Introduction
I’m going to read a longer passage about an Old Testament communion meal—Leviticus 7:11–18. We do not often consider the Old Testament background of the Lord’s Table, and I will not attempt to expound the entire passage. But listen for five words: imputed, offering, peace, bread, and thanksgiving.
Lev. 7:11 “This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the LORD: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. 14 And from it he shall offer one cake from each offering as a heave offering to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering.
Lev. 7:15 “The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten; 17 the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. 18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, nor shall it be imputed to him; it shall be an abomination to him who offers it, and the person who eats of it shall bear guilt.”
Imagine coming to the tabernacle knowing that you had sinned against the living God. You did not come trying to buy your way out. You came leading a living creature that had done nothing wrong.
You placed your hand upon its head. You felt its warmth and its breathing beneath your hand. You were identifying yourself with it and saying, in effect, “I am the guilty one. I deserve God’s judgment. Let this life stand in the place of mine.”
Then you slaughtered the animal before the priest. You saw the blood and heard the sound of death. A moment earlier it had been alive; now it was not. Sin no longer seemed small, harmless, or abstract. The wages of sin is death, and the sacrifice before you declared, “This is what you deserve.”
Yet you also saw mercy. God had not required your blood. He had provided a substitute. The innocent died in the place of the guilty. You walked away alive—not because your sin did not matter, but because another life had been given in your place, according to God’s gracious design.
And by the way, the Bible makes clear that a believing Israelite knew that the blood of bulls, goats, and lambs could not finally take away sin. This animal was not the ultimate answer. It was a promise acted out in blood, pointing beyond itself to the coming Messiah—the true Lamb whom God Himself would provide.
When Christ came, the meaning of those sacrifices became clear. The hand of faith was laid upon Jesus. Our guilt was transferred to Him. He was innocent; we were guilty. He died; we live. At the Lord’s Table we do not witness another sacrifice. That would be a blasphemous thought. Instead, we remember with thanksgiving that His once-and-for-all-time sacrifice is sufficient forever.
Let's look at the five words I mentioned earlier:
Focusing on five words
Imputed
The first word I want to look at in this passage is the legal term imputed. The Hebrew word חָשַׁב means to reckon, impute, or account. When Christ is received by faith, our guilt is reckoned to Him (or imputed to Him), and His righteousness and satisfaction are reckoned to us (or imputed to us).
When Jesus says, “This is My body, broken for you,” He hadn’t even died yet, so it is obviously a symbol. He is using a powerful image to remind us that He personally bore the judgment due to every sin of His people. The Supper therefore teaches us to take both our sin and His grace seriously.
Offering
The second word is offering. The lamb was offered to God as a picture of Christ being accepted by the Father as our substitute. The Lamb was innocent, and because we are united to Him, we too are presented before the Father in His innocence.
That is astonishing. Our worship can rise as a sweet-smelling aroma to God because it is accepted through the perfect offering of Jesus.
Peace
The third word is peace, which occurs five times. Our hearts can be at peace with God only because Jesus made peace through His blood. The legal peace He purchased can (and should) produce emotional peace when we rest in Him. And to doubt that we are at peace with God is ultimately to doubt the sufficiency of God’s provision of Christ as the final sacrifice.
Bread
The fourth word is bread. The breaking of bread signifies fellowship, and God’s peace ushers us into fellowship. The bread was shared with the priests and other Israelites, while a portion was presented to God. It therefore pictured fellowship with God and with His covenant people.
And the text mentions that there were two kinds of bread. In verse 12, unleavened bread, anointed or mixed with oil, can fittingly remind us of Christ’s sinless humanity and the Holy Spirit’s presence. Because Christ was without sin, He enjoyed perfect fellowship with the Father.
But verse 13 adds leavened bread. Leaven is a symbol of sin. This can fittingly picture us—people who still have remaining sin—also being brought into fellowship with God.
Notice, however, that the leavened bread had to be offered with the sacrifice. Apart from Christ, our offerings would be unacceptable. But once we are justified in the Son and received as God’s children, we may offer our lives to Him even while we still have sin and He continues to sanctify us. Romans 12:1 urges believers, on the basis of God’s mercies, to present their bodies as living sacrifices.
We need not wait until we are perfect before serving the Lord. God receives the service of His children even though it is still touched by weakness and sin. Our acceptance does not arise from our perfection but from our union with Christ.
Thanksgiving
The final word is thanksgiving, repeated four times. It takes faith to rejoice with thanksgiving when our consciences have been burdened with guilt. But we have to ignore our feelings and thank God anyway. WE are commanded to. This is a thanksgiving meal. We know that we deserve death. The blood of the innocent animal made vivid to the worshiper that guilt was costly and that God had provided a substitute.
Our peace was purchased at an immeasurable cost, and that by itself should produce overflowing thanksgiving. Indeed, of all the biblical names for the Lord’s Supper, Calvin especially loved Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving.
Conclusion
As you come to the Lord’s Table, thank God for these five realities.
- Thank Him for imputing your sins to Jesus and imputing Christ’s righteousness to you.
- Thank Him that your offerings are accepted through Christ’s perfect offering.
- Thank Him for making peace and removing the enmity.
- Thank Him for bringing you into fellowship with Himself and His people.
- And thank Him that you are alive to offer thanksgiving.
Psalm 107:22 says, “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.” Let us come to the Lord’s Table with repentance, faith, and heartfelt thanksgiving. Amen.