When considering what kind of bread to use for celebrating the Lord's Supper -- unleavened or leavened -- it really should be a "no brainer".
Those of us who are followers of Jesus are not Old Covenant Israelites, and we shouldn't be pining after the law rituals that God commanded Israelites to practice until their fulfillment (i.e. sacrifical, dietary, clothing, and feast day laws), nor should we follow the traditions that Jewish people organized later on after being "spit out of the land" (Deut 8:19-20, 28:15-68; Lev 26.14-33) with the destruction of the Temple and Jersualem in 70 AD (e.g. Seder dinners).
Those Mosaic law ceremonial practices were types and shadows pointing to Messiah, and now that they have been fulfilled, they are in the trash can of history (Hebrews 8.13). Several examples are the observance during Passover to eat unleavened bread, the manna during the exodus, the weekly replacement of the bread of the Presence in the Temple, and the grain offerings (Leviticus 24.5-9; 6.14-17). All those examples were intentionally DEAD bread (no leaven and no sustaining, lasting life John 6.49, 58b). It was deliberately created by Yahweh as a type (or shadow) pointing to the antitype (or fulfilled reality) which was Jesus of Nazareth who gave real, everlasting life as THE Bread of LIFE (John 6.32-35, 48).
Those of us who are followers of Jesus are not Old Covenant Israelites, and we shouldn't be pining after the law rituals that God commanded Israelites to practice until their fulfillment (i.e. sacrifical, dietary, clothing, and feast day laws), nor should we follow the traditions that Jewish people organized later on after being "spit out of the land" (Deut 8:19-20, 28:15-68; Lev 26.14-33) with the destruction of the Temple and Jersualem in 70 AD (e.g. Seder dinners).Those Mosaic law ceremonial practices were types and shadows pointing to Messiah, and now that they have been fulfilled, they are in the trash can of history (Hebrews 8.13). Several examples are the observance during Passover to eat unleavened bread, the manna during the exodus, the weekly replacement of the bread of the Presence in the Temple, and the grain offerings (Leviticus 24.5-9; 6.14-17). All those examples were intentionally DEAD bread (no leaven and no sustaining, lasting life John 6.49, 58b). It was deliberately created by Yahweh as a type (or shadow) pointing to the antitype (or fulfilled reality) which was Jesus of Nazareth who gave real, everlasting life as THE Bread of LIFE (John 6.32-35, 48).
So, being on this side of the Resurrection, and with likely around 23 Bibles laying in all corners of our houses, I believe we all have enough sanctified knowledge to understand that as we celebrate during our times of Communion the the memorial of our living Messiah-king who died -- and rose to life -- on our behalf, we certainly should not be using the symbol of unleavened bread and acting as though the living Bread of LIFE is still dead and has not come! Rather, we joyfully celebrate that the true Leaven has come, and fulfilled the shadows and types. And one of those fulfilled is that there is no more "dead bread".
That being the case, next time the communion bread is passed to you I encourage you to cheerfully and willingly tear off a big, fat chunk of leavened bread, and relax while you revel in the life giving sabbath rest that Yeshua, the Bread of Life, has accomplished and given to you and all His chosen Congregation!
(Repost from 12/14/14)
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