Topical Bible: The Feast of the Passover: Leaven: Nothing With, to be Eaten

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Feast of the Passover, also known as Pesach, is one of the most significant and ancient festivals in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Central to the observance of Passover is the commandment concerning leaven, which holds profound theological and symbolic significance.

Biblical Commandment

The commandment regarding leaven is explicitly stated in the Book of Exodus. During the Passover, the Israelites were instructed to abstain from leavened bread, consuming only unleavened bread, known as matzah, for seven days. This directive is found in Exodus 12:15, "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel."

Symbolism of Leaven

Leaven, or yeast, is often used in Scripture as a symbol of sin and corruption due to its fermenting properties, which cause dough to rise and expand. The removal of leaven from the home and diet during Passover symbolizes the purging of sin and the pursuit of holiness. This is further emphasized in Exodus 12:19, "For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person—whether a foreigner or native of the land—must be cut off from the congregation of Israel."

Historical Context

The historical context of the prohibition against leaven during Passover is rooted in the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt. As described in Exodus 12:39, "They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was without leaven because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay; they had not prepared any provisions for themselves." The unleavened bread thus serves as a reminder of the urgency and divine deliverance experienced by the Israelites.

New Testament References

The New Testament also reflects on the symbolism of leaven in the context of Passover. The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, draws a parallel between leaven and sin, urging believers to live in sincerity and truth. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, Paul writes, "Get rid of the old leaven, so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Practical Observance

In practical terms, the observance of Passover involves a thorough cleaning of the home to remove all traces of leaven, a practice known as "bedikat chametz." This meticulous process is both a physical and spiritual preparation for the festival, emphasizing the importance of purity and dedication to God.

The Feast of the Passover, with its commandment to abstain from leaven, serves as a powerful reminder of God's deliverance, the call to holiness, and the transformative power of faith. Through the observance of this feast, believers are invited to reflect on their own spiritual journey, seeking to remove the "leaven" of sin from their lives and to live in the freedom and redemption offered through Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 12:20
You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall you eat unleavened bread.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Fifth Day in Passion-Week - Make Ready the Passover!'
... Jerusalem on the Wednesday afternoon, the Passover, in the ... 5585] The first preparations
for the Feast would commence ... the time for destroying all leaven had come ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter ix the fifth day.htm

Spiritual Meaning of the Passover.
... of sincerity and truth." Whether there be any passover and any feast of leaven beyond
the ... and on the lintels in the houses, in which we eat the passover. ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/13 spiritual meaning of the.htm

Leaven
... Jesus looked upon homely life, knowing nothing of the ... like leaven.' Now of course,
leaven is generally ... example, the preliminary to the Passover Feast was the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/leaven.htm

Christ Our Passover
... burnt offering, and so, though impure, and full of leaven, I may ... wilt find this Paschal
Lamb to be an hourly feast, as well ... Christ our Passover is slain for us ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/christ our passover.htm

Letter vi. --For 334. Easter-Day, xii Pharmuthi, vii Id. April ...
... not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of wickedness ... For the law commanded
the Passover to be eaten with ... Wherefore let us not celebrate the feast after an ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/letter vi for 334 easter-day xii.htm

The Disagreement in Asia.
... a bishop or a martyr, and we know nothing about him ... The passover feast among the
Jews took place on the evening ... that the Jews "threw away" the leaven, and until ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter xxiv the disagreement in asia.htm

1 Cor. v. 1, 2
... For it is in the midst of cities that the feast of unleavened bread is ... he urges upon
them strongly to "purge out the leaven, that ye ... For our Passover hath been ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xv 1 cor v.htm

The Lord's Supper
... Therefore, coming to such a royal feast, having a whole Christ ... out these hidden sins,
as Israel searched for leaven before they came to the passover. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 5 the lords supper.htm

Faustus Fails to Understand Why He Should be Required Either to ...
... Thus, in the Passover, which is also the annual feast of the ... must slay a lamb to
be eaten in the evening, and that you must abstain from leaven for seven ...
/.../faustus fails to understand why.htm

Leviticus
... use of salt compulsory, honey and leaven prohibited (ii ... year, beginning with
spring"the passover, regarded as ... feast of unleavened bread; the feast of weeks ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/leviticus.htm