THE FEAST DAYS OF ISRAEL / UNLEAVENED
BREAD
Lev. 23 & Jn. 12:24
The Passover was observed on the 14th day of the 1st month. Verse 5
The Feast of Unleavened Bread began the following night, the 15th. Verse 6
God told the Jews to eat only the pure unleavened bread during the week following Passover. Leaven in the Bible symbolizes sin and evil.
Unleavened bread eaten over a period of time, 7 days, symbolizes a holy walk with the Lord.
The apostle Paul commented beautifully on the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread which of course he was very familiar with because he was a Jewish scholar.
1Co 5:7 Purge out1571 therefore3767 the old3820 leaven2219, that2443 ye may be5600 a new3501 lump5445, as2531 ye are2075 unleavened106. For1063 even2532 Christ5547 our2257 passover3957 is sacrificed2380 for5228 us2257: is sacrificed; or, is slain 1Co 5:8 Therefore5620 let us keep the feast1858, not3361 with1722 old3820 leaven2219, neither3366 with1722 the leaven2219 of malice2549 and2532 wickedness4189; but235 with1722 the unleavened106 bread of sincerity1505 and2532 truth225.
The unleavened bread of the New Testament is the body of our Lord Jesus. Jesus describes Himself as "The Bread of Life".
Jesus was born in Bethlehem which in Hebrew means the "House of Bread". He utilized bread as the image of Himself when He said "if a kernel of wheat fall to the ground…".
God fed the Children of Israel in the wilderness with manna from Heaven. Jesus feeds the Christians in the world today the Bread of the Word.
The very piece of bread used by the Jews during this week of Unleavened Bread is a good picture of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has seen the Jewish matzoh, bread, knows that it is striped, pierced, and of course unleavened because Jesus was with out sin. (by His stripes we are healed) (they shall look upon me whom they have pierced).
The Passover ceremony of breaking and buying and then resurrection a piece of this bread, the middle piece, because Jesus is 2nd in the Trinity. We see the Gospel presented in the midst of the Jewish Passover celebration.
God performed this exact ceremony with the burial of Jesus, our piece of unleavened bread, and more importantly God did it on the exact day of the feast. So again we see the feast was fulfilled in an unmistakable way.
We know that Jesus was buried at the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread since His body was interred at sundown of Passover Day; which is the beginning of the 15th day of Nisan, the 1st month.
Joh 12:24 Verily281, verily281, I say3004 unto you5213, Except3362 a corn2848 of wheat4621 fall4098 into1519 the ground1093 and die599, it846 abideth3306 alone3441: but1161 if1437 it die599, it bringeth forth5342 much4183 fruit2590.
Our "kernel of wheat" was indeed placed into the ground, and at the appropriate moment. It would rise again in accordance with the schedule of the feasts. One cannot permanently bury a Christian.
Men have speculated for centuries how it was that Jesus died so quickly on the cross. Crucifixion normally took about 3 days, which was the point of it. The victim died by inches as people passed by morning and night, morning and night.
The Romans used this technique of a slow and agonizing death to terrify the population of Israel. We see in the Gospel that the centurion was not convinced that the strong carpenter from Galilee was dead in just 6 hours.
The speculation is ended if we realize the schedule of the feast days. Jesus died in time to be buried at sundown that day. He was placed on the cross at 9am (the 3rd hour), and was taken down at 3pm.
There was time enough to wrap the body and bury it at sundown. The answer to why He died in 6 hours is that was all the time there was to spare. Our Lord Jesus never omitted a feast.
Jesus said pointedly enough that no one could take His life from Him. "I lay it down and I take it up again".
Pastor
Brandon Dona
709 Union
Bonham, TX
903-583-4716
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