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Feasts of the Lord

From a New Testament Perspective


The Feast of Unleavened Bread


Read Exodus 12:15-20; 31-39; 13:3-10.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of Christ, the sinless Son of God - the sustenance of spiritual and eternal Life for the believer.

"I am the bread of life.... Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which man may eat and not die. 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 ... he who feeds on this bread will live forever" John 6:48-58


Leaven's Significance


Leave (yeast) works silently and steadily, gradually spreading its influence and power through the whole lump of dough until all is affected and permeated.


Symbolic in Scripture


With one exception (Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20-21), every reference to leaven in Scripture speaks of that which is evil and corrupt in its influence. It is the symbol of sin, false doctrine and corrupt practices.

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? ... Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 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. 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" 1 Corinthians 5:1-8.


Scripture Examples


The Leaven of Herod

"'Be careful,' Jesus warned them. 'Watch out for the yeast of ... Herod" Mark 8:15.

Read Mark 6:14-29. The leaven of Herod was the love of the world (1John 2:15).

The Leaven of the Sadducees

"'Be careful,' Jesus said to them. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the ... Sadducees" Matthew 16:6.

Read Matthew 16:1-4 and Acts 23:6-8. The leaven of the Sadducees was unbelief in the supernatural.

The Leaven of the Pharisees

"... Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" Luke 12:1 (Matt. 16:6; Mark 8:15).

The Leaven of Galatia

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace...that kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.' A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough'" Galatians 5:4-9.

The leaven of Galatia was legalism.

The Leaven of Corinth

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you... Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" 1 Corinthians 5:1-7.

The leaven of Corinth was immorality.


Symbolic Feast


All Leaven to be Put Away

See Exodus 12:15. The putting away of the leaven pictures the believer acting by faith in the work of Christ on the Cross and so experiencing the removal of sin and the works of the flesh and living accordingly.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your mind; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness: Eph. 4:22-24 (read verses 17 to 32; Gal. 5:16-24; Col. 3:1-17).

No Leaven to be Eaten

They were forbidden to eat leaven. Jesus warned His disciples, "Beware of the leaven..." In other words, be careful not to "feed" upon corrupting influences. Then they cannot be "digested" and become part of you.

7 Days to Eat Unleavened Bread

The Feast lasted for seven days - from the 15th to the 21st. In the Word of God seven is the number of completion and perfection. It speaks of the Christian's complete and continual "feeding" upon Christ, the sinless One.


Keeping Free from Leaven


When the Children of Israel departed from Egypt they gathered up their dough before it was leavened. They did not have opportunity to leaven it.

"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" Exodus 12:39.

So it is with the child of God. The Cross cleanses us and sets us free from "leaven" (sin). As we walk daily focused on the Lord sin has no time or opportunity to take hold in our lives.

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil ... But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness" 1 Timothy 6:9-11.


The Bread of Healing


Israel was healed as they fed upon the flesh of the slain lamb, and ate the unleavened bread inside the blood-sprinkled door.

"He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" Psalm 105:37.

Healing is the "children's bread" See Mark 7:24-30.


The Lord's Supper


Jesus used the natural Feasts to explain and reveal their spiritual significance. On the eve of the Passover, when He Himself, was about to be slain as the true Passover lamb, the Lord gathered His disciples together and established "The Lord's Supper". He fulfilled the old and established the new. (1 Cor. 11:20-34).

"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you: do this in remembrance of me'" Luke 22:19-20.

 

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Copyright ©1981,1996 Paul, Bunty and David Collins. All rights reserved. This study may be freely used and reproduced, wholly or in part, by the Christian Church for the non-profit purposes of study and training only, provided copyright and contact information is included.
Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible,© New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.


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