Introduction
My wife asked me why we should even observe this festival since we are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. This is a good question. To answer it we must determine the difference between seeking forgiveness for sin and turning from sin. Many Christian believers hold to the idea that since we have been “born again”, we no longer need to ask forgiveness since all sins, (past, present and future), have been forgiven. This is what is called “positional” righteousness. Due to the death of Jesus on the cross, we have been forgiven. Yet, Paul said we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). This is the idea behind the feast of unleavened bread. When we work through this festival, we daily look to see if there is any compromise in our lives. Then we cast out that compromise and turn to follow God with a pure heart. The idea is carried forward if you continue to read Philippians. Paul gives an exhortation that carries the idea of the purpose of the feast of unleavened bread:
Philippians 4:8–9 (KJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
The basic idea is to turn from compromise in our lives back to the pure teaching of God. How do we do this? We throw out everything that has been tainted with sin. We focus on God’s instruction, God’s Torah.
This feast is complex. On the surface, it looks very simple. Unleavened bread is eaten to commemorate the exodus (Deut 16:3). We will be looking at how the Feast is celebrated in modern times, end time applications and explain what leaven points at. I do not believe we can understand this festival without a good understanding of how leaven is used in the scriptures.
At the end of this study, I will give a thumbnail sketch of the festival as it appears in the book of Revelation. Revelation is patterned after the oppression of Egypt, the ten plagues, the spring festivals and the exodus. Hebrew literally means to “cross over”; Revelation is the story of how we will “cross over” into the millennial kingdom. It is the story of the redemption of all men who will follow Messiah. Stick with me through the study and I believe you will find the comments on end times to be interesting. This is covered in the last segment.
Yeast has a profound impact on what it touches. Whatever becomes permeated with yeast changes its nature so that it cannot be reversed. Chemical reactions take place which permanently change the base substance to where it becomes an entirely different element. For example, if you have yeast bread, the bread cannot revert back to flour. Keep that in mind as you read further in these comments.
Biblical context: The first day of the festival is a high holy day, essentially a Sabbath of rest which starts this feast (Leviticus 23:6-7). This year the High Holy day Sabbath coincides with the regular weekly Sabbath. The festival is a “fasting” festival since during this festival all products that are leavened with yeast are removed from the house. This Festival was set up as a permanent ordinance to be followed just like Passover. Penalty for failing to keep the festival is being cut off from Israel. The festival applies to both the Jews and the Gentiles who are following our God:
Exodus 12:15–20 (NLT) 15 For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel. 16 On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food. 17 “Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation. 18 The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month. 19 During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners living among you and to the native-born Israelites. 20 During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”
Matzah Bread: The “Matzah” bread is a unique cracker that is specially designed to fit scriptural guidelines. It is pierced with holes which can be applied to the abuse that Messiah went through (Isa 53:5-6; Zech 12:10). The name for the bread is transliterated from the Hebrew word for “unleavened” which is “matzah”. In the scriptures it is referred to as the “bread of affliction” since it recalls the suffering during Egyptian captivity and the affliction of leaving behind everything rapidly in order to begin the Exodus (Deut 16:3-4).
Modern bakers make this bread much like a saltine cracker, without the yeast. It is a striped bread where it runs through rollers and is perforated with many holes. This lends to associating the stripes with
Isaiah 53:5 (KJv) “5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
The piercing is related to:
Zechariah 12:10 (kjv) 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
The prophecies that are quoted regarding an explanation for the bread scream “MESSIAH”! However, it is important to note that the prophetic quotes come from Christians who have realized the significance of Matzah in relation to Messiah. Jewish people have a different outlook on Matzah.
This bread is also thought to symbolize the double portion of Manna that was given on the Sabbath (Ex 16:11-22. During the Passover meal three pieces are put on the table to symbolize the three visitors to Abraham (Gen 18:6). This is extended to relate to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I gleaned this from My Jewish Learning, here is an interesting quote from the website:
“Matzah is one of those wonderful transcendent ritual items in Judaism, a symbol embodying a duality to teach a moral lesson. At the beginning of the seder, we break one of the sheets of matzah and call it the bread (lekhem) of affliction (oni). It is the meager sustenance of slaves, the meanest fare of the poor, the quickly produced food of those who make a hurried, under-cover-of-dark getaway. Yet later, it represents freedom, the bread we ate when we were liberated from Egyptian bondage.
“In both situations, as slaves in Egypt and once we were free, we ate the same flat wafers. What was different was our own attitude when we ate: cowering, accepting our subservience, then claiming our rightful dignity as human beings equal before God. Just as we transform mentally and physically, the symbol of our status is transformed.”[1]
Modern Observance:
The Feast of Unleavened Bread which starts on the day following the Passover meal. The Passover meal is celebrated on the evening of Nisan 15. The Feast of Unleavened bread starts the evening of Nisan 15. Therefore two festivals start at the same time, Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread. The festival runs for seven days.
Over the years this festival has been tweaked with compromise so much that it has become blended with Passover. Compromise is so profound that It becomes difficult to separate the two in some modern observances. Most messianic Christians who never practiced the festival as Christians before are now embracing it from the letter of the scripture. This means a literal seven-day festival. Removing the leaven from the life of a believer is essential for walking closely with the Lord. Messianic Christians often realize that they lived a life of compromise before coming to the full understanding of the Jewish festivals. Now we have the ability to follow God’s instructions in order to have a more complete order of worship.
Jews and messianic Christians who keep the festival will go through their homes on the day prior to Passover and clean out all the yeast in the house. They wash out the cupboards, brush out bread crumbs, and check every nook and cranny to see if any yeast is left. All leaven is removed from the home.
This is turned into a game for children to participate in. It often involves using a candle to search and a feather to brush the yeast into a paper bag. Some will hide ten slices of bread through the house for children to find. At the end of the search, the bag is burned or buried.
Some Jews will take the ordinary utensils and either destroy them or “sell” them to a Gentile for the week. At the end of the week they buy them back. They also have a set of “kosher” utensils that are used just for this feast.
Once the search is over, a special blessing is said to declare that all known yeast has been eradicated and thereby any existing yeast that is found later is no longer valid. In Monopoly this is called a “get out of jail free” card.
The Festival starts at sundown which is the beginning of the Nissan 15 on the Jewish calendar. The Passover Seder is celebrated with unleavened bread due to the meaning of that meal. This rolls directly into the Feast of Unleavened Bread where unleavened bread becomes a main staple at every meal. Some Jews will eat the unleavened Matzah bread for the week and make sure to keep all yeast products out of the house during that time. Sadly, some end the festival with the Passover Seder.
Observant Jews and Messianic Christians start the festival at the end of the Passover Seder and continue it for seven days. The first day of the festival is a high holy day, which is considered a Sabbath.
It is difficult to tell if this festival has fallen by the wayside because of the way that it overlaps with Passover and the Feast of First Fruits or if it simply is not understood. The Spring festivals are very busy since all three festivals, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Passover, and Feast of First Fruits all hit within a few days. The Feast of First Fruits extends for another fifty days and includes “Counting the Omer” along with two “First Fruit” celebrations.
What the scriptures say about Leavening:
I have been taught that leavening always represents sin in our lives… Is this true? Jim Staley offers a different idea in his internet video’s. Leavening is related to false or views of God that have become twisted by tradition, bad interpretation or pagan influence. Let’s look at the scriptures because this debunks a common notion in both Messianic and Christian circles that contends that yeast represents sin. The popular understanding of The Feast of Unleavened Bread is that it causes us to recognize that we are utterly sinful in every aspect of our lives. This perspective is crippling us because the focus is misplaced. Let’s examine the scriptures to see what the Bible says about leavening:
Leavening is mentioned in several of the sacrificial scriptures. Some sacrifices allow leavening, while in other sacrifices it is not allowed. I am not going through the sacrifices since they are all holy and not sinful. This is the bulk of references for leavening in the scripture.
The first place we see leavening mentioned outside of the Torah commands for sacrifices is in Hosea 7:4. Hosea likens Ephraim with leaven that affects the dough with sinful practices. The leaven of adulterers, scoffers, drunkenness, and anger permeates the land in chapter 7.
Hosea 7:7–11 (NLT) 7 Burning like an oven, they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries to me for help. 8 “The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake! 9 Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak. 10 Their arrogance testifies against them, yet they don’t return to the Lord their God or even try to find him. 11 “The people of Israel have become like silly, witless doves, first calling to Egypt, then flying to Assyria for help.
It is clear from the passage that trust is removed from God and placed in the pagan nations of Egypt and Assyria. The idea is that there is a blending of religions which has resulted in a yeast infection that has permeated the entire nation.
The second place that we see leavening is in Amos 4:5 where God tells the people to offer a thank offering with leavening. The idea is an abomination before God. Amos recorded that God went through extreme measures with the weather and plagues to try to get the people who had leavened their lives to return to Him (Amos 4:6-13 and following). Reading through Amos makes it abundantly clear that the Hebrew people had become blended with the nations. God pleads with the people to turn from the pagan religion that they had blended with Torah and promises punishment for continuing to abandon Torah. (Amos 2:4). Blending with the nations resulted in abandoning Torah and following the pagan gods or practices of the people of the land.
Sin by definition is failing to hit the mark that is set by God’s instruction. Paul made this abundantly clear as he discussed sin as a violation of Torah (Romans 7:7-25). Sin according to his argument does not exist until Torah (commandments of God) are taken into account (Ro 7:7-8). Knowledge of the teaching of God effectively brings on the knowledge of sin. The desire to violate the teaching of God results in death (Ro 7:8-11). Torah has been written on the hearts of every believer, so when we violate God’s teaching we enter into sin and effectively commit spiritual suicide (Jer 31:33). Paul taught that the Torah did not pass away, it was still in effect. He taught that Torah was Holy, righteous and good (Ro 7:12). Torah then is the guide that we place our lives on which teaches us how to follow God, failing to follow the instructions of God is sin and demonstrates that we are in bondage to failing to follow Torah (Ro 7:13-14). Paul discussed the conflict that he had within himself as he wrestled with his desire to live life that was not torah compliant with coming under the instruction of God (Ro 7:15-25). Torah then becomes a schoolteacher that instructs us in how to follow God, sin is not adhering to that instruction. In summary, sin is insignificant outside of the instruction of God.
Yeast in Amos indicated sin which was the result of abandoning God’s Torah. The yeast initiated when the Hebrew people embraced the nations around them rather than embracing God. God exhorts the people to turn from the nations and back to Torah (Amos 5). Until they return to following God’s instruction they would be under judgment from God. He was angry with them as long as they continued to violate Torah by failing to take care of the widows and orphans, ignore the truth of torah, and blatantly ignore God’s prophets (Amos 5:11-14). God pleaded with the people to return to Torah and abandon violation of it through blending with the nations. He stated that since they were living double lives, He even hates it when they keep His festivals:
““I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” (Amos 5:21–23, NLT)
Yeshua (Jesus) referred to the Kingdom of Heaven as likened to leaven that a woman leavened three pecks of flour (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21). If leaven referred exclusively to sin as I have heard over and over, then Yeshua was saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is born out of sin? No, rather, he was saying that the truth permeates the dead believers bringing them to life. Torah then permeates believers and brings life to them.
The other references in the Gospels refers to the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:6-12; Mark 8:15). The leaven of the religious leaders was to make Torah so burdensome that they burdened the people with excessive laws and overly strict interpretation of Torah. Jesus identified the leaven of the Pharisees to be hypocrisy (Lk 12:1). The Gospels are laden with examples where Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for chaining down God’s people with rules and regulations. In this case yeast refers to interpretation of the scriptures that perverted the intent and caused Torah to bring bondage and death instead of life.
Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for allowing leaven to permeate their fellowship. The leaven that he was referring to was a man who was having an immoral relationship with his father’s wife… Either his mother or step-mother (1 Cor 5:1-6). Paul encouraged the people to embrace Yeshua the Passover Lamb and in conjunction with the Feast of Unleavened Bread to expel those who violate Torah (1 Cor 5:7-8). Sin in this example is abandoning the instruction found in the Torah. The man violated Torah by having his father’s wife (Lev 18:8; Deut 22:30; 27:20). Not only did they abandon Torah, they embraced the one who was in sin into their fellowship essentially condoning his actions. The problem was blending worldly standards with Torah. The Corinthians were ok with incest, Torah taught against it. By blending the pagan religions that permeated the Corinthian society with Torah, Paul pointed this out as ungodly leavening which had to be removed from the congregation. Paul was teaching on the Festival of Unleavened Bread in this passage. In order for the Corinthian church to move forward they had to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened bread by removing the compromise from the church.
Paul went on to say that it would be impossible to not associate with sinners since you would have to go out of the world to do so (1 Cor 5:10). Rather he exhorted them to not associate with people who are claiming to be believers but who are openly practicing the violation of Torah (1 Cor 5:11). He refers to six sins that violate at least eight of the Ten Commandments, without mentioning the obvious sin of dishonoring the Father and Mother, which would be nine of the ten. Sin by his definition is failing to make the Ten Commandments a guideline for life, this is the essence of Torah (1 Cor 5:11). The open practice of compromise by the man sleeping with his mother also demanded that other believers accept their sin as an alternative lifestyle within the body of believers. This yeast permeates an assembly of believers who open the door and accept spiritual compromise. We see this running amok in our churches today as our society embraces “alternative lifestyles”.
The last reference is found when Paul asked the Galatians who hindered them from following Torah? Followed with the statement that a little leaven leavens the entire batch of dough (Gal 5:7-9). They were arguing over circumcision versus uncircumcision. The issue was not circumcision; it was that they were “hindered from obeying the truth”. Torah does not mean law. It indicates a lifestyle that God has set up for the believers who follow Him. Circumcision was set in the Torah as a mark for Hebrew believers. Torah is a guideline for life; it is not a set of rules and regulations. When the Judaizers said that Gentile Galatians must be circumcised to follow Messiah. They were essentially brought people under bondage through causing them to have to do “works” in order to qualify for heaven. Being hindered from obeying the truth is essentially abandoning Torah as a “guideline” for life. Let’s look at the comment from Stern:
“The truth, says Sha’ul, is that now that the Messiah has come, a Gentile becomes part of God’s expanded people, the Messianic Community, through trusting in God and his Son. This entails his turning from sin, seeking God’s forgiveness, and being immersed into the Messiah (3:27&N). But it does not entail his becoming Jewish. So if he turns back to the earlier procedure for joining the people of God, he is denying the Messiah and the new procedure which he has inaugurated. What a tragedy that a Gentile believer, already declared righteous by God on the ground of his trust alone, by becoming dissatisfied and heeding the Judaizers’ mistaken preaching that his trust is insufficient, would lose everything God has freely given him!” [1]
So in the case of the Galatians: Torah as a guideline for life was being perverted to become a book of “Law” which demanded complete compliance. Nowhere in the Scriptures will you find that God demands that we keep full Torah to the letter. What we do find is that if we follow Torah willingly as a spiritual journey, we will reap spiritual benefits from it that others will miss out on. Early Bible translators translated the word “Torah” as “Law” and brought about the reverse effect. Instead of Christians embracing Torah as a lifestyle, they have abandoned Torah completely and replaced it with “easy grace”. The Messianic movement is looking to restore Torah to believers as a guideline for life.
In summary, the teaching that Leaven symbolizes sin is only touching on the fringe of the truth. Leaven symbolizes blending world philosophy or pagan religious practices with Biblical truth resulting in a compromised version of Torah. It becomes an entirely different animal that looks good but has been laced with poison. Jesus also used it to represent the infectious nature of the Gospel when it is spread by infected believers.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread should not be focused on how utterly sinful that we are. Any believer can tell you that every area of their life certainly needs improvement since we fall short by nature. The Feast of Unleavened Bread should cause us to reflect on the ways that we have abandoned God’s standard of living through Torah. Everything should be brought into question this week. What practices have we fallen into that are not based solely on the scriptures? Where is our motivations coming from? Those who know the guidelines of Torah, are we using it as a guideline for life? What is the religious practices that we take part in based upon? Can it be found in the Bible? Have we compromised our walk with our Messiah Jesus?
Christianity has methodically abandoned the Jewish festivals over the years and replaced them with pagan festivals, do we want to continue to follow the mixture of pagan and Christian ideas knowing that these are an abomination before God? All aspects of Sunday worship, Easter, Advent and Christmas are all born out of paganism. Our church fathers blended a little Bible in to justify the festivals, but they are essentially pagan. Any mixture of worldly ideas, paganism, and Biblical truth is an abomination before God. This is a time to call all thoughts and practices into question.
End Time Prophecy:
The preparation of the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the day prior to Passover. The day prior to the Passover celebration Jewish people go through their houses and clean out all the yeast that exist in the house. It is intriguing that Yeshua wiped out Babylon just prior to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Yeshua cleaned the “yeast” out of the house since Babylon represented the worldly compromise between God’s people and the world. It was completely defeated prior to the return of our Messiah (Revelation 18:1-24).
Four Cups of Wine compare to the Four Hallelujah’s in Revelation 19:1-6: During a Passover Seder, four cups of wine are drank to commemorate the way that God delivered Israel from slavery (Ex 6:6-7). Some can argue that these four cups are purely tradition. Their significance becomes astounding when you compare it to the fourfold Hallelujah found in Revelation 19.
Exodus 6:6–7 (NLT) 6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.
First cup/Hallelujah: God will free His people from oppression compared to God judges the great harlot and avenges the blood of His bond-servants by defeating her (Ex 6:6; Rev 19:1-3). In the Passover Seder this is called the cup of sanctification.
Second cup/Hallelujah: God will redeem His people with an outstretched arm, compared to the smoke of Babylon rising forever signifying ultimate defeat of this system (Ex 6:6; Rev 19:3). In the Passover Seder this is called the cup of plagues.
Third cup/Hallelujah: God will claim His people and will be their God compared to 24 elders and four living creatures worshipping God (Ex 6:7; Rev 19:4). In the Passover Seder this is called the cup of redemption.
Fourth cup/Hallelujah: The people will know that God has delivered them and will know the Lord compared to a great multitude giving praise to God, small and great (Ex 6:7; Rev 19:5-6). In the Passover Seder this is called the cup of praise or Hallel.
The next thing that follows in the story is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This is most likely a Passover Seder since this is the supper where Yeshua purchased back His people with His blood. I believe that the Passover Seder will be performed at the Marriage supper since it was at this festival that Yeshua purchased His bride (Rev 19:7-10). The reference to the “Marriage supper of the Lamb” gives a clear indication that it is in reference to Passover.
The very next day following Passover is the time when the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts. This is a high holy day where yeast becomes the enemy of righteousness. All men who oppose God, kings, commanders, might men, free men, slaves great and small are killed (Rev 19:11-19). The false prophet and beast are captured and thrown alive into hell (Rev 19:20-21). Satan is bound in the abyss for 1000 years (Rev 20:1-3). Our Messiah will wage war on all who are opposed to Him. In keeping the Festival of Unleavened Bread our Messiah will wage war with the yeast of the world and completely wipe it out. This cleans house to set up His reign for the thousand-year millennium.
Lastly in this scenario, the next festival is the Feast of First Fruits. The very first rapture takes place when God raises from the dead those who were beheaded for their testimony and their devotion to Him during the tribulation (Rev 20:4-6). These who are resurrected will reign with Messiah for the duration of the Millennium and will not taste death again. The rest of the dead will not rise until after the Millennium.
As you can see, understanding the spring festivals gives us insight into the end of the Tribulation that we simply cannot get anywhere else. I have heard many attempts to explain these three chapters. When we divorce the Jewish festivals from the interpretation, it is impossible to understand the passages. I cannot say when these things will take place but am convinced that we are looking at the spring festivals put in full effect.
Conclusion: As you can see the Feast of Unleavened Bread is very complex. It reminds us of the affliction suffered in Egypt, focuses on our spiritual walk, and looks forward to end time prophecies. This paper has scratched the surface of the topic. I always welcome comments. I feel that I did not cover all aspects of the Feast very well and would encourage you to do a little research with the internet if you want to find out more.
Joe Turner.
[1] Stern, D. H. (1996). Jewish New Testament Commentary : a companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed., Ga 5:2). Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications.
[1] http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/matzah/, accessed 4/20/16.