Feast of Unleavened Bread: Get the leaven out

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Why does God tell us to remove leaven — “yeast” in the NIV translation — from our mouths, homes and community during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the seven days right after Passover? Why does God tell us then to put leaven in our mouths at Shavu’ot (Pentecost) a short time later? What does this have to do with Messiah? The connection is startling.

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In today’s sermon, “Get the Leaven Out” Jeff explores the biblical meaning of leaven in the context of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, interpreting the command through a Messianic Jewish perspective that connects the Torah, the teachings of Yeshua (Jesus), and the writings of the apostles. The central idea is that removing leaven during Passover symbolizes the removal of corruption, hypocrisy, and sinful patterns from one’s life so that God can create a renewed and Spirit-filled people.

The message begins with a modern analogy. In recent decades, people have become concerned about removing harmful ingredients from food. For example, butter and coconut oil were replaced for many years by margarine and partially hydrogenated oils because they were thought to be healthier. Eventually it became clear that the replacement—trans fats—was actually more harmful than the original ingredients. This example illustrates how human understanding of what is harmful evolves. Similarly, God gave Israel a command about removing leaven that at first appears unusual but carries deep spiritual meaning.
During the first Passover in Egypt, God commanded the Israelites to remove all leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread for seven days.

Exodus 12:19 declares that anyone who ate leaven during this time would be cut off from the community. The Passover meal itself was to be eaten with unleavened bread (matzot) and bitter herbs (m’rorot). Scripture explains that the bread was unleavened because the Israelites left Egypt in haste. They did not have time to allow their dough to rise, so they baked it quickly before departing. Deuteronomy later describes this bread as “the bread of affliction,” a reminder of their hurried escape from slavery.

These instructions naturally raise questions. Why does God seem to oppose leaven? What is the connection between leaven and Passover? Why must it be avoided for seven days?
To understand this command, the sermon examines the Hebrew terminology.

Two main words are used for leaven: se’or, meaning leaven or yeast, and chametz, which refers to something that has become sour or fermented. The root idea behind chametz is “souring” or “corruption.” This linguistic background reveals an important symbolic dimension. Leaven represents something that spreads through a substance and changes its nature, much like fermentation spreads through dough.

The Torah associates leaven with certain restrictions in worship. For example, grain offerings presented to the Lord were not to contain leaven or honey. Likewise, leaven could not be offered with the blood of a sacrifice. These instructions emphasize that offerings brought before God must be pure and free from corruption. At the same time, the Hebrew word related to chametz is also connected to vinegar, which represents sourness. Several passages in Proverbs and Psalms use this imagery metaphorically to describe bitterness, corruption, or moral failure.

Similar imagery also appears in the Psalms and the Prophets. Psalm 69 contains a messianic prophecy describing the suffering of the Messiah, including the moment when he is given vinegar to drink. In the Gospel accounts, Yeshua experiences this during his crucifixion. These connections highlight how biblical symbolism around sourness and bitterness can relate to suffering, judgment, and redemption.

However, the biblical teaching about leaven is not entirely negative. In Leviticus 23, during the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost), Israel is commanded to present two loaves of bread baked with leaven as a firstfruits offering to God. This raises an important question: why would leaven be forbidden during Passover but required during Shavuot?

To explore this tension, Jeff turns to the teachings of Yeshua. In the Gospels, Yeshua warns his disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” At first the disciples misunderstand, thinking he is referring to literal bread. Yeshua clarifies that he is speaking metaphorically about their teaching and attitudes. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples eventually understand that the “leaven” represents the doctrines and influence of these religious groups.

The Pharisees and Sadducees represented two influential sects in first-century Judaism. The Pharisees emphasized strict observance of the Torah and the traditions of the elders. Their name, P’rushim, means “the separated ones,” reflecting their pursuit of ritual and moral purity. While many Pharisees were sincere, Yeshua frequently criticized those who practiced outward righteousness while harboring hypocrisy and pride. At the same time, some Pharisees—such as Nicodemus and the apostle Paul—became followers of Yeshua, demonstrating that the problem was not the group itself but the attitudes that could arise within it.

The Sadducees, by contrast, were a smaller group associated with the Temple leadership. Historical sources indicate that they rejected belief in resurrection, miracles, and angels, focusing primarily on the present life. Their authority in the Temple system gave them social and political power, and they often took pride in their status.

Yeshua’s warning about leaven therefore addresses the corrupting influence of hypocrisy, pride, and false teaching. Just as a small amount of yeast spreads through dough, these attitudes can spread through a community and distort its spiritual life.

Interestingly, Yeshua also uses leaven in a positive parable. In Matthew 13 he compares the Kingdom of Heaven to leaven that a woman mixes into flour until the entire batch is transformed. This illustrates how God’s kingdom begins small but eventually permeates the whole world. The image shows that leaven itself is not inherently evil; rather, it symbolizes a powerful, spreading influence that can work for good or harm depending on its source.

The apostle Paul develops this imagery further in his letters. In 1 Corinthians 5 he rebukes a congregation that tolerated serious immoral behavior while boasting about their tolerance. Paul warns them that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” If sin is left unchecked, it will spread throughout the community. Therefore believers must remove the “old leaven” of malice and wickedness.

Paul then connects this idea directly to Passover. He declares that “Messiah our Passover has been sacrificed.” Because of this redemptive act, believers are called to celebrate the feast spiritually by living lives characterized by sincerity and truth, symbolized by unleavened bread. In this Messianic understanding, Passover is not merely a historical commemoration but a living reminder that Yeshua’s sacrifice calls his followers to moral and spiritual purification.

Jeff concludes by examining the meaning of matzah, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover. The Hebrew root related to matzah can mean “to drain” or “to draw out.” Symbolically, this suggests that the old life—marked by bitterness, corruption, and selfishness—is drained away. The Feast of Unleavened Bread therefore represents a period of cleansing and renewal.

In this framework, the biblical festivals create a pattern. During Passover and the seven days of Unleavened Bread, the old leaven is removed, representing the rejection of the old way of life. The number seven symbolizes completeness, suggesting a full cycle of purification. Later, during Shavuot, leavened bread is offered again, representing a new life infused with God’s Spirit.

From a Messianic Jewish perspective, this pattern points to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred during Shavuot in the book of Acts. Just as new grain was harvested and new bread offered, God poured out His Spirit on Yeshua’s followers, empowering them to live transformed lives. The “new leaven” represents the dynamic presence of God working within believers, spreading life and renewal rather than corruption.

Ultimately, the command to remove leaven is not merely about dietary restrictions. It is a vivid spiritual teaching. God calls His people to examine their lives, remove the corrupting influences of hypocrisy, pride, and sin, and embrace a renewed life shaped by truth, humility, and the presence of the Spirit. Through Passover and the festivals that follow, the story of redemption—from Egypt to Messiah—continues to instruct believers about the process of spiritual transformation and the ongoing work of God among His people.