The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8) follows immediately after the Passover - the next step toward the fulfillent of God's master plan for mankind. During the time of Christ, this seven-day feast was sometime called the Feast of Passover because of the proximity to the Passover. The purpose of the Holy Day is to stress the importance of removing sin from our lives. It first started out when God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses. God told His people that 'Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread' - Exodus 12:5. Since being driven out of Egypt, the Israelites neither had the time nor the provisions to bake leavened bread. Although they were instructed to do so for seven days as a symbolism, God's commandment is for His people to do so as an ordinance forever (Exodus 12:17).
Many presumed that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is meant for the Israelites of Old since Christ has "nailed the commandments to the cross". But nothing is further from the truth. Christ Himself kept the feast as a child and as an adult (Matt 26:17; Luke 2:41), and so did the early church during the time of the Apostle Paul. In fact, he instructed the Corinthian church to keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you (1 Cor 5:6-8; 11: 1-2)
In one occasion, Christ taught His disciples about the leaven in the bread. After performing two miracles on feeding the thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread, the disciples and Christ had gone around on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they forgot to bring bread with them. Then Jesus said to them, 'Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.' - Matt 16:6. Christ's disciples thought that He was referring to the lack of bread. But the Lord used the incident to teach them to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt 16:12) and not the leaven in the bread per se. For many religious figures in those days appear honourable but are wolves in sheep's clothings!
The main purpose of keeping this Feast is the spiritual intent - that believers through proper understanding and God's help must expel and avoid sin. True believers must take stock of our attitude and behaviour through soul searching and reflection and seek God to help us overcome our shortcomings (2 Cor 13:5). The seven day Feast is a time for self examination and reflection to help us get back on track in our walk with God. The ancient Israelites were delivered from enslavement to Egypt and so we ought to be delivered from our enslavement to sin (Rom 6:12-18).
Not only Christ observed all the Festivals, so did the Apostle Paul whose ministry showed an importance to observance of the Holy Days in his missionary itinerary. He arranged his travel schedule to accomodate the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 20:16; 1 Cor 16:8). He told the Ephesians, 'I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem' - Acts 18:21. In Acts 20:6, it was recorded that Paul remained in Philippi to clebrate the week-long Festival of Unleavened Bread and set sail to Jerusalem after that. Paul and the other apostles taught a consistent message of Christian's obligation to observe the celebration of God's Holy Days in the footstep of Christ. It is necessary for Christians to observe them today (1 Cor 5:7-8).
Many presumed that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is meant for the Israelites of Old since Christ has "nailed the commandments to the cross". But nothing is further from the truth. Christ Himself kept the feast as a child and as an adult (Matt 26:17; Luke 2:41), and so did the early church during the time of the Apostle Paul. In fact, he instructed the Corinthian church to keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you (1 Cor 5:6-8; 11: 1-2)
In one occasion, Christ taught His disciples about the leaven in the bread. After performing two miracles on feeding the thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread, the disciples and Christ had gone around on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they forgot to bring bread with them. Then Jesus said to them, 'Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.' - Matt 16:6. Christ's disciples thought that He was referring to the lack of bread. But the Lord used the incident to teach them to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt 16:12) and not the leaven in the bread per se. For many religious figures in those days appear honourable but are wolves in sheep's clothings!
The main purpose of keeping this Feast is the spiritual intent - that believers through proper understanding and God's help must expel and avoid sin. True believers must take stock of our attitude and behaviour through soul searching and reflection and seek God to help us overcome our shortcomings (2 Cor 13:5). The seven day Feast is a time for self examination and reflection to help us get back on track in our walk with God. The ancient Israelites were delivered from enslavement to Egypt and so we ought to be delivered from our enslavement to sin (Rom 6:12-18).
Not only Christ observed all the Festivals, so did the Apostle Paul whose ministry showed an importance to observance of the Holy Days in his missionary itinerary. He arranged his travel schedule to accomodate the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 20:16; 1 Cor 16:8). He told the Ephesians, 'I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem' - Acts 18:21. In Acts 20:6, it was recorded that Paul remained in Philippi to clebrate the week-long Festival of Unleavened Bread and set sail to Jerusalem after that. Paul and the other apostles taught a consistent message of Christian's obligation to observe the celebration of God's Holy Days in the footstep of Christ. It is necessary for Christians to observe them today (1 Cor 5:7-8).
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