THE GRAIN OFFERING If the burnt offering presents the fragrance of the Crucified Christ in his perfect obedience to the Father, The grain offering, with all its kinds, reveals another side of the salvation work of Christ; namely, While the church presents the sacrifice of Christ to the father to seek acceptance, The Father, on His side, presents Him to the church as the secret of her life, and the subject of her satisfaction. The Father rejoices in the obedience of His only begotten Son; And the church rejoices in the islain incarnate Son of God, as the One who grants her the eternal life, and satisfies her life. The food offerings were bound to the blood sacrifices, to confirm the need for the blood of the Redeemer for salvation. A grain offering: 1- A grain offering of fine flour 1 - 3 2- A grain offering baked in an oven 4 3- A grain offering baked on a pan 5 - 6 4- A grain offering baked in a covered pan 7 - 10 5- A grain offering of the firstfruits green heads of grain 14 – 16 1- A GRAIN OFFERING: “When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense in it” (1) Commenting on the word “anyone”, that came as (soul) in the Greek language, the scholar Origen believes that the burnt offering is the sacrifice of the spiritual man, offered on the altar of the Lord, to be wholly consumed by the holy fire. Whereas the “anyone” or the (soul), written in the verse, refers to someone neither spiritual nor carnal, at the same time. While his heart is not absorbed by the spirituals, and his body is not inclined toward abominations; yet he is too preoccupied with the daily issues of life, to think of his eternity. That is the mental or natural man, about whom the apostle says: “For the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things” (1 Corinthians 2: 14, 15), Such a man, when he offers grain offering or unleavened bread to the Lord; namely, offers his regular daily life, he needs the oil of the divine mercies to draw him away from the confusions of life. The scholar Origen means to say that if you are unable to offer your whole life, dedicated to the Lord as a burnt offering, then offer your daily work holy to Him, as a grain offering or an unleavened bread, unceasingly crying out to God to pour into you the oil of His mercy, to keep the world from distracting you from your eternity. Many fathers present another interpretation of the grain offering, seeing in it “the life of the Lord Christ” as a gift from the Father to us, in whom we would enjoy the fellowship with the Father, and His exalted peace; specially that the word (Corban) in Hebrew means (a grant,, or (a gift). The Lord Christ is the Gift of the father to us, and His life in us is His free gift. The rite of the offering came to reveal this true concept, which could be shown in the following points, as shown in the verses 2 and 3:: “He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense, and the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord” (2) “And the rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is a most holy offering of the offerings to the Lord made by fire” (3) a- Man offers fine flour to the priests, Aaron’s sons, in the name of the Lord. The priest will take from it a handful, to offer together with oil and frankincense, then burn it, an offering made by fire, a great aroma to the Lord. (2), as an acknowledgment by the people of His goods (2). The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his son’s. It is “a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord (3). If the fine flour refers to the Lord Christ “The Bread of life” (John 6: 35); The priest, taking from it a handful, to offer together with oil and frankincense, represents the church, that has nothing to offer to the Father on her side, except Him who has descended to us, and become One of us, namely, not a stranger from her. Finding in Him an offering to the Father, she bears Him to Him, to receive from Him His pleasure and gladness. “The crucified Christ” is the sacrifice and offering of the church, through whom she presents her worship of praises, supplications, prayers, metanoias, and fasting…. Without Him she cannot stretch her hands to worship. And while presenting such a unique offering, the church receives the Lord Christ Himself in her life as “the Most Holy Place”, takes communion of His body and blood, given as the secret of her life and spiritual satisfaction. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as a Mediator on our behalf by His blood, was sent by the Father to us to deliver His life in our name; And, at the same time, we receive Him in our life, a divine Gift that satisfies our depths. b- If our Holy Christ has become bread to satisfy our souls; Pouring oil on Him (1) refers to His anointment with by Holy Spirit, eternally, as “the Anointed” of the Lord who dedicated His work for our salvation, to carry out His role as the heavenly Highest Priest, who intercedes with His blood for us for the forgiveness of our sins. The name “Christ” in the Arabic language is derived from the word (anointed), by a spiritual oil. The seen oil is a sign; Whereas the unseen oil is the inner secret. + The Lord was anointed for our sake, and was sent, to become Man, while remaining as God (St. Augustine) + Christ was not anointed by oil but by the Spirit. The Holy Book presents to us some examples of those who were called “anointed”; but the main issue is the anointing with the Spirit, for the sake of which the oil was used as a symbol. (St. John Chrysostom) + Aaron was called “ an anointed” because of the (anointment), a word which, when spiritually used, came to be appropriate to the name of the Lord, anointed by the Spirit through the Father; as according to the book of Acts: “For truly against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed …” (Acts 4: 27). And as for us, the body is anointed, but the benefit is spiritual, as it is the case in baptism itself, where the body is plunged in water, but the activity is spiritual, through the forgiveness of sins. (The scholar Tertullian) c- If our Holy Christ, presented to us as a heavenly Bread that satisfies the souls, was anointed by the Father for our salvation and satisfaction by His Holy Spirit, We, as well, through uniting with Him, we come to be like a grain offering to the Lord, to enjoy the worthiness of His blood by the holy anointment, the anointment of His Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, sanctifies us, and dedicates our heart and all our energies to the account of His heavenly kingdom, to be counted as the herd of Christ and His spiritual hosts, who bear His feature in us and on our foreheads; … will not fear sin, nor the devil, whom God will destroy under our feet. + The sign with which you are marked now, indicates that you have become the herd of Christ. (Father Theodor of Messisa) + The way soldiers are marked by a seal, so the believers are marked by the Holy Spirit. (St. John Chrysostom) Offering Himself on the cross a burnt offering of love and glory, the Lord Christ granted us the possibility of pouring that oil on us as a free gift presented to His church from the Father, having said to His disciples: “When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify for Me” (John 15: 26). This new oil granted by the Lord Christ to His bride from the Father, after His ascension, is her support in her sojourn on earth, by whom sins are forgiven in the worthiness of the blood; and by whom the believers are strengthened in their spiritual strife against sin … According to St. Ambrose: [For the church there is an oil by which she bandages the wounds of her children so as not to become worse. By this oil which the church receives in secret, ‘Asher’ cleansed his feet; as it is said: “Asher is most blessed of sons, Let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his feet in oil” (Deuteronomy 33: 24).. By it the church anoint the necks of her children to bear the yoke of Christ; by it she anoints the martyrs to purify them from the dirt of this world; and by this heavenly oil she anoints the catechumen, lest they collapse from the sufferings, fall under the anxiety, or harmed by the heat of this world. The Jewish Synagogue does not have such oil, for having no olive tree, and for not understanding why the dove that returned to the ark of Noah, carried an olive leaf (Genesis 8: 11);for that dove came down, afterward, and settled upon the Lord Christ when He was baptized, as testified by St. John in his gospel, saying: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him” (John 1: 32)…How could he see the dove, he who cannot see Him on whom the dove descended?!]. By this oil given to the church, the heart of the believer is softened to bear compassion and love instead of cruelty; and by such compassion his gifts and offering are well received. According to St. John Chrysostom, about him who does not walk by the Holy Spirit: [As a rock produces no oil, so cruelty produces no compassion. If giving has such hard roots, it would not be counted as giving]. And talking about the activity of this oil, without which our lamps would lose their value and splendor, he says: {Let us fill these lamps with oil to increase the splendor of its flames. For this oil bears great power, not only here, but by it the sacrifices, as well, will be more acceptable; as it is said: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12: 7; Hosea 6: 6)}. If the Holy Spirit is the spiritual oil by Whom the hardness of our hearts is softened, be filled with love, and our inner lamps would be lighted with the divine light, to make our offerings and sacrifices acceptable before God; The sinners, as well, have their own oil which they pour to deceive the simple, which bears the deceptive and flirting spirit of the devil; about which the psalmist says: “The oil of the wicked shall not anoint my head” (Psalm 141); and on which St. Augustine comments, saying: {My head will not grow by flirtation; for commendation out of place is counted as flirtation; it is the oil of the wicked … Have oil in you, and do not seek the oil of the wicked}. In other words, let our lamps be filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit, whom we have got by the anointment of the Meron; and let us not desire the deceptive oil of evil! d- In the offering, the priest offers (all) the frankincense (2). If he, together with his brethren the priests, receive the rest of flour and oil, yet he is committed to offer (all) the frankincense. For if the flour and the oil refer to our enjoyment of the body of the Lord, the Bread of life, and the anointment of the Holy Spirit; the frankincense refers to the prayer (Psalm 141: 2) and the worship, of which we should not keep for ourselves; for all worship should be presented to God alone through the altar. e- Saying “A most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord” (3), means that its holiness is complete, not to be eaten except by the priest, not even by their wives, to be eaten in the tabernacle of meeting, while sanctified, not to be touched by anyone or anything not sanctified. If the offering refers to the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bread of life, It should not be eaten except by those who got the “general priesthood” through baptism; and only eaten by “males”; namely, by the serious and unspoiled, while sanctified by the Lord, through repentance and confession, in the holy tabernacle; namely, through the holy church of God. (I already spoke about the difference between the general priesthood, shared by all believers; and that concerning “the sacrament of priesthood” to practice the holy sacraments of the church). Calling the portions “holy part”, (and not “a most holy part” of the offering), it would be for the priests together with their families, and could be eaten outside the tabernacle of meeting; like the firstfruits of oil, wine, and their portions of the sacrifices of the feast of Passover, the peace offering, etc. (Leviticus 23: 20; Numbers 6: 20) 2- A GRAIN OFFERING BAKED IN AN OVEN: “And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil” 4) The second kind of offerings is the unleavened cakes, whether baked in an oven, in the form of cakes of the fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil; on one condition that no leaven is used. In the last offering, the oil is poured on the flour, as a reference to the holy anointment concerning the Lord Christ, who is eternally anointed by His Holy Spirit. Concerning us, In Him we also came to have the right of being anointed with the ‘Meron’, as members in His holy body, bearing His Spirit in us. In the present offering, the oil is kneaded with the cakes, or anoint the wafers. Kneading with oil refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the divine incarnation; having been said to the virgin St. Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1: 35). And anointing with oil refer to that He is anointed for our salvation … As to entering into the oven, it refers to his enduring the fire of passion for our sake. 3- A GRAIN OFFERING BAKED ON A PAN: “But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil” (5) “You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it, it is a grain offering” (6) The third kind of offerings is also a cake, baked, not in an oven, but on a pan of iron or bronze. The offering was broken in pieces, and oil is poured on it.. 4- A GRAIN OFFERING BAKED IN A COVERED PAN: “And if your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil” (7) This kind of offering baked in a covered pan, namely, in an earthen vessel, probably refers to the Lord Christ incarnated in the womb of the Virgin St. Mary, being the earthen vessel that was sanctified, so that in her, the incarnation of the Word of God is realized (the fine flour) by the Holy Spirit (the oil). “No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire” (11) “And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt” (13) A condition in all those kinds of offerings, as long as they are burnt on the altar, was to use neither leaven nor honey, but to use salt, for the following reasons: a- The leaven in the dough often refers to evil which affect the others, And as the Lord Christ is blameless, but carried our evils and sins; That is why, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the leavened bread that entered the fire, is used as a reference to that He carried our sins through the fire of His cross. b- The “honey” is a symbol of the temporal pleasures. We shall not enjoy the fellowship with God in His slain Son, as long as we live in the pleasures of this world with the spirit of looseness. Commenting on banning the offering of honey, St. Jerome says: [God has no pleasure in the sweet and delicious things, but seeks of man to be serious , working with reason; as it is befitting to eat the Passover “with bitter herbs” (Exodus 12: 8)]. c- Salt is used to keep food against corruption. Rejecting the leaven and the honey, and seeking the salt, God intends for our offerings not to get corrupted on account of including leaven or honey; but to be kept against corruption by including salt. This refers to keeping our covenant with God uncorrupted. That is probably why people of the East used, when making a covenant, to eat bread and salt, as a reference to holding fast the covenant of love. And the believers are also likened to salt. Speaking of scattering salt over every the offerings, St. Jerome says: [According to the counsel of the apostle, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4: 6); And the Lord Himself says: “If the salt loses its flavor; …. It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out” (Matthew 5: 13)]. 5- A GRAIN OFFERING OF THE FIRSTFRUITS GREEN HEADS OF GRAIN: “If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruit to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire grain beaten from full heads. And you shall put oil on it, and lay frankincense on it. It is a grain offering” (14, 15) The scholar Origen binds this offering to the day of the Pentecost; as, according to the law, the firstfruits were usually offered on that day (Exodus 23: 16; Deuteronomy 16: 9); saying: [On that day the Jews got the shadow (Hebrew 10: 1), while the truth was kept for us. For on the day of the Pentecost, after offering prayers, the Holy Dwelt upon the church of the apostles (Acts 2: 4). They were truly new offerings, as everything was new … The apostle were enflamed with fire; with divided tongues of fire on each one of them (Acts 2: 3); divided in the middle to separate between the letter and the Spirit…. Here it is said “roasted on fire”, namely very pure, for the presence of the Holy Spirit purifies from the defilements, by the forgiveness of sins. On that sacrifice, the oil of forgiveness is poured, and put on the fragrant frankincense, to become by it “the fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2: 15)]. At the end of our talk about the grain offering as a whole, we wish to confirm that a part of it was always offered on the altar to be burnt, mixed with the blood of the sacrifices unceasingly offered; hence the offering would not be denied of the activity of the holy blood for the forgiveness of sins.
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