Cleansing the Priesthood

How Leviticus informs our understanding of Communion

I have reached that point in my annual Bible reading where I’ve come to the book of Leviticus. Let’s be real: Leviticus has been the unintentional saboteur of many a Bible reading plan. Many of us have set out to read the Bible cover-to-cover, and cruise through the first several weeks of the year as we find the narratives of Genesis and Exodus to be well-paved roads. Then, we turn to that third book of the Pentateuch and it’s not long before the ancient Israelite manual for priests has left us confused, disoriented, and maybe even a little grossed out by all the blood. (After all, there’s a lot of blood in Leviticus – like maybe Martin Scorsese was inspired by Leviticus when he directed The Departed.)

But this book, like the other 65 in the collection, is here for our benefit. Leviticus, like all of Scripture, is breathed out by God and useful for our instruction, correction, and training.

Even a casual reading of Leviticus will reveal an emphasis on clean and unclean. This not only applies to animals that can be eaten, but also people, buildings, and even clothing. Yet the priesthood being clean is of utmost significance, since they are the ones offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. The priest must be clean in order to offer the sacrifice. (Leviticus 8 and 16 outline the ritual washings that were necessary for the priesthood to be considered clean.)

Upon offering the sacrifice, the priest would then consume the sacrifice. So in the case of a sin offering, the animal would be slaughtered and offered on the altar – which is to say, it was cooked. It did depend on the type of offering, but most often, the priest (and his family) would then eat whatever was offered as a part of their daily sustenance. Since the Levites did not own land, they had no fields or farms, so this was one of the ways that God provided for the priests and their families – through the sacrifices offered for sin.

But a “common” person could not eat the sacrifice. The Levitical law also made that clear: “No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering” (Lev. 22:10). The ESV says, “A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing.” So only the priestly line could consume the sacrifice, and only those who were ceremonially clean within the priestly line could do so.

Holding your place in Leviticus, flip over in your mental Bible to the night that Jesus was betrayed. As he gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room to celebrate Passover (something he did each year), Jesus interrupted the normal sequence of events by doing two things: first, he got up from dinner (John is careful to note, “During supper…”), wrapped a towel around his waist, and washed the disciples’ feet. Second, as they were eating the Passover, Jesus instituted a new remembrance for the New Exodus. We call it, “the Lord’s Supper” or “Communion.” And as been said many times before, Jesus breathed new life into the Passover meal by taking what was already on the table - bread and wine - and giving them new significance: “This is my body…this is my blood…”

It would seem, though, that this isn’t all Jesus was doing at the Last Supper, because of everything we know about priests and sacrifices. If you read the account in John 13, you will see how much is made of clean and unclean in what Jesus says. He washes the feet of his disciples, but this is a symbolic washing - because their greatest problem was not dirty feet. Jesus tells them just two chapters later, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). But this ceremonial cleansing tells us something important: Jesus is cleansing his priesthood. We know that in the Old Covenant, only the Levites could be priests. But here in the New Covenant, it’s as if Jesus is telling the disciples, “All of you are priests in this new covenant.” We don’t know what tribes the 12 disciples hailed from. It’s possible that Matthew was a descendant of Levi, given that he was also known by that very name. But for Jesus, in this new covenant, tribal ancestry doesn’t make you eligible for priesthood. Instead, he intends for all of his followers to also be his priests.

And so what does Jesus do after cleansing this priesthood? He gives them a symbol of his sacrifice: the bread and the cup, depicting his body and his blood. In the old covenant, only the priests could consume the sacrifices – and only the priests who were clean could do so. In the new covenant, the same rule applies: Jesus makes the priesthood clean and then instructs them to consume the sacrifice. In the new covenant, the “layman” and the priest are now one and the same.

So when we come to the table, we first remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us. That’s why we eat and drink “in remembrance” of him. But as we do, we must also remember our role as priests. He has cleansed us by his Word, he has consecrated us (or, set us apart) to live distinct lives in a crooked and twisted generation, and he has commissioned us to announce the Good News (the terms of the new covenant) to the world. It is through our ongoing communion with him – pictured in this small meal we partake in – that we can invite others to share in that communion as well.

It’s no wonder that Peter, who reclined at that table with Jesus, would one day write:

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This priesthood is intended to announce that God can take anyone from darkness and bring them into his light. If you are in Christ, you are a priest in this new covenant: cleansed, consecrated, and commissioned. This meal reminds you of your mission.