Topical Bible: The Feast of the Passover: Unleavened Bread Eaten At

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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. This event is detailed in the Book of Exodus and is foundational to understanding the covenant relationship between God and His chosen people, Israel.

Biblical Foundation

The institution of the Passover is recorded in Exodus 12. God commands Moses and Aaron to instruct the Israelites to take a lamb without blemish, slaughter it, and apply its blood to the doorposts and lintels of their homes. This act would protect them from the plague of the firstborn, which God would bring upon Egypt. The Lord declares, "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt" (Exodus 12:13).

Unleavened Bread

A critical component of the Passover observance is the eating of unleavened bread, known as matzah. The command to eat unleavened bread is found in Exodus 12:15-20. The Israelites were to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread for seven days. This practice commemorates the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, as they did not have time to let their bread rise. "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" (Exodus 12:15).

Symbolism and Significance

The unleavened bread symbolizes purity and separation from sin, as leaven often represents sin and corruption in biblical typology. The removal of leaven from the home signifies a cleansing process, preparing the people to be holy and set apart for God. The Apostle Paul references this symbolism in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, urging believers to "Get rid of the old leaven, 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" .

Observance in Jewish Tradition

In Jewish tradition, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, immediately following the Passover meal. The first and seventh days are considered holy convocations, during which no regular work is to be done. The entire week is marked by the absence of leavened products, and special meals, known as Seders, are held to retell the account of the Exodus.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the Passover holds significant Christological implications. Jesus Christ is identified as the ultimate Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice brings deliverance from sin and death. The Last Supper, which Jesus shared with His disciples, was a Passover meal, during which He instituted the Lord's Supper, or Communion. This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, where Jesus breaks the bread and shares the cup, symbolizing His body and blood given for the salvation of humanity (Matthew 26:26-28).

The Feast of the Passover, with its emphasis on unleavened bread, continues to be a profound reminder of God's deliverance, the call to holiness, and the redemptive work of Christ, the true Passover Lamb.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 16:3
You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shall you eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for you came forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that you may remember the day when you came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

When Christ Ate the Passover.
... is whether the Lord's paschal feast was eaten at the ... "The first day of unleavened
bread" was strictly ... began in the evening with the passover feast; that day ...
/.../the new testament commentary vol iii john/when christ ate the passover.htm

The New Passover
... the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples ... His own household together
for the family feast of the ... Supper in the place of the Passover, if He ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the new passover.htm

The Passover: an Expiation and a Feast, a Memorial and a Prophecy
... The further accompaniment of unleavened bread seems to have the ... days of the very
scene of the first Passover. A strange feast indeed, held while the beat of ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the passover an expiation and.htm

Preparation for Passover. Disciples Contend for Precedence.
... slain in the temple, roasted, and unleavened loaves, wine ... It was a feast commemorating
a great deliverance from ... The passover was typical of the Lord's suffering ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxvii preparation for passover disciples.htm

Jesus Predicts, the Rulers Plot For, and Judas Bargains for his ...
... { ^b 1 Now after two days was the feast of the passover and the unleavened bread:}
^a 1 ... The passover was eaten Thursday night after sunset, which the Jews ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxvi jesus predicts the rulers.htm

Spiritual Meaning of the Passover.
... Whether there be any passover and any feast of leaven ... in the houses, in which we
eat the passover. ... be roast with fire, and eaten with unleavened bread; for the ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/13 spiritual meaning of the.htm

The Paschal Meal. Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet.
... paschal supper; when John speaks of the feast of the passover, or the passover,
he refers to the seven days' feast of unleavened bread which followed ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxviii the paschal meal jesus.htm

The Last Supper
... is, the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. ... which would be unlawful; that
the feast day would ... last supper was earlier than the regular Jewish Passover. ...
/.../rhees/the life of jesus of nazareth/vii the last supper.htm

Last Week of Jesus.
... of the Passover, begun by the feast in which the Paschal lamb was eaten. The festival
continued for seven days, during which unleavened bread was eaten. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/renan/the life of jesus/chapter xxiii last week of.htm

Letter xxxvi. (AD 396. )
... was to be observed, at which they began to eat the unleavened bread, and the ... Lord
said, "You know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter xxxvi a d 396.htm