Just a Little Naughtiness. What’s the Harm?
Walking the Walk
Today’s Verse and Thought
“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”(Leviticus 23:6-8)
From yesterday- “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”(John 6:35).
During the Last Supper and Passover celebration Jesus offered a new “shadow” of things to come.
Matzah made for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Image source)
The Spring Feasts Cont.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot)
“And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”(Leviticus 23:6-8)
This seven day celebration is observed immediately following Passover. It involves removing yeast from the home and eating unleavened bread for seven days.
Back in the time of Moses, after the death of the firstborn in Egypt, the Egyptians wanted the Israelites to leave quickly before something worse happened to the Egyptians. When the Israelites were told to leave, there wasn’t time to allow the bread to rise, so they had to make it unleavened.
“The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.”(Exodus 12:33-34)
Just a Little Sin Is OK, right? What’s the harm?
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”(1 Corinthians 5:7)
In the Bible, leaven is sometimes seen as representing the results of unrepentant sin. Just as a little leaven (yeast) causes bread to expand, a “little sin” breeds more sin if we ignore it.
For Christians, this is meant to be a “shadow” pointing to the reality that even small infractions of God’s Laws are worth our immediate attention, not because we lose our salvation, but because our peaceful walk with our Father is compromised.
Once we open the door to any kind of sin, it infects the entire house, and before we know it, an atmosphere of evil takes over and we’re all living in pig styes. It’s like turning down the most delicious and expensive meal of a lifetime, in trade for eating out of the trash.
A little sin is a big thing. When we allow our old sinful habits to operate along side our “new self” (righteousness), it gives Satan permission to take up residence in our minds and homes leading to selfishness, division, hostilities, and bitterness. Sin constantly tries to pull us off the narrow road and into the wilds where Satan waits.
“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”(Colossians 3:8-10).
The longer we ignore these “little” sinful habits (things like hypocrisy, anger, jealousy, fearfulness, selfishness, arrogance, unforgiveness, immorality, etc.) the more our lives and homes become unforgiving, unloving, and chaotic. This isn’t God’s will for us.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8)
To the Jews, the removal of leaven during the Feasts symbolizes the Law’s requirement of purification from sin. To Christians, it’s the shadow that points to Jesus removing the penalty of sin once and for all. Through Christ, we are purified.
“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.”(Isaiah 53:5 KJV).
The Matzah Bread
The unleavened bread that is made for the celebration is called matzah. Today commercial matzah is baked with pierced holes and stripes.
The specific practice of baking matzah pierced and striped became more common in later centuries, particularly after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 AD), when Jewish Torah (Law) and the Oral Torah (Traditions of men) were formalized by the rabbis.
Over time, the guidelines for matzah became more standardized, with particular rules about its baking and appearance during Passover. By the Middle Ages, Jewish communities across the world adopted this practice to ensure uniformity and adherence to the commandment of eating unleavened bread during the holiday.
Ironically, the Jews interpret the “piercing and stripes” on matzah as symbolic of their own suffering - not Jesus’. They don’t seem to make the connection that Isaiah 53 is a shadow of the Messiah who would be wounded (pierced) for our sins, and healed by His stripes. The unleavened bread was a shadow of a sinless Messiah.
The practice of removing yeast (chametz ) from a Jewish home during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
“According to the mystics, chametz [yeast] is a metaphor for vanity and arrogance, substances which we must completely be rid of on Passover — the holiday when we embark on our journey to freedom, spirituality, and the Torah…
Ridding one's home of all chametz or leavened foods during Passover is not simple. Most of us have pantries and freezers which are full of items which are not kosher for Passover. In addition, eliminating all chametz would also include thoroughly scouring every utensil, pan and pot which were used together with chametz items, to rid them of chametz residue.
So the rabbis conceived a halachic device whereby all chametz foods are stored in a closet or room (or more than one), which are then closed and sealed for the duration of the eight days of the holiday. On the morning before Passover the chametz is sold, and the areas wherein they are stored are rented, to a non-Jew. In this manner, the chametz no longer belongs to us, until the end of Passover when the chametz is bought back from the non-Jew…
The procedure of selling and buying the chametz involves many legal intricacies, it is thus necessary to delegate a competent rabbi to perform the sale on our behalf. You can delegate your local rabbi or use an online form to perform the sale.
Incidentally you need to sell the chametz which may be in any properties you own or rent. This would also include your office or business premises. If you have a home on the beach or in the mountains, whether you use it or not, you still need to sell the chametz that is within it, too.”(source)
Jesus - The Bread of Life
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”(Micah 5:2)
When Jesus came into the world, He was born in Bethlehem - just as it was prophesied in Micah, about 700 years before. Bethlehem was also known as the city of David as King David was born there around 1000 BC.
And guess what Bethlehem means in Hebrew? City of Bread. How cool is that? Jesus called Himself the “Bread of Life,” and it was prophesied over 700 years prior to His arrival that He would be born in The City of Bread, which was founded even earlier in history - 700 years prior to the prophet Micah.
So Bethlehem - the City of Bread - was founded about 1400 years before the birth of Jesus - The Bread of Life.
“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”(John 6:35)
Unleavened bread is a shadow pointing to a sinless Savior. But, in the same way that a little sin can infect the whole house, a small seed of righteousness can overcome it.
Like the story of the tiny mustard see turning into a tree, we combat sin’s demands by watering and caring for the seed of righteousness in us instead. After much pruning, shaping, and feeding, our lives and homes can become a beautiful place of peace and love. Our lives and homes become a shadow of the Kingdom of God that is to come.
“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”(Matthew 13:31-32)
While the Jews celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread to commemorate their own suffering, escape from slavery, and the strict adherence to the Law commanding the removal of yeast, Christians celebrate our freedom from the wages of sin forever. The shadow of unleavened bread points to the sinless life of our Savior who replaces the yeast of sin with the seed of His righteousness.
The Firstfruits
The next feast in the Spring celebrations is the Feast of Firstfruits.
To be continued…
Today’s Question
Today’s Prayer
Father, when we see the reasons why the ancient Hebrews were commanded to carry out these feasts, the more we can celebrate the gift of Jesus who we can see shadows of all through your Word. It’s incredible that there are so many little breadcrumbs sprinkled in the Old Testament that constantly point to Messiah.
Today I’m thankful that Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements of the Law. And I’m grateful that we can understand the importance of walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. It’s not about a restricted, miserable, boring life; it’s about a life of true peace, love, and joy.
We tend to trifle with sin today as we participate in the corruption of our culture. It’s hard to maintain a life of righteousness when so many around us hate us for trying to follow your ways. It’s much easier in the moment to just give in and indulge in a little naughtiness. But that little seed of sin becomes a habit which eventually causes us to wallow in our sinful ways.
Forgive us Father for not taking righteousness seriously. Help us to identify the things in our own lives that we need to get rid of so that you can bless us with your Spirit fully. The more we do that, the more we live in love and peace. I pray for all of us today to live in the shelter of your love and peace. May our lives bring you honor, glory, and praise. Amen❤️