Spring Feast 2 — Unleavened Bread — A Life Set Free from Sin
“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread…for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 12:15, 17
The journey through the Spring Feasts continues as we arrive at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot). This feast begins the very day after Passover and extends for seven days, from Nisan 15 to Nisan 21. In many ways, it is impossible to fully appreciate the meaning of Passover without following the story into Unleavened Bread. These two feasts are not isolated events but two chapters of the same unfolding narrative — a story that moves from being set free to learning how to live free.
Passover calls us to behold the Lamb who redeems us from judgment and sets us free from the slavery of sin. But God’s plan of redemption never stops at deliverance alone. The Feast of Unleavened Bread reveals the next part of the story — the calling to live as a people set apart, cleansed from everything that once enslaved us, and nourished by the life of the sinless One who now lives in us.
Words to Know & Key Concepts
1. Matzah (Unleavened Bread)
Flat, quickly baked bread containing no yeast (leaven). It symbolizes both the haste of Israel’s departure from Egypt (Exodus 12:39) and the purity of a life freed from sin.
2. Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread)
A seven-day festival, immediately following Passover (Nisan 15–21), during which only unleavened bread may be eaten (Leviticus 23:6–8). It commemorates God’s deliverance and calls His people to walk in holiness.
3. Leaven (Chametz)
A biblical metaphor for sin or corruption (1 Corinthians 5:6–7). The physical removal of all leaven from homes before this feast pictures the believer’s spiritual cleansing and moral renewal in Christ.
Passover flows into Unleavened Bread
The timing of this feast matters. In Scripture, God doesn’t leave a gap between redemption and the call to holiness. The moment Israel stepped out of Egypt, they stepped into the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There was no time to return to old habits, no pause to decide whether they would live differently now that they were free. The bread they carried was unleavened — stripped of all traces of Egypt’s yeast — because the God who rescued them was now leading them into a new life.
This movement from Passover into Unleavened Bread paints a picture not only for Israel, but for us. We too have been delivered, not from Pharaoh, but from sin’s penalty and power. Yet the One who redeems us also calls us into a holy life. Unleavened Bread reminds us that grace not only covers us but transforms us, freeing us to walk in purity, sincerity, and truth.
What the Bible says about Unleavened Bread
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was first commanded in Exodus 12, immediately following the instructions for Passover. During these seven days, all leaven (chametz) had to be completely removed from every home, and the people could eat only unleavened bread (matzah). This command wasn’t optional — anyone who ate leavened bread during the week would be cut off from the community. The feast is also confirmed in Leviticus 23:6-8, where it is designated as a time of holy convocation — days set apart for worship and reflection.
Leaven, in the biblical mindset, was more than an ingredient in bread. It became a powerful symbol of sin and corruption — a small, hidden thing that quietly spreads until it permeates everything. The physical removal of leaven from their homes was meant to mirror a deeper reality — the call to remove every trace of sin from their lives as they followed the holy God who had saved them.
How the Jewish people prepared
The week leading up to Unleavened Bread wasn’t just busy with meal preparation. It was a spiritual experience for every household. Families would carefully search their homes in a ritual called Bedikat Chametz. Using a candle for light and a feather to sweep even the smallest crumbs into a wooden spoon, they would leave no corner unchecked. Every trace of leaven had to go, no matter how small. This act, performed with children gathered around, taught them that holiness isn’t accidental — it requires careful attention and wholehearted participation.
By the time of Jesus, during the days of the Second Temple, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was part of a much larger pilgrimage festival that included Passover and First Fruits. Thousands would gather in Jerusalem to celebrate, and the removal of leaven became both a personal and corporate act of devotion. Jesus Himself participated in these feasts, and it was in this context that He shared His final meal with His disciples — a meal rich with layers of meaning connected to both Passover and Unleavened Bread.
Jesus, our Unleavened Bread
Just as Jesus fulfilled Passover by offering Himself as the spotless Lamb, He fulfills Unleavened Bread as well. The sinless One — completely free from the “leaven” of corruption — was broken for us, becoming the bread of life that nourishes our souls. His burial, which took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, serves as a powerful picture of the complete removal of sin. As His body lay in the tomb, the sinless for the sinful, the weight of our guilt was fully carried away.
| Egypt’s First Unleavened Bread | Fulfilled in Jesus |
| Eaten in haste during the Exodus (Exodus 12:39). It signified a quick departure from bondage in Egypt. | Jesus willingly gave Himself up at Passover (Mark 14:12–16). His sacrifice enables our quick departure from the bondage of sin. |
| Required the removal of all yeast—no time for bread to rise. | Points to Christ’s sinless life, free from the “yeast” of corruption (1 Peter 2:22). He is the pure Bread without leaven. |
| Served as physical sustenance for the journey to the Promised Land. | Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), sustaining us through every wilderness until our final rest with God. |
| Reminded Israel of their total dependence on God’s provision in the wilderness. | Reminds believers that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We depend on Him for our day-to-day holiness and spiritual life. |
The apostle Paul draws directly on this imagery when he writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.” Through Christ’s perfect sacrifice, we are declared “unleavened” — holy and set apart — and yet we are also called to live as who we are, walking in sincerity and truth.
Jesus is not only our sinless sacrifice. He is also our daily bread. In John 6:35, He declares, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger.” Just as Israel was sustained by the unleavened bread they carried into the wilderness, we are sustained by the living bread of Christ, feeding on His Word, depending on His grace, and walking in His strength.
Unleavened Bread and our life today
The call of Unleavened Bread is not just for ancient Israel. It’s for every believer who has been redeemed by the Lamb. Just as Israel swept their homes clean of physical leaven, we are invited to allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts for spiritual leaven — anything that corrupts our devotion to Christ. Pride, bitterness, compromise, secret sin — all of it must go. This is not legalism; it is the fruit of a heart captivated by grace and eager to walk in step with the One who saved us.
But Unleavened Bread is not only about removal. It’s also about nourishment. We are not called to live on emptiness but to feast on the true bread of life — Christ Himself. Holiness is not just about what we avoid, but about who we cling to. As we open His Word daily, abide in His presence, and depend on His Spirit, we are filled with the sustaining grace we need to live out our calling as a holy people.
Some believers choose to observe Unleavened Bread in a tangible way, removing leavened products from their homes for a week as a symbolic act of devotion. Others simply take time to reflect, repent, and renew their commitment to walk closely with the Lord. Whether observed outwardly or inwardly, the heart of this feast is the same — a life fully surrendered, set free not only from sin’s penalty but also from its power.
The feast continues
The story of Passover flows into Unleavened Bread, and it doesn’t stop there. It continues into the Feast of First Fruits — the celebration of new life and resurrection. Together, these feasts proclaim the full gospel: Christ our Passover, crucified for our deliverance; Christ our Unleavened Bread, removing our sin and nourishing our souls; and Christ our First Fruits, raised to give us new life and hope.
Through the feasts, we are invited to remember and rejoice — not only in what God has done but in what He is still doing. We have been set free to live free, walking in the purity and joy of those who belong to Him. And one day, when all the feasts find their final fulfillment, we will gather at the marriage supper of the Lamb, fully unleavened, wholly His, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
