Do we filter the account of His death though our own culture and lack of experiences concerning death? Does our lack of experience in a way cheapen the mental image we have of His death?

Recently a Jewish friend was speaking to a group about the wearing of a cross around their neck. He asked if they would ever consider wearing an electric chair necklace. Of course the answer was no. He went on to explain how seeing the cross affected him as a Jew. He is a believer in Yeshua, so the negative impact did not concern Yeshua, but about what the cross represented. To him it represents the millions of Jews who have been killed in the name of Christianity throughout the centuries. Because of the group's mindset concerning death they had never thought about this.

Passover is rapidly approaching. We will look back during this time to the Exodus from Egypt and the Passover lamb that was slain. In the Passover here at our place, we will also look to how that first Exodus trains us to walk out the Greater Exodus to come. But during this Passover let us not forget where our true focus should be. We must focus on the death of the true Passover lamb, the one to whom the sacrifices pointed, the one who gives us the right to celebrate in the first place. As we celebrate this year though let us determine to find ways to not only see, but to experience, what His death really means to us.

Here in Oklahoma we will be having lamb for our Passover meal. Our lamb will not be coming from a grocery down the road, but will be killed and cooked on a fire for everyone to see. I am sure there will be some tears in many people's eyes when the lamb is killed. In fact, I would imagine there will be a few people who have a hard time eating that lamb on Passover evening. For those who are concerned, no it is not a sacrifice, but an object lesson to the work of Yeshua. I am certain that for those who attend it will be a life changing experience. I do not believe we will ever be able to read about His death the same as we have in the past.

You may not be able to experience this event to the extent that we will at our home, but may I suggest that you find a way to bring the importance of life and death back into your Passover celebration. In doing so I believe it will have a great impact on how each of us not only die to self in the coming year, but learn to live unto Him, the only true unblemished lamb.