Have You Ever Had Unleavened Bread? If not, you should try it... It is the same bread (without yeast or leaven) that Jesus ate with the disciples at the last supper. This bread is called the "bread of affliction" probably because of its cracker-like consistency and rigidness. Jesus said that bread was symbolic of his body. Most also know that the body of Christ is also symbolic of the church. The bread without leaven is also symbolic of a body without SIN. Although Christians still sin at times, they are made sinless through Christ. However, their walk towards Christ should be symbolic as taking leaven out of bread, and ultimately being like an angel that ONLY cares about what God wants (Joshua 5:14).
The symbolism and experience may help you to see what is expected of Christians as we walk towards a sin free life. Which by the way, you cannot have sin IF there is no law (1Jn_3:4).
The reality is that saints in Christ are NOT under the law, but they are under grace (or the blood of the Lamb of God). Grace IS under the law. It is good to also note that a saint is defined as follows-- One that keeps the commandments of "God", and has the faith in the word of Jesus and believes in the testimony of Jesus' prophecy (Revelation 12:17,14:12, and 19:11).
You stay covered by the blood by being a saint as defined above. If you leave the covering of the blood by causing grace to abound (Rom_6:1-2) and choose the wide way instead of the narrow gate (door). You will experience death. The Israelites only placed the blood of the lamb on the door posts. This is symbolic of saints' parameters... You have to stay covered by Grace so that the angel of death or the "whole" law can pass over you...
Unleavened versus leavened bread is an excellent topic for the church to comprehend. Furthermore the consensus of what a church thinks of this topic reflects the amount of truth in their worship.
Many do not want to equate leaven with sin because of the following verse
Matthew 13:33
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Unfortunately, because the church thinks so highly of themselves they don't realize the words of Jesus in the above verse is a prophecy of the sad condition of the church by the time we come to the point in time we are now living in. (third day)
Simply looking at the rest of the context of the this chapter does not recquire a rocket scientist to discern Jesus is speaking of how few have the truth in their hearts versus how often the truth is removed before it ever gets to the heart of the person.
I make rounds to different churches and when I go into a church that is having communion and I see them offering up leavened bread despite the commandment in the Bible to "never offer leavened bread with the blood of MY sacrifice, tells me that this particular church is clueless to the things of God.
It is not because I want to beat somebody over the head by cramming legalism down their throats, but because they do not study the law they don't understand what is wrong with their worship of God. The irony is them serving leavened bread at communion is an allegory and metaphor testifying to the lack of truth in the word being delivered to the saints via this church's clergy.
It is not what is good about the church that is causing the problem because as Jesus said no one else is good but God. For sure the church desires to worship God in truth but the truth is until they study the law they're never going to know the truth !!!
Well, although I agree that understanding the various symbolism"s" the bible uses for leaven are important and beneficial.
I don't agree that the verse that you quoted is using leaven in the same way as these verses:
Exo_12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Mat_16:11 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?
1Co_5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co_5:7 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:
1Co_5:8 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.
Sometimes Christ uses the nature of things to get points across as well. And the reality of leaven is that is only takes a little to spread and fill.
Although leaven in the above verses should be considered in a negative light, in Matthew 13:33, it is used to show how the kingdom of God can flourish, quite similar to the parable preceding this verse about the mustard seed.
I think if believers would eat unleavened bread, they would get a more insightful perspective on the symbolism of the Body of Christ, and our walk towards the Lord.
What you state about confusion is correct... He is not the author of confusion...
Confusion of the word should never be thought of to be caused by God. The creation is fallible, not the creator.
It could just simply be an oversight...
But, he actually does use words differently throughout the bible. For example, in the very same chapter, God uses seed 2 different ways. In this example, both are good, however they have "slightly" different meanings.
At the top, the seed means the word. Matthew 13:19.
At the bottom, the seed means children of the kingdom. Matthew 13:38
Additionally, God also uses leaven in a favorable context in the Torah.
Lev_23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
DMax is correct in this case. Both the mustard seed and the leaven represent the kingdom of God. It is illustrating the nature of the Kingdom as starting small (the seed) and growing imperceptibly (leavening) into something large (the tree) and pervasive (the whole is leavened)
At the top, the seed means the word. Matthew 13:19.
*** The Sword...YES!!!!...:applause:
At the bottom, the seed means children of the kingdom. Matthew 13:38
*** The offspring, progeny, family, tribe, posterity...of divine energy of the Holy Spirit operating within the soul by which we are regenerated...YES!!!...:applause:...xo
No Brother Zebra, my words stand and will pass the test for truth
The only reason the leaven in the verse quoted in Lev. 17:23 is acceptable as a firstfruit following Pentecost is because of the keywords I have highlighted below with uppercase font
Lev. 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; THEY SHALL BE BAKEN with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.
The baked loaves mixed with oil and leaven that are the firstfruuits of the Pentecost wave offering is a prophecy of Christians who have overcome sin through being baked in the fire of the baptism of fire through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit coming from Jesus Christ into Christians who because of their obedience are baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The wheat flour of Pentecost representing Christians will bond with leaven, however the barley flour of Passover representing Jesus Christ will not bond with leaven for the same reason Jesus Christ has no sin in Him. On the other hand we were born with sin (leaven) already in us, and until it is fully baked in the fire it will continue to work (ferment, spoil) in the flour that is an obvious picture of the destruction of sin does while fermenting and increasing in Christians who do not go into the "Holy Spiirit" fire and get the law written on their hearts The same as Moses walked into the fire to get the law written on stone we must endure the fire to have the law written on our hearts .
Going back to Matthew 13:33. and Luke13:21 which are the verses in question, take a good look and you will see that not only is there not any oil (a.k.a, anointing of the Holy Spirit) being added to the flour, after the leaven was added the loaves were not put into the fire as required in God�s Law that would have stop the fermenting and eventual ruin of all three loaves made up of wheat flour of Pentecost therefore representing disobedient Christians who have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit, (baptism of fire as seen on the tongues of fire on the heads of those who obeyed Jesus and waited in Jerusalem until Pentecost)
In both Matthew 13 and Luke 13 where we see the seed that grows into a huge tree that all the birds come and �logged therein� is the same final conclusion as the woman with the 3 loaves filled with leaven worthy only of being destroyed. In this case when we look earlier in the chapter of Matthew where Jesus speaks of the seed of the Word being sown who do you think the birds are representing by devouring the seeds keeping it from growing and producing acceptable kingdom fruit. As the Bible tells usa Satan comes to take away the word and these birds represent "messengesr of satan that are the thorns in our flesh" (2nd Corr.12:7 for agood example how even Christians as mighty as Paul was still have sin in them)
By saying seeds can be either good and evil and therefore so can leaven be good or bad is once again the same as comparing apples to oranges when looking at leaven that is always bad. The law of the seed simply states that the fruit coming from the tree contains the same seed that will produce more of the same fruit coming from tress that will appear in the image and likeness of the original tree the seed came from.
Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they ate fruit with the seeds of knowledge of good and evil within it. Consequently, they produced Able (good) and Cain (evil)
Christ has His seed on earth but so does Satan have his seed on earth. Therefore, using the seed as an analysis and comparison with leaven without looking at what the seed comes from, is as I said comparing apples with oranges.
I will spare you a counterargument since I am convinced in advanced that neither of us will be persuaded. Thank you for your explanation. I cannot agree with it. However, I respect your diligence with the Word of God and your zeal for God's law.
