Get rid of the old yeast (chametz), so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread (matzah) of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5: 7-8)
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. (Leviticus 23: 6)
Passover symbolizes the death of Yahushua on the tree (Acts 10:39, 13:29), the Feast of Unleavened Bread His burial when the sinless Lamb of Elohim was buried for our sins
(1 Corinthians 15: 3). Our Messiah is not only the bread of life, the true manna come down from heaven (John 6: 35) but also our ‘Unleavened Bread’. With Yahushua as our example, we are called to live as unleavened bread (without sin) by searching every corner of our lives with the light of the Holy Spirit.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag Ha Matzoth) follows right after Passover. It begins on the 15th day of Nisan and is a 7-day feast representing a believer’s life being without sin and perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5: 48). It is a time of self-examination for repentance. The first and last days of the feast are Sabbaths which differ from the weekly Sabbath and may occur on any day of the week (Exodus 12: 18), this is why the women were unable to purchase the burial spices on Pesach (14th Nissan) as shops only opened half a day
and would have rested on the 15th day of Nissan (Unleavened Bread) being a high Shabbat.
(John 19: 31)
The seventh or last day (Nissan 21) pictures the complete coming out of the worldly ways to follow the righteousness of our Savior, Yahushua the Messiah. The idea of being puffed up with pride is also mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:18, 8:1, and Romans 11:11-32 showing the risen bread puffed up with leaven is reminiscent of sinful pride, and unleavened matza bread is humble, simple, and pure representing Yahushua Mashiach, our Unleavened Bread.
Unleavened bread is eaten for seven days and all leaven is removed from homes before the feast begins. This feast shows sin in our lives as Scriptures often use yeast or leaven to represent sin. Ancient rabbis understood leaven to represent the evil impulses of the heart and Yahushua taught “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15); “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6, 11). Leaven is known as chametz in Hebrew and it means sour. We must purge out the leaven (2 Corinthians 7: 1) from our spiritual lives as part of being conformed to the image of Messiah. The grain product eaten during this period is called matzah, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly.
They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9).
The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the burial of Yahushua who lived a pure life, which contained no leaven or sin and YAHWEH made Him the innocent, substitute lamb for guilty mankind (1 John 3: 5, 2 Corinthians 5: 21). King David also prophesied about the burial of Yahushua that His body will not decay in Psalm 16:9-10 – For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16) so it should be free of leaven/sin. Yahushua cleared out the leaven from His Father’s house which is significant in light of feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17)
Upon entering the temple, Yahushua in His zealousness for the House of Elohim removed the money changers indicating the removal of leaven from His Father’s house in preparations for the coming Passover. Here, we see the quote from Psalm 69:10 – Zeal (kanah) for your house will consume me!
The wedding at Cana took place on the third day (John 3:1) but it should be noted that it also took place on the seventh day when counting the days in order through John chapter one. The third day points to redemption through Messiah and the seventh day foreshadows the millennium reign when YAHWEH’s people will be purged from all the leaven and will be gathered in His kingdom. Interestingly, the name Cana (kanah) can mean zealous, jealous or a bird’s nest.
And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. (Genesis 19: 3)
Lot was celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread on 15th of Aviv. Paul in Renewed Covenant writings also observed Unleavened bread which tells us that just like Master Yahushua his disciples continued to observe YAHWEH’s appointed times and seasons. (Acts 2: 46)
And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread (Chag Ha Matzoth), and
came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. (Acts 20: 6)
When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. (Acts 12: 3)