Unleavened Bread



🕎 1. What Is Unleavened Bread?

Unleavened bread is simply bread made without yeast (leaven) — so it does not rise. It’s thin, flat, and crisp.
In ancient times, yeast was made by leaving dough out to ferment naturally; so to bake bread quickly, or to symbolize purity, the Israelites would leave the yeast out completely.

Examples of unleavened bread today include matzah (Jewish Passover bread) or chapati-like flatbread made only from flour and water.


📜 2. The First Mention — Passover (Exodus 12)

The first major mention comes during the Exodus, when God was delivering Israel out of Egypt.

🔹 Context:

God commanded the Israelites to prepare a Passover meal before leaving Egypt:

  • They were to kill a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts.

  • They were to eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8).

🔹 Reason:

“You shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.” (Exodus 12:11)

They had no time to let the dough rise, because they were leaving Egypt that very night.
So, the unleavened bread symbolized urgency and readiness — they were set free suddenly.


🕊️ 3. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 13:6–7)

After the Exodus, God commanded Israel to remember this event every year:

“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread… no leaven shall be seen among you.”
Exodus 13:7

This became known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, lasting seven days immediately after Passover.

Purpose:

  • To remember how God delivered them from Egypt.

  • To purify themselves and their homes by removing all leaven.

They even searched their homes carefully to make sure no yeast was present — a powerful symbol of removing sin.


✝️ 4. Spiritual Meaning — Leaven as a Picture of Sin

Throughout Scripture, leaven (yeast) is used symbolically to represent sin, pride, or false teaching because:

  • It spreads quietly through the dough.

  • It puffs up (just as pride does).

  • It changes the nature of the whole lump.

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
1 Corinthians 5:6

Therefore, removing leaven means removing sin and corruption — living a life of sincerity and truth.


🕊️ 5. Jesus as the True Unleavened Bread

During the Last Supper, Jesus took unleavened bread (since it was during Passover) and said:

“This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Luke 22:19

This was deeply symbolic:

Symbol Old Covenant Meaning Fulfillment in Christ
Unleavened bread Without yeast — symbol of purity Christ’s sinless body offered for us
Passover lamb Sacrificed for Israel’s deliverance Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins
No leaven Remove sin from the house Believers called to live holy lives

Thus, Jesus became our Unleavened Bread — pure, sinless, and broken for our deliverance.


🪔 6. New Testament Teaching (1 Corinthians 5:6–8)

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church using this same symbolism:

“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
1 Corinthians 5:8

Here, Paul wasn’t talking about the literal feast but about the spiritual life of a believer:

  • Don’t allow sin, hypocrisy, or false teaching (leaven) to remain.

  • Live with sincerity, honesty, and purity (unleavened bread).


🕯️ 7. Application for Believers Today

Unleavened bread reminds us of several powerful truths:

(a) Deliverance

Just as Israel was delivered from Egypt in haste, believers have been delivered from sin and bondage through Christ.

(b) Purity

God calls His people to live holy and separated lives, removing any “leaven” of sin, compromise, or falsehood.

(c) Communion

When Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper, the unleavened bread represents:

  • The sinless body of Christ, broken for us.

  • Our unity in Him, as we are all part of one body.

(d) Sincerity and Truth

Living “unleavened” means living with a clean conscience, genuine faith, and truthful heart before God and others.


🌾 Summary Table

Aspect Meaning
Physical bread without yeast Bread that doesn’t rise
Historical origin Eaten during the Exodus, in haste
Feast of Unleavened Bread 7-day reminder of deliverance from Egypt
Leaven symbolically Sin, pride, corruption
Unleavened bread symbolically Purity, sincerity, holiness
Fulfillment in Jesus His sinless body broken for us
Application today Live holy, sincere, truthful lives in Christ

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