Remembering Leaven
We are in the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days, Jewish people are to eat no leaven, such as yeast. It is a reminder of the Passover in Egypt when, through God’s hand, the Hebrew slaves were liberated and had to leave hurriedly before their bread had risen.
Every year, Jewish people are diligent to ensure they consume no leaven, so they remove it not only from their food but also from their homes. The search for leaven before Passover includes the examination of every cupboard and each nook.
“For seven days you are to eat matzot (MAHT-zote) [unleavened bread], but on the first day you must remove hametz (khah-METZ) [leaven] from your houses.”
―Exodus 12:15a
The New Covenant uses the term leaven as a metaphor for sin. It warns that just a small amount has a powerful effect, and that we should be careful to avoid it.
“… Don’t you know that a little hametz leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old hametz, so you may be a new batch, just as you are unleavened – for Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast not with old hametz, the hametz of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread – the matzah of sincerity and truth.”
―1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Yeshua (Jesus) died to deliver us from the power and eternal consequence of sin but, in our daily lives, we remain vulnerable to sin’s temptation. The apostle Paul repeatedly charges us as Believers to “put off” our old ways of sin and “put on” the new life we have already received through Messiah. As we do, we become more like Yeshua, bringing Him glory and accessing the abundant life He has given us.
“With respect to your former lifestyle, you are to lay aside the old self corrupted by its deceitful desires, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self – created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
―Ephesians 4:22-24
So, though we are no longer slaves to sin as we were before we placed our faith in Yeshua, it can entangle us and rob us of the joy available to us in Messiah. Therefore, we are to diligently avoid it.
Observing Passover, we eat unleavened bread for seven days and remember the Children of Israel and their liberation. As Messianic Jews – Believers in Yeshua - we also reflect on the freedom Jesus obtained for us through His death on our behalf. We have been delivered from the bondage to sin, and we rely on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to put aside sin in our daily lives.
Personal Reflection
God made the way for the Israelites to leave Egypt and their slave days behind. Through Yeshua, He made the way for us to leave our bondage to sin and enabled us to walk in the new freedom and joy which His shed blood provides.
Think back to instances when the Holy Spirit gave you victory over temptation and sin in your daily walk with God. What are some Scriptures that can help inspire you to persevere in laying aside the “sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1)? Record some of your personal deliverance stories and helpful verses. Add them to your list of remembrances gathered through following these daily Passover devotionals.
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This enlightening infographic will teach you the meaning of the Passover seder plate, the elements to include and the significance behind them.
