And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
When JESUS then lifted up His+ eyes, and saw a great company come unto HIM+, HE+ saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
And this HE+ said to prove him: for HE+ Himself+ knew what HE+ would do.
+ + +
The “bread” which would have been available at this time WAS VERY LIKELY the un-leavened, un-raised bread loaves* BECAUSE it was the Passover season. Hebrew households were strict about removing the leaven from their houses and their diets during the Passover season.
*Loaves: Keep in mind these very likely would have been flat, round loaves, sort of like discs or “Frisbees”. These would not have been leavened, humped-up loaves of bread as are yeast breads.
Let us read about the importance of unleavened bread, in the eyes of GOD.
Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Exodus 12:17
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies* out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
* hosts, a multitude of people
Exodus 12:19
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
Exodus 12:20
Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
+ + +
The “feast” of Unleavened Bread was crucial to Israel’s well-being. It was so critical in the eyes of The LORD that HE gave HIS Prophet Moses explicit instructions and definite warnings to give to the people.
Q. 1 : How many days were the people to eat ONLY bread which was unleavened ( not raised by yeast or by any means of fermentation): _______
YES, seven days. Can you think of WHY “seven” days was chosen by GOD ? ___________________________________
Q. 2: What was The LORD’S warning to HIS people if they ignored HIS commands about eating ONLY unleavened bread ? ________________________________________________
YES, the person who ignored GOD’S command and ate LEAVENED bread would be “cut off”, which is the Old Testament way of saying “severed from Israel”.
He would no longer belong to a people or tribe. He would be as dead.
He would be separated from Israel’s blessings, separated from Israel’s congregation, no friends, not family, no commercial dealings. Being banned, shunned, excommunicated, and sometimes being put to physical death as well as spiritual and communal death would ensue.
GOD HIMSELF would see to it.
Q. 3 : Were the people allowed to keep some leaven in the back closet or room, for when the 7 days of unleavened bread were finished ? _____
No, no pot of leaven was allowed to be kept at all in the house or in their dwelling.
Q. 4 : Why would The LORD not allow any leaven at all to remain in the dwelling of HIS people ? ________________________________________________
It would have been a lure, a temptation, to throw off the command of The LORD.
Even if they ate only unleavened bread, keeping a pot of leaven in the back room had to be attended unto every few days or it would rot.
Instead of focusing on HIS command --- and why HE gave it --- the people of GOD would be focusing on returning to their old ways, just as soon as they possibly could, of eating the more “pleasant”, risen ( yeast-raised or by any fermentation- processed) bread.
+ + +
In the New Testament, The LORD JESUS and His+ disciples observed the feast of the Unleavened Bread along with the Passover, as did the Apostle Paul.
Let us look at the Apostle Paul’s teaching about the Unleavened Bread in the New Testament, just three verses.
I Corinthians 5:6-8
Your glorying is not good.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump,
as ye are unleavened.
For even CHRIST OUR PASSOVER
is sacrificed for us:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
+ + +
Yeast or sour dough works itself through the entire bread flour mix to leaven the entire bread mixture.
It does this BY SITTING IN THE DOUGH for a time.
In Scripture, this physical fact of the natural use of leaven is recognized and applied spiritually to our lives.
Most usually in Scripture, leaven is seen as NOT GOOD.
Spiritually, it is seen as a working of our old, Adamic nature which should have died out in the waters of Baptism.
One of the problems with spiritual leaven is that its working is HIDDEN in nature. Yet, the damage that it causes permeates the entire lump.
+ + +
LET US PRAY:
O GOD our FATHER, I see leaven at work in me, to pull me away from Your+ Holy Ways.
I know this must be true because I find it TEDIOUS to always stop my day and pray, even for a few minutes, especially on a prayer schedule.
It is IRKSOME to stop my pursuits and come to the Still Waters. I would rather be busy and bring my tasks to completion.
The unholy leaven of this world shouts at me to “perform” the values of men, values that go beyond Your Will.
Help me to purge out this leaven that I have indeed been trained to keep as valuable and necessary to help me achieve in this world.
YOU --- and YOU alone --- help me to accomplish everything I do.
For YOU have said to seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His+ Righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto us.
I repent of ordering my day without purposeful times set aside for YOU.
LORD, I believe; help me to purposefully live what I believe.
In the Holy Name of Your Beloved SON+ JESUS CHRIST, in WHOM+ YOU are well-pleased. Amen
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