Greetings to the churches of the earth, the peoples of the earth and all her inhabitants with Love and Compassion from our Father in Heaven and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Our modern world considers the ancient feasts of the tribes of Israel to be exclusive to Israel and Judah.  Paul himself wrote much concerning Israel and the Gentiles, setting a distinction between the two.  Further scripture explains a great deal concerning the two roles of these distinctions from origins to endings.  Yet today, regardless of our origin, belief system, religion or faith, there is wisdom for all concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Let us consider, in these modern times, how vital and important the purpose and linkages to all scripture is to this amazing Holy and Festive lesson.

First a very little back story.  It began in the time of Moses.  Egypt and Moses were locked into the battle that the people of Israel should be set free of Egypt.  One final event took place, where the Lord arrived and took the lives of all of Egypts first born sons.  Israel was saved by putting lambs blood on their door posts and upper post.  Thus, they were “passed over” from having their firstborn taken also, and this was the first Passover.  While this was happening, they ate unleavened bread (no time for yeast to rise) and ate of the lamb they had slaughtered for the blood over the door.  Israel was finally set free, and they departed Egypt.  They took up their bread before it was leavened (no time) and gathered all together to begin their journey to the land of milk and honey.  God commanded they eat unleavened bread for 7 days after this, for in that very same time He delivered Israel from Egypt. The lamb they sacrificed for the blood, was to be without blemish, and of course Christ Jesus, being the sacrificial lamb for all the world, was without blemish.

The holy days came and went and came again among the people of Israel over generations.  Multiple times, throughout the Bible, there are scriptures and parables using the principle of leavening, and unleavened bread to amplify, exemplify and explain certain conditions of man, even in description of the Kingdom of God.  In time, with the arrival of Jesus the Christ, thousands of years came together concerning the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Some argue the last supper of Jesus was a Passover supper, others argue it was the day before the Passover.  These come from slightly confusing account between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Our consideration today though, is about the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

God had delivered Israel from slavery.  He had saved his people and made them free.  Christ did the very same thing, yet not just for Israel, but also for all mankind on earth, making all men of one blood.  He spoke also of Leavening, and warned his disciples “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Matthew chapter 16 is truly a remarkable chapter in that the events surrounding this saying are literally packed with spiritual instruction.  First the Pharisees and Sadducees came to temp Christ, and sought after a sign.  Their motives and intent they hid, for their desire was to ridicule, mock, and ultimately kill Jesus.  They were “puffed up” and full of their own self importance and ego, and by approaching with false intent, proved also their hypocrisy.  This Jesus did mention in His warning concerning their doctrine as leaven.

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign.  There are 3 basic levels also to these words.  For they were wicked and adulterous physically.   Their fear of Jesus also made them to plot and scheme because of their emotional unrest, which proposes a joke spoken by Jesus (like wow, these guys seek a sign)  and also spiritually they were in darkness for praising their own self above the Son of God, thereby unable to see a sign even before their own eyes.  Yet also there are multiple levels even to the saying spiritually as it connects to many others passages of scripture concerning the end times, before Christ return also.  Christ admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees, by saying no sign will be given except for that of Jonah.  Johan had been in the belly of a whale for three days and then sent back out onto the earth again.  Christ was sacrificed, as an unblemished lamb, and spent three days in the belly of the earth, and then rose again.  Saving all mankind just as Israel was saved during the first days of unleavened bread.

Jesus then continues in Matt 16 in the revelation that He is the Christ, the son of God by asking the disciples who they believe Him to be.   He comments that by Peter He will establish His Church through Himself as “the rock” and not Peter as the rock as is often misunderstood.  Then He continues concerning the blessings of the Keys to the Kingdom of God He will give to them. (Which is the Gospel, the Words of Christ, for they are the keys) and He further informs them of His coming arrest and death at the hands of the elders, priests and scribes.  Though it was Rome who crucified Christ, Jesus always speaks truth of where the intent began and who is responsible.  Rome was simply a tool, and Christ even asked the Father to forgive them, and all peoples, for they know not what they do.  Jesus continues the chapter by rebuking Peter for not accepting His words, calling him Satan – for not accepting truth IS Satan.  Jesus then brings up 3 again, that any who follow Him should 1. Deny himself, 2. Take up his cross, and 3. follow Him. Even more to the chapter after even that, which solidifies the “leaven” concept squarely between the two worlds of Man and God, Life and Death, truth and the untruth of self pride.

One more important thing before a summation.  Later on Jesus used Leaven as an example of the Kingdom of God.  Once again was 3 used within the example.  He said: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”  Many levels of understanding can be attributed to these very words.  We will keep it simple for now in consideration, and stick primarily to the simple spiritual expressions.  Here we see that leaven itself is used many times in the bible as a bad example, and a good example.  Leaven itself isn’t bad or good, but an activator which rises bread making it large.  Therefore, if one enlarges their pride, they have leavened their pride, making themselves hollow and soft, without substance not unlike soft bread in the middle, and unlike unleavened bread.  Yet leaven can also be used to describe growth, such as in the words of the Kingdom of God.  It is no mystery that to man, we have three phases of life; childhood, adulthood, and elderly.  It is no mystery, that we have 3 primary archetypes of ourself; the Physical body, Emotional body, and Spiritual body.  It is also no mystery that all three are interlinked, for we remember our youth, how it molded our adulthood and that carried us to our elder years.  And our physical state can affect our emotional state which can affect our spiritual state – and vice versa.  Often our thoughts and feelings come from one of 2 primary paths of life, that of Life and that of Death – with our Spirit being the 3rd power able to choose between the two.  Flesh being the example of death for it does die, and thought, being, emotion as the example of something greater – the in-between like adulthood, to our spirit, or elderly self.

Truly the church itself undergoes an infancy, a period of strength, and a period of wisdom.  Indeed do we also see this very thing in the distinctions of the Old Testament, where man in his infancy with God simply had to “obey” like a child.  Then with the arrival of Jesus, are we given the knowledge and wisdom of Eternal Life, for we were now ready to understand the meaning to “law”, but still lacking experience like a young adult.  Then, the 3rd phase, is during the time He returned to the Father, until He returns to us via the Kingdom of God.  These considerations work regardless if one believes in an actual Return de-facto, or a return of Christ internally to our spirits.  For it is VIA our spirit that we have chosen to follow Christ and do His commands so that we also enter into Eternal Life.  And his Commands are all based in truth, not lowering oneself, not raising ones self. We are given the understanding that while HERE we are flesh, but even so our spirits may Live in the founded Kingdom of God by doing the Will of God which begins in the first 2 great commands of Jesus to Love God, and to love our neighbor.

So today, while we live in a corrupt world, a world of lies, pretense, hypocrisy, fear, greed and they who seek power and control (just like in olden days) we can still consider the Blessing of the Days of Unleavened bread.  For in them is the continued promise that God will save us from ALL things, indeed Jesus conformed this by His words, actions and instruction concerning the will of God the Father.  It is that we are all to be saved, yet it is still our OWN choice to choose.  We cannot become Sons of God without choice, and we must have the choice either way, for how can one be a son of God without choice?  God has all power, all presence and is everywhere all the time aware of all things always.  How can one become a son of THAT unless they also have choice as God has choice?  Yet we are wholly blinded by that which is not true, and puffs up ourselves into thinking and believing we are greater than other people, just as Satan believed himself greater than God.  The Kingdom of God, as described in the parable by Jesus – is as the leaven on the good growth side; inside the child and it grows, inside the disciple (young adult) and it grows, and then inside of the elder who has chosen and done works of his choice into that age.  It also has phases of spiritual growth on 3 levels as well, and principles of God on 3 levels, and principles of actual progress in the building and preparing of the Kingdom of God both on earth and in heaven.

We then can look to the leaven and ask ourselves – Where am I still fearful, prideful and hiding the truth?  This is our leaven which has created a false image of the truth about ourselves.  We have nothing to fear in the hands of God, not even death, though our flesh does tremble.  We have no one to resent in the hands of God, for we know all things must come to pass, and we are not greater than another, though others harm us so.  We have nothing to hide in the hands of God for God knows all things anyway.  This is our leaven.  To admit and remove that in us which is not true, is to be as unleavened bread, eaten during a time of celebration that God has saved us from darkness, for the release of untruth feels good even to the physical body and truly remarkable to the emotional body, while wholly saving the Spiritual body!   Upon removal of what is not true, we have opened that space within us for the “other” leaven of the Holy Spirit to dwell THERE within us.  We have to empty the cup, as they say, that it may be refilled with truth.  We must wash the Inside of the cup (our reality) and not just the outside (what we show others as our “representative” self).  Upon making this choice to do so, we have submitted to the blood of the lamb, which even the gates of hell cannot prevail against.

Just how do we do this?  None of us are beyond our flesh, and our flesh does vex us so.  Neither can we see in the darkness for no one can see in the dark.  Often we do not know how blind we really are.  Most of us have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for man to clean themselves up and go before God.  Instead, we have come to realize we must go before God to clean ourselves up.  God is the healer, the truth giver, the comforter, the Master of Spirit, the Father who wishes us to live forever.  If we go to God with our fear, our angers, our broken selves, we can then ask God to take those things from us, to help us to live rightly and with love for all life, just as He loves all life.  God will remove the leaven of lies within us, for He has promised to do so.  We cannot draw near to God and become sicker.  We cannot draw near to God and become more blind.  We go to God as we are – warts and all – and ask Him to make us into that which we were meant to be.  We submit to truth, and the truth fills us with JOY and LIFE and Courage and eyes to see something different than we saw before.  This is a promise to all who seek God, and God breaks no promise ever.  Jesus also said that He is with us always, unto the end of time, and will never betray us or leave us.  Therefore it is US who has to wash our robes clean in the blood of the lamb, and it is God who gives us the power to do so – if we simply ask and honestly desire it so.  We cannot fool God of our intent, but even the smallest effort in the midst of horrible darkness opens the door directly to God.  Let us therefore rid ourselves of the self importance of pride, the lies of hypocrisy, and the desire for self gain.  Instead, through the celebration of Unleavened Bread, we are once again remembering that we are God’s kids… already loved, already saved, and ready for more of the knowledge of our very purpose as His Family.  The more we ask to know God, the more Jesus reveals Our Father to us through the Holy Spirit.  This requires truth, and no leaven of the pharisees and sadducees, but instead the leaven of the woman (Holy Spirit) put into us (dust of the ground, meal), throughout all our growth through time, and all our phases of growth in spirit!

Ryan