Nice Loaves!

1 Peter 2:5
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

In the Old Testament there was a line of people specifically chosen to be the priests for the nation. These were the sons of Aaron. They had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. First, they had to live as an example to the people. They were held to a high standard of integrity and honesty. They were required to know the laws and rules and regulations, and they were required to act them out. These men were responsible for making sacrifices to God and keeping the temple a holy place. In short, it was a pretty rough gig.

Each week these priests were required to make 12 loaves of bread and lay them on the altar before the Lord. This was a symbol of their fellowship with God and of the lasting covenant that He made with His people. This bread was “the most holy part” (Leviticus 24:9) of their regular offerings to the Lord. At the end of each week, Aaron and his sons would eat the bread, then prepare fresh for the next week.

Sadly, the rest of the nation of Israel did not get to commune with the Lord as the priests did. This was a special event for the priests. Because they were the Lord’s priests, because they were held to a higher standard, they were also blessed with a higher level of connectedness with God!

Jesus, our High Priest, wanted us to be able to fellowship with the Father just as the priests of old did, just as He did. He became the Bread of Life. I think that he made this abundantly clear at the last supper when He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) Jesus not only became our sacrifice, He also became our Levitical show-bread. Through Jesus, we are all priests and kings and are therefore welcome at the table of God. We, because of His final sacrifice, are able to walk up to the table, pull out a chair, and “break bread” with Him.

I’ve heard a lot about “communion” lately. It’s not just a time to remember what Jesus did on the cross, it’s a time to accept what He’s given us as a result. When we come to the Lord’s table we are to remember that Jesus was our grain, guilt, peace (fellowship), burnt, and sin offering. We are to remember that through His death and resurrection we have been given eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We are to remember that because of that forgiveness we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father and are priests and kings through the Blood of Christ! (Revelation 5) We are to understand that Jesus became our Show-bread and is present with the Father as an everlasting covenant to His people. We, as priests of the Most High, are to remember to fellowship with God the Father while we consume the Show-bread.