Memorial

“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for if any one eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, scriptures from RSV).

— Jeff Earl

For the Passover celebration, God instructed the Israelites to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to remove leaven from their homes. Why did they need to do this? Leaven in the scriptures represents sin and thus, its removal pictures the removal of sin. We will explore why leaven needed to be removed before the Passover, the types of leaven described in the New Testament, and explain why we must purge leaven from our character. Additionally, we will examine the need for godly conduct in our interactions, during our trials, and in our character development.

The ordinance for observing the Passover as a memorial and the type of bread they should eat is explained in Exodus 12:14- 15. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for if any one eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”

Deuteronomy 16:3 then explains why they were supposed to eat unleavened bread with the Passover sacrifice. “You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction — for you came out of the land of Egypt in hurried flight — that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.” At the time of their escape from Egypt, the Israelites had no time to allow their bread to rise due to their hurried escape. They ate the Passover meal in haste to be ready to leave Egypt. In the subsequent years as they commemorated that escape, the Israelites were supposed to remove all the leaven from their homes and eat unleavened bread as a remembrance of the time they left Egypt and the afflictions they endured there.

Since leaven symbolizes sin, the purging of leaven points to the need for purging sin from our lives. The New Testament discusses several types of leaven. Jesus mentions the Leaven of the Pharisees in Luke 12:1, the Leaven of the Sadducees in Matthew 16:11-12, and the leaven of Herod in Mark 8:15. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul describes how a little leaven leavens the whole lump and that we are to remove the old leaven. He also refers to the leaven of malice and wickedness. We will discuss the types of leaven mentioned by Jesus and Paul.

The Leaven of the Pharisees

In Luke 12:1-3, Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Jesus identified the Pharisees as having this type of leaven — hypocrisy. The Greek word translated hypocrite originally meant someone who answers. Later, it was connected with playing a part, such as play-acting. A hypocrite is never genuine. He is always play-acting. The basis of hypocrisy is insincerity, someone who puts on an act of goodness. In our understanding today, a hypocrite is someone who says one thing but in actuality, does the opposite. The Pharisees were self-righteous in that they publicly proclaimed their righteousness, praying openly before men and making sure everyone saw them making monetary contributions to the temple.

We as Christians must be on guard not to boast of the things we have done in the Lord’s service, but to realize this is what God expects of us. It is interesting to note that verses 2-3 refer to things that are discussed in secret and seemingly hidden, being revealed to everyone. Jesus exposed the Pharisees for what they were trying to do in secret and called them out for who they really were. Today, these scriptures are still relevant. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep anything secret, with bad actors hacking into email communications and proclaiming on the Internet and in the news, things said in private. There are frequent leaks of secret meetings that quickly become publicized and expose the unlawful activities of the people in power.

The Leaven of the Sadducees

In Matthew 16:11-12, while answering his disciples, Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Jesus told them that they were good at interpreting the sky as to whether it will be fair weather or stormy but that they “cannot interpret the signs of the times” (verse 3). The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, but also lacked faith in God’s other promises. They ruled the temple, lacked faith in the Old Testament prophecies and became more of a ritualistic, secular party.

After the Maccabean revolt, the Sadducees assumed a more prominent, political role while the Pharisees maintained (or claimed to maintain) a legal and religious role with respect to the Law. The Sadducees worked with the Romans and adopted a strategy of compromising with them. As Christians, we must be careful not to compromise on matters of principle but only on issues of preference. Principles are doctrines that are unambiguously supported in scripture, like the ransom for all, no eternal torment, and no triune God. Principles are also set forth for our Christian living, which Paul described in detail and which will be discussed later. Some examples of preferences would include the interpretation of prophecy, chronology, and the details of the operation of Christ’s Millennial kingdom.

The Leaven of Herod

In Mark 8:15, Jesus told his disciples, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Some ancient authorities replace Herod with Herodians. This can be interpreted as a warning against political activism — the leaven of the state rather than the leaven of the church mentioned previously. There are many moral causes we can be politically active against — gay rights, abortion, the removal of Christian symbols in public places, or the restriction of prayer in a public forum. We must resist the temptation to become involved in these activities because it will divert us from more important spiritual matters, such as being transformed into a Christ-like character, supporting brethren in our ecclesia and fellow ecclesias, and witnessing about the kingdom of God. Another aspect of this leaven of Herod could be Herod’s immorality in divorcing his wife and marrying his half-brother’s wife, Herodias. As Christians, we must uphold the moral principles defined in the scriptures and must reject the immoral practices by others.

Jesus included the Pharisees when discussing the leaven of the Sadducees and Herod. Why? Because the Pharisees were more familiar with the law and prophets and hence, were more responsible for refusing to accept Jesus and his teachings. Instead, they continually sought to discredit Jesus by asking him for signs. The Sadducees and Herodians were more secular and hence, were less culpable.

The Need to Avoid Leaven

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul talks about how a little leaven leavens the whole lump and that we are to remove the old leaven. He contrasts this old leaven with the leaven malice (and wickedness). In verse 11, he warns us not to associate with a brother who is guilty of immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, or being a reviler, a drunk, or a swindler. In Colossians 3:5, he also adds impurity, passion or lust, evil desires, and covetousness to what we should resist. These were contemporary problems in the Corinthian church, and Paul warned that tolerating sin would lead to more and greater sins, which could ultimately destroy the church. Paul also listed these sins as a warning to Christians throughout the age to resist these sinful traits that would prevent them from being part of the Heavenly Church or Little Flock. We are to purge all leaven or sinfulness out of our lives and to become unleavened in sincerity and truth, following the examples of Jesus and his Apostles.

We must live godly lives with respect and love for both friend and foe, whether they are Christians or unbelievers. Philippians 2:14 -16 states, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

How do we behave toward those in the world? Do we repay evil for evil, or do we turn the other cheek? In our conduct with co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, or, in some cases, family, do we try to fit in by using inappropriate language or by remaining silent when they mock those who try to follow Christian principles? Or, do we defend our faith in the principles of God’s word? We must, however, be careful not to intentionally provoke the world’s anger by being purposefully antagonistic. Our response to others should reflect our character as being in harmony with those principles previously described in the Philippian verses.

The Trial of Our Faith

Another aspect of our character development is the trials and bitter experiences we endure throughout our lives. Trials are permitted by the Lord for our spiritual growth and to help shape us into Christ-likeness. They vary according to our needs. King David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24). Trials can take the form of both physical and mental experiences. A physical trial could be a long-term illness like cancer or a chronic disease that might cause memory loss or physical disability eventually resulting in death. Mental trials can be caused by the world, family, or even “friends” that are not sympathetic to our faith in Christ. We may even be subjected to trials by our fellow brethren. Whatever the source, we should respond to them with love and understanding, trying to determine the root cause and hopefully, reconcile with that individual. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:3-4 to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

We must, however, distinguish between trials from our adherence to scriptural principles (i.e., “persecuted for righteousness’ sake”) and those that are common to mankind. For example, if we experience a temporary sickness, it may be more of a short-term test of our patience rather than a trial of religious persecution or a chronic illness. Other examples of short-term tests of our patience could be a car that breaks down, home appliances failing, loss of electric power during a storm, etc. These are trials that are typical of everyday life.

We do not know what the future holds for us regarding the possibility of severe physical trials that many in the early church faced. If that happens, it is in the Lord’s hands and we have no way of knowing what we may have to endure. However, all saints of God must endure tests of faithfulness as Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The Apostle Peter concurs in 1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire.” It is our faith that is being tested during severe trials, for faith is the foundation on which character development is built.

Sometimes, we face difficult experiences that seem to keep repeating themselves. It may be difficult to understand the reason for this. Are these experiences being repeated because we are not being faithful in something, or are we not learning the lesson the Lord desires to teach us? If these experiences are the result of our own behavior, we must be introspective and give careful consideration in order to correct this behavior. Endeavoring to understand our experiences and trials should draw us closer to God and teach us true heart reliance on Him. The Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Another aspect to consider is how the experiences of the world influence us. It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the world. But those who have consecrated their life to God must resist the world’s influence, knowing that the spirit of the world is contrary to the spirit of God. 1 John 2:15 states, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.” James 4:4 adds, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”

The Objective of Our Trials

In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul outlines the essentials of the Christian Character: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;” The Apostle Peter adds, “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue … knowledge … self-control … steadfastness … godliness … brotherly affection, and … with love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

God shapes our character through our trials and experiences to help us reach the goal of Christ-likeness. This is God’s objective for us as stated in Romans 8:29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.”