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Jesus Died and Next Came Unleavened Bread
April 15, 2014

On the weekly Sabbath, I wrote about Jesus, Our Passover Sacrifice.  And while today may be tax day in the United States, it is also the first day of Unleavened Bread, a festival observed by our Jewish friends for thousands of years. It has meaning to Christians or Paul would not have mentioned unleavened bread in his first message to the Corinthians. Paul compared leavened bread to the sins that puff us up; the sins of malice and wickedness. Unleavened bread is generally very flat and compared by Paul to the character traits of sincerity and truth. From this we should be able to understand that at least part of being a Christian is being sincere and truthful.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The beautiful thing about sincerity and truth is that these are not fake; these are real. Sincerity and truth is not based on what is complex and manipulated, but on that which is simple and basic. For some, sincerity and truth can be boring and for me it is calming, especially after dealing with the difficulties of life. For those of us who identify as first-century apostolic Christians, our beliefs can be complicated for others to understand, because what we do is often confused with our friends who are Jewish. While we may not be able to fully uncomplicate our beliefs to others, we should be able to live a life that is based on principles of sincerity and truth. You might think that the religious leaders live lives of sincerity and truth. That is not always the case. There have numerous scandals involving members of the clergy from money lust to sexual immorality, and those types of issues complicate things. Jesus warned about this during his ministry through a parable.

Matthew 16:1-12
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Jesus knew that living a life based on sincerity and truth would lead to faith that is simple and uncomplicated. Doctrines created by men in an attempt to explain God's teachings are lofty and complicated. Sometimes the simplest and most uncomplicated element of faith is belief followed by the second simplest and uncomplicated element of faith, action. Formulation of wordy sermons, studies, and doctrinal papers tends to be less simple and more complicated.

1 Peter 1:13-23
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

Peter taught that we purify our souls by obeying the truth. That which is pure is simple and uncomplicated, and this propels us through faith to love the brethren with a fervent and pure heart. While some might laugh at me for the days I observe along with all who are apostolic first-century Christians, the sacrifice of Jesus is tied to these days that lay the foundation for our simple and uncomplicated faith.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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