Feast of Unleavened Bread – First Day April 15, 2014

April 15, 2014       Feast of Unleavened Bread – First Day                   

 

Every spring, we start to clean our entire home, making sure every nook and cranny is clean in our car or vehicle, and if we go out to eat, we say “No, thank you” to any complimentary bread at restaurants. While we are members of God’s Church, we understand the meaning behind these actions—removing spiritual leaven from their lives—there is much more to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Spring Holy Days depict the beginning of God’s plan for salvation. The season begins with the Passover which we celebrate last night. 

We are here to celebrate the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Why do we Celebrate it? 

(Rom 15:4 NIV)  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Let’s go to the chapter that covers this subject.  

(Lev 23:1 NIV)  The LORD said to Moses, 

(Lev 23:2 NIV)  "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

This is what we are doing here today. Celebrating an appointed feast, a sacred assembly. 

(Lev 23:3-4 NIV)  "'There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD. {4} "'These are the Lord's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:

          Seasons just means appointed times

(Lev 23:5-6 NIV)  The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. {6} On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 

          You must eat bread made without yeast (leaven) or Unleavened Bread

It means we are to each Unleavened Bread every day 

(Lev 23:7 NIV)  On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 

(Lev 23:8 NIV)  For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'"

 

What is an offering, but a sacrifice.

(Rom 12:1 NIV)  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.    

a holy convocation,  just means “rehearsal” “assembly”

Ok, what is leaven:  yeast, baking powder, baking soda, whatever to cause something to rise or puff up.  Pride 

A leavening agent causes bread to rise or become puffed up.

 

Leaven is a symbol for a type of sin, which corrupts up by puffing up. 

As a side, The number seven (7 days) is the biblical number for completion or fullness.

Why did Israel observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

(Exo 13:6-7 NIV)  For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD. {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.

(Exo 13:8 NIV)  On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 

Egypt is used as a symbol of sin in the Scriptures. 

(Ezek 29:16 NIV)  Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.'" 

(Exo 13:9 NIV)  This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 

Let’s look in the New Testament now. 

Did the parents of Jesus Christ observed the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread?

 

(Luke 2:41-42 NIV)  Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. {42} When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.

(Luke 2:43 NIV)  After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

 

Notice Verse 43 states, “after the Feast was over,” which meant the Passover and the seven days of Unleavened Bread. 

As an adult, did Jesus observe the Days of Unleavened Bread?

(Mark 14:1 NIV)  Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.

(Mark 14:2 NIV)  "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."

(Mark 14:12 NIV)  On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

Remember, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is only 7 days long, the Jewish Leadership counts Passover as a day and that makes it 8 days.  Verse 1 and 2 pertain to the planning of Christ’s enemies to arrest Him. They were well aware that He would be observing the Days of Unleavened Bread. Verse 12 show how Christ directed His disciples in arranging for the Passover meal.

Did the Apostles observe the Days of Unleavened Bread after Christ’s death and resurrection?

(Acts 12:2 NIV)  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

(Acts 12:3 NIV)  When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

James, brother of John died around 44 AD, Jesus died around 30 to 33 AD

(Acts 20:6 NIV)  But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

This was after the year, 55 AD, what 20 plus years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and during third missionary journey of Paul.

As the writer of the book of Acts, Luke Verse 3 used this reference as an event that was observed by the Church. Likewise, this timeframe was used again at a far later date as Luke was later traveling with Paul in Asia Minor in verse 6.

Does the Bible contain any command to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread?  What instruction did Paul give Christians in regard to this festival?

(1 Cor 5:6 NIV)  Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

(1 Cor 5:7 NIV)  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.

(1 Cor 5:8 NIV)  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.

Written around Spring, 55 A.D.  Paul was expressing that as Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, we should proceed to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Remember, Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles.  Paul commanded the Corinthian Christians—mostly gentiles—to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. His instructions show that Christians from non-Jewish communities and cultures observed the Days of Unleavened Bread. Setting an example for all Christians today, these Jews and non-Jews observed these days in accordance with God's laws.  These verses show that it is indeed a New Testament practice, to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

What is wrong with a person being “puffed up”?

(Col 2:18 NIV)  Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

“Puffed up” is a condition of pride that comes from a sinful or defiant attitude. It is clear that a “puffed up” condition results from sin. Just as bread rises as the result of containing leaven, men are “puffed up” as a result of sin.

Comment: After condemning their puffed up condition, Paul warned that even a tiny amount of leaven can leaven a large amount of dough, just as even the smallest sin can corrupt one’s character. He then charged them to purge out the old leavening or put away the leavening, as done about the time Passover arrived (as true Christians practiced both then and now).

Paul was emphasizing the spiritual aspect of putting away the spiritual leaven of sin, pride and self-righteousness, in order to become unleavened, or pure from sin. This analogy would have been useless if the brethren had not been familiar with the putting out of leavening during this season on an annual basis.

The meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread defines what God expects of His people—we are to put out sin as a way of life!

Every spring, God wants us to go through the physical task of removing leaven from our homes. Yet He does not want us to focus on that physical task only, but also to be reminded of the greater spiritual meaning of these days.

There was, and is, nothing wrong with eating things containing yeast at other times in the year, but for the purpose of the Days of Unleavened Bread it was used as an symbol of sin. It was also sometimes used as a metaphor for sinful pride and hypocrisy:

(Mat 16:6 NIV)  "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

(Mat 16:11 NIV)  How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

(Mat 16:12 NIV)  Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Paul tolded the Corinthian brethren to keep the Feast. The old leavening, which was thrown out, represented malice and wickedness, while the unleavened condition represented sincerity and truth. The meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread pointedly defines what God expects of His people—we are to put out sin as a way of life!

For the rest of our lives, we must clean sin out of our character. We must replace it with God’s holy, righteous character.  We need to learn what Jesus taught, instructed, commanded and how he lived his life and follow His example in the Way of Life, in how we live our lives.