A Type of His Coming
Yesterday I wrote how the Book of Mormon emphasizes the connection between the law of Moses and the coming of the Lord. The law, according to Mormon, was a “type of his coming” (Alma 25:15). So, I looked today for ways that the law connects with events of His life and His coming to earth. The most obvious perhaps is that the Israelites were to bring male animals with no deformities to be sacrificed: “Let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord” (Leviticus 1:3). Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” and thus He was too without blemish (Hebrews 4:15). John the Baptist at the beginning of the Savior’s ministry declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Perhaps in this statement John wanted the people to think of those unblemished lambs in particular that were offered, such as for the Passover: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (Exodus 12:5-6). There are also several passages in the law which prescribe a ram that should be offered, such as this one: “And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him” (Leviticus 5:18). A lamb is a young sheep under one year old, but a ram is an adult male sheep and much stronger and more powerful. Jesus could be represented by both; He was a lamb because He was submissive and meek and let Himself be taken “like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). But He was also like a ram because He gave up His life as an adult and though He had great power like a ram—and could have prevented His death—He did not. The symbolism of a strong ram reminds us of what He said about His life: “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18).
Other
aspects of the law of Moses have connections to the life of Jesus and His coming.
For example, frankincense was to be used in some of the offerings: “And when
any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine
flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon” (Leviticus
2:1). The word frankincense appears eight times in Exodus and Leviticus,
and this reminds us of the frankincense offered by the wise men: “When they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense,
and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). Myrrh was also used in the law, though only
mentioned once: “Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also
unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels… And thou shalt
make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the
apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the
tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony” (Exodus
30:22-26). The anointing that took place like this under the law also points to
the coming of the Savior. The priests were to be anointed: “And thou shalt put
upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may
minister unto me in the priest’s office” (Exodus 40:13). The Savior too was the
Anointed One, and some women understood this as they came and anointed Him: “There
came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious;
and she brake the box, and poured it on his head” (Mark 14:3). In the law the
priests also anointed the sacrifices, such as in this passage: “And thou shalt
offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt
cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt
anoint it, to sanctify it” (Exodus 29:36). The Savior in His ministry also anointed
others to heal and bless them: “When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with
the clay” (John 9:6). He also sent forth the twelve who “cast out many devils,
and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13). The
practice of anointing would have been very familiar to the Jews because it was
done by the priests so frequently in the law.
As part of the sacrifices the
priests under the law also offered unleavened cakes, such as is described in
this verse: “And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the
oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or
unleavened wafers anointed with oil” (Leviticus 2:4). The unleavened cakes and unleavened
bread were connected with Passover and a huge part of what was to be done in
various ordinances in the law of Moses—the word unleavened appears 38
times in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And so when Jesus came and
declared, “I am the bread which came down from heaven,” He may have wanted them
to connect His coming as symbolic bread with the bread they used in the law of
Moses (John 6:41). And the fact that the bread was unleavened was a symbol of
its purity, for yeast represents sin and corruption as He would even imply in
this statement: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). So all of this unleavened bread anticipated the
coming of One who would be without corruption or sin, the only one who could ever
say, “the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that
please him” (John 8:29).
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