Just What
do You Mean—Unleavened Bread?
This year I am approaching
my 30th anniversary of keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread. I can look back with many fond memories of
past Feast Days.
My first Night to be Much
Remembered was a very special occasion.
I was very new to God’s ways, and anxious to find out everything I
could. I kept this special night with a
family who had been in the Church only a few months longer than me. In much
excitement, I remember staying up talking and fellowshipping with them till
almost
One of my other memories
of these “olden days” in the Church was that the brethren were VERY CAREFUL AND
METICULOUS about HOW they kept the Holy Days—particularly the Days of
Unleavened Bread. We’re all familiar
with the Bible’s instructions to REMOVE all leaven and leavened products from
our homes for the duration of the Feast.
I well remember the
incredible amount of energy and care that went into de-leavening in
those days. People would virtually take
their entire house apart to find and remove the tiniest speck of anything that
even looked like leaven! I
remember one family that had been feeding bread to the birds in their front
garden. The husband explained to me how
he had taken a VACUUM CLEANER out onto the lawn and hoovered
up all the breadcrumbs! Another had been
concerned that there might be breadcrumbs in his dustbin (trash can), and had set
fire to the inside of it to burn away any leaven!
I remember when my wife
and I were first married, we spent dozens of hours cleaning every nook
and cranny of the house, to ensure not a speck of leaven would survive
anywhere. Unfortunately, the sheer
EFFORT of cleaning out virtually everything (yes—including dustbins and
the garden), used to leave us physically exhausted by the time the Days of
Unleavened Bread actually arrived—so exhausted and drained, in fact, we hardly
had enough energy left to appreciate and ENJOY the Holy Days themselves! Many of us in the Church seemed to suffer
from this affliction—being so zealous of our PHYSICAL de-leavening
activities that we almost lost sight of the spiritual import of the Days.
Thankfully, we did
eventually arrive at a somewhat more balanced approach!
However, thinking back
over these memories does forcibly remind me of just how ZEALOUS and FASTIDIOUS
we all seemed to be in those days, even over something that was so physical. We wanted to GET IT RIGHT—and didn’t mind
putting in a lot of effort and work to get it right.
Which brings me (somewhat
belatedly!) to the point of this article.
We do not want to be
guilty of “majoring on the minors”—overdoing something that is, essentially, physical. But, equally, we do not want to become
overly CASUAL and neglectful about God’s plain and clear instructions as to HOW
to keep His Holy Days. How we deal with
certain physical aspects of keeping the Holy Days can be very revealing
about OUR ATTITUDE towards our Creator!
The question I would like
to ask is: When we keep the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, do we keep
them with Unleavened Bread? This may
seem an enigmatic question but, as we’ll see, all that purports to be unleavened
bread may, in fact, NOT be UNLEAVENED BREAD.
I was reminded of this
issue just under a year ago. My wife
was in the local supermarket, and met a senior minister of one of the larger
Churches of God. He had dozens of boxes
of Jewish Matzos in his shopping trolley. When my wife remarked on how many boxes he
seemed to be buying, he mentioned that it was because of the large number of
brethren who would be keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread. He wanted to ensure there was enough
“unleavened bread” to go around.
However—are Jewish Matzos
actually UNLEAVENED BREAD? Are Matzos
suitable for the Passover ceremony, and do they fulfil the Biblical
requirement on us to EAT UNLEAVENED BREAD for seven days?
But surely, we might
think, the Jews know what they’re doing?
They’ve been keeping Passover and Unleavened Bread for thousands of
years. They are sticklers for
tradition. They understand the Hebrew
language. Surely we can trust them to
set us an accurate example of what constitutes unleavened bread?
Or can we?
Let’s remind ourselves as
we look at this topic what Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders in His
day, “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold THE TRADITION OF
MEN—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” He said to them, ‘All too well you REJECT the
commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition’,” Mark 7: 8-9.
Let’s firstly have a
CLOSER LOOK at just what matzos are.
Then we’ll have a look at some Scriptures and see whether IT MAKES ANY
DIFFERENCE what sort of bread we use to keep the Days of Unleavened Bread.
What are Matzos?
In Exodus 12, we read of
the original instructions to the children of
The Hebrew word used for
unleavened bread in these and other verses is matstsah
(sometimes shown in English as mazzah, with the
plural being mazzot or matzos).
Strong’s Concordance
defines the word as referring to “something sweet (i.e. not soured or bittered with yeast); specifically an unfermented cake
or loaf.” Gesenius’
Lexicon confirms this.
The usual word in the Old
Testament for bread is lechem. This appears 297 times. Matstah (or
matzo) appears 53 times, and simply means unfermented bread made without
yeast. In its original form, however, we
would very definitely be talking of recognisable bread—a LOAF OF BREAD,
but with the yeast missing. When Gideon made unleavened bread for the angel in Judges 6:19-21
he used an ephah of flour—that’s two-thirds of a
bushel, or over 20 quarts. That
was a substantial quantity of real bread—something that would have been
very filling, even for an angel!
In its article on matzos,
the Jewish Encyclopaedia states, "The size of each mass of dough
for mazzah may not exceed one-tenth of an ephah, equal to 43 and one-fifth medium-sized hens'
eggs." So matzos would be made from
dough weighing a few pounds. The article
continues, "The thickness of the mazzah must not
exceed the size of a closed fist, four fingers or FOUR INCHES, which was the
thickness of the showbread. A later custom was to make mazzah one finger thick."
Hold on a moment! Did the Jewish Encyclopaedia just say that
matzos were originally up to four inches thick? Then we’re talking here of a real LOAF of
bread, aren’t we. A “later custom”, we
are told, was to make the matzo no more than one finger, or ONE INCH
thick. We are not told quite when this
latter custom came into being, but it is clear that either custom—original or
latter—produced a thick and chunky piece of bread you could get your teeth
into!
But what are today’s
commercial matzos like? Are they loaves
of bread, one to four inches thick?
Do they fit in with what our imagination tells us would have been baked
in ancient
Today’s commercial matzos
are very thin “crisps”, barely one-tenth of an inch thick. They would perhaps more correctly be
described as dry-crackers, rather than LOAVES of BREAD.
Where did these commercial
cracker-type so-called matzos come from?
They are, in fact, a
relatively modern invention.
In the 1800’s, machines
were designed in
Making matzos on a
commercial scale soon became BIG BUSINESS, especially in
Now 1,700,000 pounds of
matzos is a
So what were the matzo
manufacturers to do? They were
commercial concerns. They had a huge
market. There was lots of profit to be
made. How could they prepare their
matzos months in advance of Passover, and maximise their income?
One vital key was to make
matzos only from flour that CANNOT SPOIL.
The flour must be completely refined and processed. All the nutrients that are necessary for life
must be stripped out. The flour must be
LIFELESS—inert—such that no self-respecting bacteria would even bother trying
to obtain any nourishment from it.
Then the dough must be
rolled so thin that, when baked, ALL of it becomes just “crust.” Any soft dough, such as is found in normal
bread, can spoil. So a matzo must be BAKED
HARD all the way through if it is to last for several months.
And, as mentioned earlier,
it is necessary to perforate the “cracker” with hundreds of little holes to
prevent ugly bubbling (which doesn’t occur with thick bread).
So, that is where today’s
matzos come from. They are a product of
man’s desire to obtain maximum PROFIT from an instruction of God, even if it
requires the production of an almost completely lifeless, empty and unnatural
FRAUD! Today’s so-called matzos cannot
sustain life. From a physical
point of view, there is no comparison between a dry, baked-hard, de-natured
CRISP, and a loaf of life-giving BREAD such as would have been used in Old or
New Testament times.
But let’s now examine
WHETHER IT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE to GOD!
Apart from eating
unleavened bread for the seven-day festival period, we do, of course,
also use unleavened bread for the PASSOVER SERVICE.
Exodus 12:6-8 tells us,
“Now you shall keep [the lamb] until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then
the whole assembly of the congregation of
Jesus observed the
Passover with unleavened bread.
On His final Passover He changed the Passover symbols to BREAD and
WINE. The apostle Paul explains to us,
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord
Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took BREAD; and when He had
given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this [loaf of unleavened
bread] is MY BODY which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after
supper, saying, "This cup [of wine] is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance
of Me," 1 Corinthians
We can see here that the
bread we take at the Passover represents Jesus’ BODY—and the wine
represents Jesus’ BLOOD.
Jesus explains this further,
in John 6:32-35: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses
did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the TRUE BREAD
from heaven. For the
bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’
And Jesus said to them, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never
thirst.’” And in verse 51 of the same
chapter, Jesus said, “I am the LIVING BREAD which came down from heaven. If
anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall
give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of
the world."
We are all familiar with
the fact that the BREAD we partake of on Passover night represents Jesus’
BODY—just as the LAMB represented Jesus’ body during the Old Testament Passover
service.
Now, what quality
of bread would be appropriate and fitting to REPRESENT THE BODY OF OUR
SAVIOUR? Would a dead, de-natured,
six-month-old piece of CRACKER be the best we could do to represent our
Saviour’s body, broken for our physical healing? Could we accurately describe such a cracker
as bread of life?
What sort of LAMB was
considered suitable for the Old Testament Passover? Could any bedraggled, diseased, emaciated or
worthless animal be chosen for the Passover lamb? No! We
are told, “Your lamb shall be WITHOUT BLEMISH, a male of the first year,”
Exodus 12:5. This lamb was to represent
Jesus Christ, a PERFECT and SINLESS Saviour.
And there were VERY
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS as to when the lamb should be selected (on the 10th
of Abib), when it should be killed (precisely at twilight on the 14th),
how it should be cooked (roasted in fire), and how the remains
should be dealt with (burned next morning).
The priority was for things to be done PROPERLY, on
this most serious of occasions—not just take the easiest and MOST
CONVENIENT of options. It required CARE
and effort.
Should we expect to take
any LESS CARE when partaking of the New Testament symbol of Jesus Christ’s
body?
It would be normal for us
to take very great care in deleavening our homes. We check the cupboards, kitchen drawers,
cookers, and toasters. We hoover
carpets. We look in every nook and
cranny.
As the Passover ceremony
nears, we ensure the room is clean and tidy.
We have small glasses of red wine, ready poured. The various items are usually covered by
immaculately clean napkins. Those who are
participating in the Passover do not joke, or engage in much conversation or
fellowship. It is the most solemn evening
of the year, and we try to maintain a very reverent atmosphere.
Yet—despite all this
detailed care, preparation and solemnity—are we tempted to just pop out to the
nearest CONVENIENCE STORE or Wal-Mart, to pick up some six-month old crackers
as the Passover bread that is to represent the body of Jesus Christ, the
Lamb of God, whose death we are commemorating that night?
What sort of ATTITUDE
might that display? Great
care, attention to detail, a desire to faithfully comply with the spirit and
intent of God’s instructions, on this MOST IMPORTANT evening of the year? Or, an example of today’s
“instant coffee, no time to waste, must be convenient, more important things to
do” generation?
It may be worth thinking
about!
Apart from the Passover
service itself, we are of course COMMANDED to eat unleavened bread for seven
days.
The bread that the Old
Testament Israelites ate was genuine bread—it was a staple part of their
diet, helping to nourish them and “fill them up.” It was their normal bread, but without
yeast or leavening. It was not some type
of dried cracker.
For the seven Days of
Unleavened Bread, we too are required to eat unleavened bread. With our modern-day fridges and freezers, we
can of course choose from a wide variety of foods to fill us up and nourish
us. Probably only a small amount
of bread would be necessary, to ensure that we keep the command, and
continue to picture the meaning of the Feast period. But would it be too
difficult to eat a small amount of actual unleavened bread during this
seven-day period—rather than a cracker?
Perhaps for a bachelor,
living in isolation, it might present a little challenge to obtain, or bake,
some “real” unleavened bread. For most
members of God’s church, however, it would not be too difficult. A small loaf of unleavened
bread, sufficient to last a week, can be prepared and baked in around one hour. Would that be too much time and effort for us
to keep the Passover and Unleavened Bread, using the precise symbols
God has given us?
Perhaps it does seem like too
much trouble to some people. And as
we said at the beginning of this article, we don’t want to over-emphasise the physical
aspects of the Festival period—but ATTENTION TO DETAIL does say something
about our attitude to God’s Word. The
instructions given throughout Exodus 12 about the original Passover are very
detailed—and failure to have complied fully and strictly could have had fatal
consequences.
Malachi 1:6-8 addresses
the relationship between our physical service to God, and our underlying
attitude. “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a Father,
where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where
is My fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that
despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised
thy name? Ye offer polluted bread
upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted
thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is
contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? ” The priesthood in
Malachi’s day had little regard for the sanctity of their offerings to
God. Anything was “good enough” to give
to God, including blind and lame animals.
They couldn’t be bothered. Their
attitude to their Creator God was a disgrace.
As we approach Passover
and Unleavened Bread this year, we need to check our motives, and ensure that
we take GREAT CARE to keep this Festival period in a manner that is fully
pleasing to God. Doing something merely
to suit our own carnal convenience may not be all that acceptable to God!
As a concluding comment,
if we simply want to satisfy our stomachs, we can, of course, eat ANY grain
product during this period of time, provided it is unleavened. If we happen to enjoy the taste of
Jewish matzos, Ryvitas, or other cracker-type crispbreads, then it is quite in order to eat as much as we
want. There is no prohibition on eating
these (although, as mentioned earlier, there isn’t much food value in
matzos).
BUT—as far as keeping the
spirit and intent of the Passover and Unleavened Bread is concerned,
it is highly unlikely that these products faithfully picture what God
originally commanded. It would be
preferable, therefore, to ensure that we use genuine unleavened bread
for the purpose of honouring God and meeting His requirements, and then, if we
want to eat matzos and similar simply for taste and pleasure, that would be
in addition.
Remember, “…whatever we
ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do
those things THAT ARE PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT,” 1 John 3:22.