Those who trust the Messiah become sincerely, truly ‘unleavened’

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Is the Feast of Unleavened Bread all about “getting sin out of your life”? Is that the only message here?

I’d submit to you that there’s much more. It’s about where the Father—the Creator—has placed you. He has placed you in the world, in the place where He wants you to be. It’s not just the “bread of affliction,” but also the “bread of hope.”

Paul brings out some lessons about unleavened bread—not the physical bread, but the spiritual. It’s not just about throwing out sin. He has placed us in the world, and when He gave us His Son, He also gave us His Spirit. We are to be in the world as unleavened bread.

We know the Feast was established even before they left Egypt.

Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 5. The chapter begins on a very negative note. In most modern congregations, they wouldn’t consider removing this kind of sinner from their community, assuming that tolerance is compassion. But we often forget that we must listen to the Apostle Paul—not merely his opinion, but the authority he received from the Messiah Himself. Paul wasn’t just sharing thoughts; he was speaking in Yeshua’s name, with His authority. He was taught by Yeshua how to be an apostle.

We’ve been taught not to judge, but the truth is, we are called to judge what happens within the community of faith. Most preachers don’t like to read this part of 1 Corinthians. They only want to teach about God’s love while ignoring His wrath. But Yeshua taught that if our right hand or eye offends us, we should pluck it out—not physically, but spiritually. Even one of Yeshua’s own twelve apostles was cast out.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul refers to the sinner as “leaven” to be removed so that his actions aren’t seen as acceptable:

“Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.”

They were already unleavened, and they were to act like it so they could remain that way. Paul didn’t want them to become proud of their tolerance for sin.

He tells them to “keep the feast”—the Feast of Unleavened Bread—so they can understand where God has placed them. It’s a seven-day feast, showing that God will both begin and complete His work in our lives. When we die, it will be completed—because Messiah is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).

“…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)

This man’s sin was so blatant that it had to be addressed. But there are more subtle sins that also must be addressed.

We are called to be clear, transparent, and easily understood—not actors (i.e., hypocrites). The community we worship with should also be transparent and easy to understand in all matters of life.

They were unleavened because of Yeshua. They didn’t enter into it on their own—Yeshua moved them into it.

Let’s go to Ephesians 4:1–3, written while Paul was in prison. The believers were called into Yeshua’s unleavened world. We are to be humble, gentle, patient, and tolerant—but we shouldn’t have to tell people these things about ourselves. We should simply live that way and let others see it for themselves.

Love is not emotion; it’s action. Yeshua loved us by laying down His life. He died for His friends. There’s no greater love than that. But that’s a hard kind of love because our pride gets in the way.

In Ephesians 4:4–6, the word one—heis (εἷς) in Greek and ’echad (אֶחָד) in Hebrew—is repeated seven times:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

When we think about the One Spirit, that Spirit is in us. Not many spirits—just One. There is one baptism, one death that matters: Yeshua’s. It’s all about being one—’echad.

Now let’s move to Ephesians 4:31–32. Messiah, our Passover, is how we enter God’s unleavened world. Paul lists things that draw us away from unity with God, His Messiah, and fellow believers—bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.

So how do we obtain this unity? Do we dwell on our flesh and who we used to be, or do we focus on where God is taking us—and where we are now?

We’ve all asked God to give us wisdom to function in this world, but we need to ask Him for the wisdom to function in His world.

The wisdom God gives can confound or dumbfound those who possess the world’s knowledge. Those with PhDs who see themselves as wise and puffed up aren’t the ones God often works with. Proverbs 1 tells us that God gives wisdom to those who fear Him.

We listen to what God says because our lives are on the line—not His. He has already done everything for us. The question is, will we accept it?

Now let’s go to Colossians 3:1–12. When we are in Messiah Yeshua, we are to seek what is above, where Messiah is seated on His throne. This is difficult. We forget that God has placed us in shalom. The root of shalom (שָׁלוֹם, H7965) means a place of safety.

He is looking out for our lives—our well-being on Earth. He knows what we need: clothing, housing, food. He created it all and provides for us.

Now let’s go to Romans 3:30–31. The circumcised—the Jews, who have knowledge of the Torah—and the uncircumcised—the Gentiles, who do not—are saved the same way: through faith. We don’t nullify God’s Word just because those who came before us didn’t practice it properly.

Yeshua told His apostles they were clean even before His work was finished in them. His death has freed us from the death described in the Torah. We have been made innocent—we are no longer guilty.

Finally, let’s look at Romans 5:5–7. We used to be sinners, but now we are blameless. That has already been justified. Now we are to walk an unleavened walk—to live in clarity, truth, and sincerity. When you find yourself doing the opposite, kill it. It shouldn’t be a part of you anymore.

Yeshua was found guilty for us by God’s command, even though He was never guilty of anything. We are now called to live by the oracles of God. We are to establish them in our lives. We are no longer outsiders—we’re insiders. It’s not about how bad we were, but about where we are now, and where God has placed us—thanks to Yeshua.

Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.