Chapter 3
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holy Father we ask that as we study Your Word You would please grant us a better understanding and knowledge of You, Your Grace and Your Mercy. Father, please cause us to better understand and appreciate the precious freedom that You have given us through Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which means bread made without yeast, began with the Feast of Passover and was to last for seven days. The instructions that God gave to Moses and Aaron for observing this feast is recorded for us in:
Exodus 12:15-20
"[12] For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. [16] On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do. [17] "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. [18] In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. [19] For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. [20] Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.""
Let us notice the following verses,
17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread was established to be a constant reminder that it was on this day that God brought the nation of Israel out of their bondage to the Egyptians. This was the day that the nation of Israel left Egypt and began their exodus to the promised land of Canaan.
18(a) In the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, the people were to eat unleavened bread. This meal was the Passover supper (Exodus 12:6-8).
18(b) The people were to eat unleavened bread for seven days, that is till the 21st of the month.
With the above instructions in mind let us now explore in a bit more depth the significance and teaching that comes from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In doing this we will find that this feast was established to bring to remembrance for all the generations of Israel that,
1. Israel's exodus from Egypt was done in haste.
2. To physically nourish and sustain the children of Israel throughout their journey in the wilderness, God miraculously provided them with bread. This bread was called Manna.
3. The purpose of Israel's deliverance from their bondage to the Egyptians was so that they would be free to worship God and live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him.
Let us begin our study to see that one of the purposes of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to bring to remembrance that,
ISRAEL'S EXODUS FROM EGYPT WAS DONE IN HASTE
To see this let us read what happened after Pharaoh and the Egyptians discovered that the Lord had put to death all their first born. It is recorded for us in,
Exodus 12:29-39
"[29] At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. [30] Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. [31] During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. [32] Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me." [33] The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!" [34] So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. [35] The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. [36] The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. [37] The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. [38] Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. [39] With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves."
Let us notice the following verses,
33 After the Egyptians discovered that all their first born had died, the remaining people were in fear for their lives. Consequently, they basically told the nation of Israel to immediately leave the land.
34 Since the Israelites were told to leave in haste; they left Egypt before they had a chance to leaven their bread dough.
39 For the first portion of their exodus from Egypt the Israelites baked the unleavened dough for their sustenance.
The Foreshadowing
In reflecting upon the haste in which the nation of Israel left Egypt to follow God we find that this was also a foreshadowing to teach us that when we hear God's call to follow Him, we too must immediately leave our past ways and begin our new life in Jesus Christ. To see this, let us explore some of the things Jesus said to those who were making excuses of why they could not immediately follow Him. The teaching of interest is recorded in,
Luke 9:57-62
"[57] As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." [58] Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." [59] He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." [60] Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." [61] Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." [62] Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.""
For this study let us examine the following verses,
59-60 In this case Jesus told one of the persons who was by Him to follow Him and proclaim the Kingdom of God. However, this person did not want to leave his father. Consequently, he asked Jesus if he could wait till his father died. In other words, he wanted to wait till he would be free from his responsibility to care for his father. He did not understand that the journey Jesus was calling him to would not require him to abandon his father.
To see this let us remember that those who are born again believers in Jesus Christ are to honor their fathers and mothers and provide for their families. Jesus made this point very clear when He rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for teaching the people that the first priority for their monies was for the support and needs of the Temple. If after they paid the Temple tax and tithes there was not enough money left to help out with the financial needs of their parents, then the scribes and Pharisees taught that it was alright to not help them. Jesus said that this type of teaching is all wrong. Consider His rebuke against this teaching as recorded in,
Mark 7:9-13
"[9] And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! [10] For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' [11] But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), [12] then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. [13] Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.""
Let us consider the following verses,
9 Here Jesus is telling the scribes and Pharisees that this type of teaching violates God's commandment to honor their father and mother.
11-13 ... Jesus beautifully summarizes the whole issue.
With this background we can now see that in Luke 9:59-60 Jesus was not asking this person to abandon his father. No, instead, Jesus was asking this person to place his faith and trust in Him. In other words, Jesus was calling him to forsake the wanton ways of this physical world, follow Him and enter into the ways of the Kingdom of God.
Let us now return to Chapter 9 of the Gospel according to Luke and examine the following set of verses,
61-62 Before following the Lord, this individual wanted to return and say good bye to those in his home. In verse 62 we get the impression that this person had more love and attachments to his family and their present way of life than for God and His way of life. Hence, he was not ready to immediately give his allegiance to Jesus and follow Jesus desires for him and his life.
The foreshadowing for this characteristic of the Feast of Unleavened is best summarized by reading the following parables as recorded in,
Matthew 13:44-46
"[44] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [45] "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. [46] When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
In other words, the Kingdom of God should be so precious and valuable to us that when we know that God has called us to enter into it we should immediately and without regret be willing to forsake our wanton or sinful way of life and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
A good example of the attitude we should have when our Lord calls us to follow Him is best illustrated by how the Apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John responded to Jesus' call for them. It is recorded for us in,
Matthew 4:18-22
"[18] As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. [19] "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." [20] At once they left their nets and followed him. [21] Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, [22] and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
It is noted that to follow Jesus, the majority of us are not called to leave our jobs. In fact the general teaching of the Bible is that we are to support ourselves and as we saw earlier, help care of our families. To see this, consider the following instruction the Holy Spirit gave to the church in Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
"[11] Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, [12] so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
In fact we find that even the Apostle Paul and Barnabas worked with their hands to supply their own needs. It is further noted that the apostles, including Cephas (Peter), did not forsake their wives but took them on their missionary journeys. To see this let us read the following rhetorical questions Paul asked those who thought they did not have to work or remain with their wives and families.
1 Corinthians 9:4-6
[4] Do we have no right to eat and drink? [5] Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? [6] Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?
Thus, the point for this portion of our study is that to follow Jesus we will most likely not be asked to forsake our jobs and certainly not our families. However, we are certainly asked to forsake our wanton or ungodly way of life.
Let us now continue our study of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to find that it was also established to serve as a reminder that,
THROUGHOUT THEIR JOURNEY TO THE PROMISED LAND THE NATION OF ISRAEL ATE UNLEAVENED BREAD
As we read the Old Testament we find that at the beginning of their exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel ate unleavened cakes made from the dough they brought from Egypt.
Exodus 12:39
"[39] With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves."
After about thirty days into their journey, the Israelites ran out of bread, became hungry and began to rise up against Moses and Aaron for leading them out of Egypt. To see this let us read from,
Exodus 16:1-3
"[1] The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. [2] In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. [3] The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.""
Let us notice the following verses,
1 It was the fifteenth day of the second month. In other words, it was about thirty days into their journey when this took place.
3 The people were hungry, disillusioned and were sorry they left Egypt. All the horrors, agony and humiliation of their slavery were a distant memory. In addition, all the miraculous plagues God inflicted upon the Egyptians and all the miraculous ways God protected them from the plagues were forgotten. Now the people were hungry and sorry they ever left Egypt.
What about us? Have we ever been sorry we left our former way of life? Have we ever experienced difficulties and trials during our exodus to the Promised Land of Heaven that made all the miracles God did in our lives a distant memory? If so, please confess your weakness, moments of discouragement and doubts to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness.
In response to the complaints of the Israelites, the Lord told Moses that He will feed His people throughout their journey to Canaan. In fact let us go and read what God said to Moses, it is recorded for us in,
Exodus 16:11-26
"[11] The LORD said to Moses, [12] "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" [13] That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. [14] When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. [15] When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. [16] This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" [17] The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. [18] And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. [19] Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." [20] However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. [21] Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. [22] On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much--two omers for each person--and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. [23] He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" [24] So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. [25] "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. [26] Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.""
Let us notice the following verses,
12(a) God heard the murmuring of the people. So it is with us. He not only hears our praises and thanks but also our complaints.
12(b) God told Moses that He will provide His people with quail at twilight and bread to eat in the morning.
16 Each morning the children of Israel were to go and gather an omer, that is about 2 quarts, of bread for each person to eat.
19 None of the bread was to be left overnight. Every morning they were to go and gather bread for that day's nourishment. As we will see, this too is a foreshadowing. It teaches us that as children of God we are in daily need of spiritual nourishment. Thus, each day we are to partake of our Heavenly Bread, which is Jesus Christ. As we will see later in this study, we do this by prayerfully reading His Word, the Bible.
22-26 The only exception to the requirement of having to gather bread each morning was for the morning of the Sabbath.
This bread that the Israelites ate was called Manna and they ate it until the time came for them to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the land of Canaan. To see this let us read from,
Exodus 16:31
"[31] The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey."
It is noted that even though I can not find any Scripture to specifically support this, I truly believe that the Manna was unleavened, that is it did not contain any yeast.
And now let us read from,
Exodus 16:35
"[35] The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan."
The Foreshadowing
As was mentioned earlier, the eating of the Manna is also a foreshadowing to teach us that throughout our journey from our former way of life to the promised land of Heaven, we are to eat or partake of the Bread that came down from Heaven for us, that is Jesus Christ Himself.
While on the shore of the Sea of Galilee Jesus, with only five loaves of bread and two small fish, in addition to the women and children Jesus fed 5,000 men. Afterwards, to catch up with His disciples who earlier began to travel by boat Capernaum, He miraculously walked upon the waters of the Sea of Galilee. Let us now read what transpired between the people and Jesus after they realized what had happened.
John 6:22-31
"[22] The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. [23] Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. [24] Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. [25] When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" [26] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. [27] Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." [28] Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" [29] Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." [30] So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? [31] Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'""
Before we finish reading this account of Jesus and the people of Israel, let us first reflect upon the following verses,
22-25 Knowing there was no boat available for Jesus to use for crossing over the Sea of Galilee, the people asked Him how did He get there? Even though they just previously saw Jesus perform a miracle with the bread and fish, they still did not perceive who He is. They were still evaluating Jesus and His activities from a physical and not from a spiritual viewpoint.
26-27 Jesus responded to their question by pointing out that the reason they followed Him was not because of who He is but only because He gave them food to eat. He then pointed out that they should be more concerned about their spiritual needs, that is the everlasting life that only He, Jesus, can give. As a side note, it is pointed out that we see much of this same attitude today. Specifically, many people come to Jesus, not so much for the hope of eternal life, but primarily in expectation for Him to fulfill their physical needs and wants.
28-29 Here lies the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wanting to have eternal life, the people ask Jesus what work they must perform to earn it. Jesus responded by stating that the only way you receive eternal life is through faith and belief in Him. In other words, it is not by works of righteousness but by Gods Grace and Mercy we are saved, that is receive eternal life.
30-31 The people responded to Jesus statement by asking Him for a sign so that they will or can believe in Him. In other words, they did not perceive that the miracles of the bread and fish and the walking on the water bore witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Instead the people brought up the miracle of the manna. They pointed out to Jesus that during their exodus from the slavery of Egypt and up until they entered the Promised Land, God miraculously provided them manna to eat.
Let us now return to Chapter 6 of the Gospel according to John and finish reading what Jesus was teaching the people then and now us. To do this we begin by rereading verses 30 and 31,
John 6:30-59
"[30] So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? [31] Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" [32] Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." [34] "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." [35] Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. [36] But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. [37] All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. [38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. [39] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. [40] For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." [41] At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." [42] They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" [43] "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. [44] "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. [45] It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. [46] No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. [47] I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. [50] But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. [51] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." [52] Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [53] Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. [56] Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. [57] Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." [59] He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum."
Let us notice the following verses,
32-35 Jesus explained to the people that He is the True Bread of Life. It is He, Jesus, who came down from Heaven to give eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
36 Jesus pointed out to the people that in spite of all what they heard Him say and seen Him do they really do not believe in Him.
37 Jesus pointed out another principle of the Gospel and that is, It is the Father who brings us to Jesus. It is noted that when Peter recognized who Jesus was, Jesus told him that it was the Father who revealed Him to Peter (Matthew 16:13-17). Thus, in our quest for eternal life for ourselves and others we should always ask the Father for His Grace and Mercy to lead us and others to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
38-40 Jesus promised us that He will not lose any that are His and on the last day He will raise us up to eternal life.
41-42 Still believing that Jesus is a mere mortal, they started to question how Jesus could say the things He was saying. In other words, as Jesus pointed out in verse 36, they did not believe that He is God who had come to earth in the flesh of man.
43-45 Jesus responded by again telling them and us that it is God the Father Who draws us to Jesus.
48-51 Jesus explained that He is the bread of eternal life and not like the manna which was temporal. In other words, He is the One who gives everlasting life. He pointed out that the Israelites ate the manna in the desert and died. However, who ever partakes of Jesus will live forever and ever.
52 The people are confused. They question and wonder, how can Jesus give His flesh for them to eat?
53-58 Because of its extreme importance, Jesus again reaffirmed the truth that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we will not be raised up to eternal life.
The people still did not understand what Jesus was saying. They still thought Jesus meant they were to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. They truly thought that Jesus was professing a type of cannibalism. The people, being non believers, considered the spiritual things that Jesus was teaching them to be nonsense. In fact, this is exactly what the Holy Spirit teaches us will happen when an unbeliever hears spiritual truths, see 1 Corinthians 2:11-14.
To see that Jesus did not mean they were to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood, let us read His response to those who did not understand.
John 6:60-63
"[60] On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" [61] Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? [62] What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! [63] The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Let us notice the following verse,
63 This is the key verse. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life not the flesh. As Jesus said, the words that He was speaking are spirit and life not earthy or physical. Thus, they must be spiritually understood or discerned.
With the above background in mind, we come to the question of, How do we spiritually partake of the body and blood of Jesus? The answer to this question is twofold: (1) we are to read His Word and (2) we are to partake of His supper.
We Are To Read His Word
To see this, let us remember that in verse 63 above Jesus tells us that the words He spoke (and now written in the Bible) are spirit and life. In addition, let us also recall the unity of Jesus and His Word. To refresh our memories, let us read the following,
John 1:1
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Thus, as we reverently and prayerfully read or digest the Bible, that is the Word, we are spiritually partaking of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible is sometimes referred to as spiritual food. For example, let us read how Paul referred to Gods Word as milk and solid food when he chastised the Hebrews for not maturing in their faith.
Hebrews 5:12-14
"[12] In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
For another example of the Bible or Gods Word being referred to as spiritual food, let us read how Jesus responded to Satan after Satan tempted Jesus to break His fast.
Matthew 4:4
"[4] Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'""
The second way we become spiritually nourished and strengthened by Jesus body and blood is to,
Partake In The Lord's Supper
To see this, let us read what in effect we are spiritually doing when we properly observe the Lords Supper,
1 Corinthians 10:15-16
"[15] I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. [16] Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?"
In addition to serving as a reminder of the haste with which they left Egypt and the unleavened bread they ate throughout their exodus, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was also established to serve as a reminder that now the children of Israel were to,
LIVE A LIFE THAT IS HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD
In reading the Old Testament we find that in addition to eating bread without yeast on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the children of Israel were also to remove all the leaven from their homes. To see this, let us read the following passages of Scripture,
Exodus 12:15
"[15] For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses..."
And
Exodus 12:19
"[19] For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses..."
And,
Exodus 13:7
"[7] Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders."
Why was it not sufficient for the children of Israel to just eat unleavened bread? Why did God say they were also to remove the yeast from not only their homes but also throughout their borders? What was (is) the lesson to be learned?
To answer these questions we must remember that in the Bible yeast is used to illustrate something that would permeate or work through the entire host that it is in. For example, a little yeast in bread dough permeates or works through the entire bowl of dough.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses the illustration of yeast to give us a mental picture of how the Kingdom of God works in those who are born again believers in Jesus Christ. For example, let us read from,
Luke 13:20-21
"[20] Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? [21] It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.""
At other times the Holy Spirit uses the illustration of yeast to show us how sin behaves in those that practice its ways. For example, let us read the following passage of how, as a born again believer, we are to get rid of, that is confess and repent of, the sin in our lives.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8
"[7] Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. [8] Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth."
With the above examples and illustrations in mind, it becomes clear that the reason God told the children of Israel to rid their homes and territory of yeast was because the yeast in this case was symbolic of sin and wickedness. Thus, the purging of the yeast, at the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a vivid reminder that God not only delivered the Israelites from their physical enslavement to the Egyptians but also to set them free from all the idols and harlotry of the Egyptians to follow and worship Him.
The Foreshadowing
This too is a foreshadowing to teach the born again believer, that Jesus Christ not only saved us from the penalty of sin but also delivered us from its power. Thus, the true born again believers are now to live their lives in a manner worthy of their calling. To see this let us read the following excerpt from the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus,
Ephesians 4:1-3
"[1] As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. [2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. [3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
SUMMARY
As we reflect upon all that we have studied we discover that God established the Feast of Unleavened Bread to serve as a periodic reminder to all the generations of Israel of when He led their forefathers out of their former way of life from the land of Egypt to take them to the promised land of Canaan.
We also discovered that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was established to be a foreshadowing to help the born again believer understand our spiritual journey or exodus from our former way of life, that is from the spiritual land of self, sin and Satan, to the promised land of Heaven.
To nourish and sustain the Israelites throughout their physical journey in the wilderness, God gave them manna, a type of bread, to eat. In like manner, to nourish and sustain the born again believer in our spiritual journey to eternal life in Heaven, God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let us read the following words of exhortation that the Holy Spirit recorded for us in,
Romans 8:31-39
"[31] What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [33] Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [36] As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
AMEN and AMEN