Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
What bread is used in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread?
FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD #2
Brace yourself! This is more of a teaching blog than an entertaining one. It may not be an easy read because there is more here than a normal, well adjusted person would generally want to know. But the time will be well spent. The detail which makes me a boring person brings the Bible alive for me. If, however, you happen to like what you read, there’s more to be found here.
[NOTE: Important words analysed below are identified with Hebrew/Greek transliterations into English and Strong’s Numbers so that whoever wants to can check them out — the recommendation is that you do. I use the Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/ BLB)]
Spring is coming
As the Northern Spring approaches our thoughts turn to the Crucifixion; and with that the perennial argument about Easter and Passover. It is not intended here to get mixed up in the robust debate but to try and diffuse the annual shouting matches by throwing the Written Word of the Living Word of God into the mix.
The topics covered so far are:-
- THE SPRING FEASTS HINGE ON THE FEAST OF THE UNLEAVENED BREAD
What is the bread stipulated for Passover?
It is bread without yeast, as is written in Exodus 12:8 || And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread (H4682); and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
H4682 — maṣṣâ (matzah)= unleavened (bread, cake), without leaven.
What bread did Melchizedek give to Abraham?
It was bread containing yeast, leavened bread, as is written in Genesis 14:18 || And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread (H3899) and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
H3899 — lehem = leavened bread
What bread was set on the Table of Shewbread?
It was leavened bread, as is written in Leviticus 24:7 || And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread (H3899) for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
H3899 — lehem = leavened bread
Shewbread in Tabernacle was lehem.
What bread did Jesus and Judas share at the Last Supper?
Psalm 41:9 || Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread (H3899), hath lifted up his heel against me.
H3899 — lehem = leavened bread
What is the bread used in the Last Supper?
Matthew 26:26 || And as they were eating, Jesus took bread (G740), and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
G740 — artos = bread with leaven
Comparing Hebrew to Greek
Cross-checking the Greek against the Hebrew using the Masoretic and Septuagint Texts shows that the different languages correlate the OT to the NT.
The legal status of Jesus
• Jesus was born under the teachings of the Torah.
It is written in Galatians 4:4 || But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law
• The Christ committed no sin.
It is written in 1 John 3:5 || And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
• The Christ’s sinlessness was verified by His Resurrected Body
It is written in Acts 13:37 || but He whom God raised up underwent no decay.
- God accepted the Christ’s Sacrifice
It is written in Hebrews 9:23–28 ||
• The Torah Command in Leviticus 23 was to eat unleavened bread for the Passover Meal but He ate Leavened Bread in the Last Supper. His Resurrection verified that He was sinless, indicating that the Last supper was not a Passover Meal.
Conclusions about bread
(In no particular order of importance)
(# 1) The Scriptural evidence implies that Jesus complied with ALL requirements of the Torah. As such, He would be expected to eat Matzah at a Passover Meal but the bread at the Last Supper was leavened.
(# 2) The use of Leavened Bread was more widespread than expected. Melchizedek offered Lehem to Abraham. It was used in the Holy Place in the Temple.
(# 3) It would be expected that, when Sinless Jesus presents the Bread of His Body for Communion, it would be Matzah but that was not the case — it is Lehem (leavened Bread).
(# 4) Unleavened bread is Scripturally acceptable for communion.
(# 5) Leviticus 23:4–8 is the Teaching to which Modern Judaism subscribes to the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, i.e. 15th Nisan.
(# 6) The Festival of Unleavened Bread is, and always has been, of seven days duration in Israel. For various reasons, best known to modern Judaism, it lasts eight days outside Israel. The reason having something to do with the diaspora.
(# 7) 14th Nisan is not a day of Unleavened Bread. Eating leavened bread is not forbidden by Torah.
(#8) Taking into account the time to prepare the lamb offering of about 4½ hours, discussed elsewhere, the preparation and cooking of the Matzah could be done in parallel with the meat offering and would have no influence on the overall time taken for the Passover Meal.
(# 9) The Last Supper was not a Passover Meal.
It is anticipated that Conclusion # 9 will come as a surprise to most Christians, as it did to this author.
But the question is
“Does ignorance of this knowledge make any practical difference to the Righteous standing of the unaware Christian taking Communion?”
Obviously open to correction, I would deduce, “No.”
Why do I come to this conclusion?
Two reasons.
• Jephthah showed he did not have deep theological knowledge when he made the rash vow which affected his daughter. Nevertheless his name was included in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.
• Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1–3 that no one knows as much as they think they do but, he that loves the Lord is known by the Lord. In other words, “You’re not as clever as you think you are but you can depend on God.”
How will this project progress?
As I have said many times, my only Theological qualification is that, by the Grace of God, I could read English (my mother tongue if you can give that name to the language of Australia; there are those who would argue) when I left primary school. I just relay what is actually written and let the Bible do the talking. It is surprising how many questions it answers about itself.
We’ll just have to see what happens. More will continue to trickle out. So many nuggets — so little time.
What is written is there for the world to see. It takes a bit of effort but the return far outweighs that effort.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
