Bible Commentary
Topical Reading: Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Bread of Life
The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the evening before, during the "night to be much observed" (Exodus 12:42, KJV). This night, also called the “night of solemn observance” (NKJV), begins the seven-day festival. The readings for this period concentrate on the institution and observance of the Festival as well as the need to do what it pictures—put out sin and live a life of overcoming as Christ and the apostles instructed.
The Sunday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day on which the ancient wave-sheaf offering would fall each year, picturing Christ being presented before the Father for acceptance as the first of the firstfruits—and this is reflected in the selected scriptures given below. Leviticus 23:11 identifies the day of the wave sheaf as being a Sunday (a weekday for which the Hebrews had no name, and which is described in the Old Testament only as “the day after the Sabbath”). Because of its symbolism, it is clear that this is not just any Sunday, but the one that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Lastly, according to Jewish tradition, the crossing of the Red Sea (which, the New Testament explains, was a forerunner of baptism) took place at the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And, during the feast, it would also be helpful to read “The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Replacing Sin With the Bread of Life” from our booklet God’s Holy Day Plan.
| Festival instituted (including Night to Be Much Observed); Meaning of leaven; Festival kept in New Testament | Exodus 12:15-20; Exodus 12:37-42; Exodus 12:50-51; Exodus 13:3-10; Leviticus 23:4-8; Matthew 16:5-12; Luke 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 |
| Walk in obedience | John 14:1-31; John 15:1-17 |
| Put out sin and live in obedience to God | 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 2 Corinthians 6:11-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; Galatians 5:9; Galatians 5:16-26; Galatians 6:1-10 |
| Wave-sheaf offering; Christ the Firstfruit; Following His example of obedience | Leviticus 23:9-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 13:11-14; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 3:4-23 |
| Walking worthily | Ephesians 4:1-3; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:1-21; Ephesians 6:10-18 |
| Living according to the new life in Christ; Drawing near to God and resisting Satan | Philippians 2:12-16; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Titus 2:11-12; Titus 3:1-8; James 1:12-15; James 1:21-27; James 4:7-12 |
| Baptism symbolic | 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Romans 6:1-23 |
| Old self dead through baptism—live a life of overcoming | 1 Peter 1:13-25; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:11-12; 1 Peter 3:8-12; 1 Peter 3:18-22; 1 Peter 4:1-8; 1 Peter 5:8-11; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 2 Peter 3:17-18 |
