Greetings in Messiah’s peace and grace: You have heard the story of Passover often and how it correlates to the sacrifice made on the tree for our salvation by Yeshua.
The usual story told; is that at Passover the blood of the unblemished male lamb saved the first born of Israel from death and that the blood of the unblemished (sinless) Lamb of God, Yeshua, saves us from death and gives us eternal life.
Rom 3:25: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished” (NIV)
Rom 5:9: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (NIV)
What I wish to focus on is a topic I have not heard discussed. The emphasis being on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There was a criteria God made about this.
Exod 34:25: “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.” (NIV)
The operative here is that no leaven shall accompany the sacrifice.
In the sacrifice made on the tree, the same criteria must hold true. Not only was Yeshua, unblemished (sinless); but also He was not filled with leaven, yeast or pride, which fills the criteria I mention above.
Let’s analyze this. Matt 20:28: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (NIV)
He could have come as a king, warrior, politician or any other grand position; however He chose to come as a humble, lowly, servant for us to imitate. A Man filled with no leaven, yeast or pride; to be the perfect sacrifice on the Passover.
Here is His teaching on this topic to His disciples. Matt 16:11: “How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (NIV)
Matt 16:12: “Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (NIV)
Yeshua was the perfect example of humbleness or lack of yeast. He could have ridden into Jerusalem in a chariot or any other grand manner; however He came riding instead on a foal of a donkey as prophesied. Zech 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (NIV)
In the New Testament it reads: Matt 21:4: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:” (NIV)
Matt 21:5: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'” (NIV)
Passover is a season to remember the great Exodus from Egypt and how God saved His people.
Passover is a season to remember the blood sacrifice made on the tree by the unblemished (sinless) Lamb of God.
It is also a season to remember the humble, unleavened, yeast-free Spirit Yeshua walked with as an example for us. If there is any yeast (pride) in us anywhere; we need to clean house in this time and worship and honor our God like Yeshua honored the Father.
Yeshua said: John 6:48: “I am the bread of life.” (NIV)
John 6:41: “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (NIV)
1 Cor 10:16: “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (NIV)
In this verse we have the two parts of the Passover. The blood for our atonement of sin and healing as well as the Bread that gives life. When we eat of this unleavened bread, Yeshua, we have life this way;
John 6:54: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (NIV)
John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV)
We are told: 1 Cor 6:19: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (NIV)
We need to speak God’s will. John 12:49: “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” (NIV)
We need to obey and do God’s will. John 9:31: “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” (NIV)
As such; we need to sweep out the leaven in our house and emulate the way Yeshua lived. A humble servant of God saying and doing the Father’s will, which is the message God stresses this Passover season. 1 Cor 5:7: “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast– as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (NIV)
Abba, Father: I come behind the torn curtain by the blood of the sinless, unleavened, Lamb of God, with praise and thanksgiving. I thank You for the season of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I thank You for the blood sacrifice on the tree by Your Son. I thank You for the paradigm Yeshua has given us on walking without leaven in our lives. In the name of Yeshua, I loose an outpouring of Your Holy Spirit on all who read this message to reveal and convict of any yeast in our lives. To clean our temple of the Holy Spirit of the world’s leaven and walk in Messiah’ image that all may see His light in us and gravitate to the saving knowledge of Yeshua and the gospel of His salvation. Amen!
Ilan Mann