Celebrating The Feast - Unleavened Bread

Immediately after the command of the Passover, the command of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was given in Leviticus 23:5-6. Many sects of Mainstream Christianity accept [somewhat] the Passover, but reject the Feast of Unleavened Bread altogether. It is said that the Messiah commanded the observance of the Passover in the New Testament, but not the feast of Unleavened Bread; hence one is to be observed but not the other. This perspective becomes somewhat confusing as the very same New Testament unifies the feast of the Passover AND the feast of Unleavened Bread; portraying them as ONE celebration (Matt.26:17, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1). The Church today has torn these Feasts apart, destroyed Unleavened Bread and transformed the Passover into what is now called Communion. Is Yahweh pleased with this action? Was it His will for man to adjust and reform His commands? Are we still required to Celebrate The Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Meaning and Symbolism of Unleavened Bread

The term "Unleavened bread" refers to bread that has been baked without any form of leavening agent in it. The leavening agent (or yeast) is what causes the dough to rise, thus producing that plumped, soft, chewy loaf. Throughout the Scriptures, this same leaven has been symbolically used to represent sin as seen in Matthew 16:6. This does NOT imply that leaven is in anyway naturally sinful, but rather, that leaven portrays some of the characteristics of sin, thus making it the perfect representation of sin. Just as leaven causes dough to be "puffed up", so does the indwelling of sin causes man to be "puffed up" as well. The apostle Paul gave this analogy in Colossians 2:18. Also, just as a little leaven makes an entire dough plumped, so does the most minute thought of sin makes a man sinful and wicked in his ways (1 Cor.5:6). The very same way leaven operates in dough is the exact same way sin operates in our lives. For that reason Yahweh saw it fitting to use leaven to represent sin. Bread, on the other hand, is the natural emblem of food. Throughout the Scriptures and even in our every-day-lives, the word "bread" is used as a general reference of food (Gen.3:19, Matt.16:11). Food is the physical substance that sustains life (Matt.4:4), hence it is vital for life. If leaven represents sin therefore, and bread is the natural substance of life; the term "Unleavened Bread" is in symbolic reference to a Sinless Life!

In Exodus 13:6-7 Yahweh commanded us to feast on unleavened bread for seven days. It was also commanded that there be no trace leaven in our midst within these days. Saints are commanded to get rid of any form of leaven in their midst, and to be "unleavened" for seven days. This entire act is very symbolic in practically every sense. To be unleavened is symbolic of being sinless. The act of getting rid of the leaven in our midst is symbolic of getting rid of the sins in our lives. Yahweh gave us a practical example of what it feels like to really get rid of sin.

Breaking Down the Symbolism

• The fist branch of the command in this commandment is to feast on Unleavened Bread for seven days. One may ask: why eat the bread, and why seven days? This bread that we eat during this time is no ordinary bread. It is not just "unleavened", it is the Bread of Life. This "Bread" is Yahshua the Messiah! (Jn.6:35, 48, 51) Yahshua was not just making fancy talk when he proclaimed to be the bread of life. It was a revelation! Yahshua revealed the mystery behind the command that his Father gave in Exodus 13:6-7. To feast on the unleavened bread is symbolic of feasting on Yahshua. It is symbolic of having his spirit dwelling within us. Just as bread is the natural substance of life, the feast of unleavened bread portrays Yahshua as the natural substance of our lives. The seven day duration speaks of completion and perfection. The number seven is Yahweh's number of completion. What Yahweh was saying to us therefore when He said to feast on unleavened bread for seven days; is to feast on Yahshua until we ourselves are completely sinless. This means to adapt his ways, his customs, and even his very thoughts as seen in Philippians 2:5. Consuming the unleavened bread is symbolic of having Yahshua living within us. 
• The second branch of the command is to rid our environment of leaven (Ex.13:7). We now have unleavened bread in our bodies, so we cannot cohabit with anything that has leaven. Symbolically, this is showing that once we have Yahshua then we can no longer be entangled with sin. Yahshua purifies from the inside in the sense that we now have a spiritual mindset and our eyes are now opened, but we must make that conscious decision to avoid sin and shun the very presence of it! Once we are using our bodies to entertain Yahshua, then we cannot entertain the presence of sin. We must rid ourselves of sinful thoughts, actions and even some of the people in our lives! Purification form sin is a two way process: the internal cleansing and the external cleansing. As sinful men, we cannot do it by ourselves, hence we look to Yahshua for guidance.

Feast of Unleavened Bread Today

The feast of Unleavened Bread is still observed by a few today. Others deem it to be obsolete and irrelevant. Should the feast still be observed? -Let us see ... Yahshua, while on earth, lived a completely sinless life. The fact that he did it is evidence enough that as human beings we can in fact live sinless lives. The feast of Unleavened Bread: (1) commemorates his sinless life, (2) gives us practice to live sinless lives ourselves, and (3) keeps us focus on a perfect life to come. Many people are of the impression that once they do not do anything "wrong", then they are okay. The Scriptures do not agree with that. Firstly, it says "there is none that is righteous" (Rom.3:10). Many believe they are living righteously, but really they are not! David himself confessed that he sins without even knowing (Ps.139:23-24). The Scripture also urges us to trust in Yahweh and not depend on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Do we really know what sinning is? Studying the Bible is just the theoretical aspect of learning the truth. Observing the feast days is the practical aspect, and "practice makes perfect". The wisdom of Yahweh is far above the wisdom of man. Yahweh has poured out a little of His wisdom in His feast days so that we may know Him. He delights in our obedience to His commands (1Jn.5:3) .... So to answer the initial question, Should the Feast still be observed? ... You decide!

The Voice of Yahweh has spoken .... He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches