What’s the Take-Away of the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

The apostle Paul reminded Christians to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But when it’s all said and done, what do we take with us from this festival season?

After we got home from services on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread, my wife and I went for a walk in a nearby neighborhood. We talked about our thoughts on a variety of things and eventually discussed what our “take away” should be from this Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I thought about this as we walked, as I tend to think and process before I give an answer. As we walked along, noticing different trees blooming and birds’ nests that were new to the area, I started to think about the question again as well as the many comments I have heard about how these Days of Unleavened Bread went by so quickly. My conclusion was, “We don’t have a lot of time to put truth and sincerity into our lives.”

Sincerity and truth

Before and during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we focus on putting leavening, which represents sin, out of our lives and making sure it stays out. But how focused are we on bringing sincerity and truth into our lives?

Paul told us to keep the feast with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). The word sincerity in the Greek can also be translated “purity.” So, how committed are we to putting purity and truth into our hearts?

How do I put purity into my life? I can think of many ways I do not put evil or bad things into it, but the putting out of something bad doesn’t mean I’m putting in purity. We must seek out that which is pure. We must seek out that which is good and partake of those things.

So what is truth? All of us have a pretty good working definition of truth, don’t we? Truth is that which is true, not false. I thought it would be good to also see how truth is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I found something interesting: One definition of truth is sincerity in action. So, we are not only to partake of that which is pure, but also to put that purity into action.

Okay, so what is pure? Psalm 12:6 tells us that “the words of the LORD are pure.” So, purity in action would mean that we are to put the words of God into action. By doing this, we receive great blessings from God. Matthew 5:8 tells us that if we are pure in heart, then we shall see God. How awesome of a promise is that? If we put God’s words into action to the point where they become part of our heart (our attitude, character, motivation, etc.), then we are promised to actually see Him whom we know now by faith.

In 1 Timothy 1:5-7 we read, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”

The purity we are to put in is God’s Word—the Bible. With this purity in action, we can be sure to stay on the path God has called us to walk, not to tarry or become sidetracked. God has called us to serve, to constantly learn as a student and to gain the understanding that He has to offer.

Meditation and action

We bring sincerity and truth into our lives by meditation and action. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).

Read, study, meditate and pray about the Word that God has given us. Put it into action. Don’t just let it be an idea. Know that we are not solely striving for the absence of sin, but for the growth and transformation that comes by putting God’s Word into our hearts, minds and lives.

Taylor Tootle and his wife, Erin, attend the Cincinnati/Dayton, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.