“Why Unleavened Bread?”

Each Sunday is "the first day of  the week." It was upon the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:2); that Christians were in the custom of meeting together (1 Corinthians 16:1); that Christians met "to break  bread." Today, Christians desiring to follow the pattern of the New Testament meet upon Sunday and "break bread" (partake of the Lord's Supper) also.

The Lord's Supper, as instituted by Jesus before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:26-29), consisted of the eating of bread and the drinking of the fruit of the vine. The bread was unleavened—and in partaking the bread today, we use unleavened bread also. The question might be asked, "Why?"

1. Leaven is a corruption. Leaven is defined as "any agent added to a flour mixture or liquids to produce a state of fermentation." (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, Volume 3) When the Feast of Unleavened Bread  was instituted in Egypt, the circumstance surrounding it pointed to the consecration of the nation of Israel to God (Exodus 12:14-20). The people were not only to eat unleavened bread, for seven days, but also to cleanse their houses of any leaven at all. Further, the Passover meal was to include the meat of an unblemished lamb. These things undoubtedly point to the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover Feast: Jesus, the “Lamb of God” and “our Passover” (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7)

2. Leaven is most often seen in the New Testament as an example of bad influence. In keeping with the connotation that literal leaven corrupts, the Bible speaks of bad influence as “leaven”: Jesus spoke of the "leaven of the Pharisees" in speaking of their hypocritical teaching (Luke 12:1). Paul asked,  "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"—a corrupt person in a church will cause more corruption—(1 Corinthians 5:6).

 3. Jesus used unleavened bread in the institution of the Lord's Supper. When Jesus met with his disciples for the last time, he ate the Passover (which both commemorated the Exodus and looked forward to his death). In the same night, he instituted the feast that would be observed by the members of the then-to-come kingdom. His use of unleavened bread symbolized his unblemished, sinless  body that was sacrificed for us (Matthew 26:26). The fruit of the vine likewise represented his blood (Matthew 26:28). In partaking  weekly of  both of these elements, we declare and remember the death of Jesus “until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).  —Lance Cordle