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The Feast of Unleavened Bread vs. Passover: What’s the Difference?

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Are Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread the same thing?  Although many think they are, they’re described as two separate Feasts in the Bible.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread follows right after Passover, though the two events overlap, as I’ll explain below. 

Both Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are meaningful celebrations for Christians as we explore our Hebrew roots and grow in our faith.  Our Savior and what he’s done for us can be clearly symbolized through both of these Feasts, and if they’re not yet traditions in your home, I highly recommend you consider adopting them!  They give such vivid pictures of who Jesus is and why we need him! 

Passover

While often referred to as such, Passover isn’t a week or even a day, but a meal held on the 14th day of the month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar.  This corresponds to a date in March or April on our Gregorian calendar.

Although the original command can’t be kept since it includes the sacrifice of the Passover lamb at the Temple, an annual celebration allows us to remember what God did for His people in Egypt.    

The meal for Passover, called a Seder, isn’t merely to nourish those who partake, but to serve as a memorial to what God did for His people in the Exodus from Egypt.  It’s to be eaten on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, at twilight.  It’s important to note here that days on the Hebrew calendar start at twilight the night before. 

The Passover lamb in Egypt foreshadows Jesus, our Passover Lamb, and this is clearly shown during the Seder.  Just as the blood of the Passover Lamb rescued the Hebrew people from slavery, it’s the blood of Jesus that saves us from the slavery of our sin as well.

Unleavened Bread

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is to start on the 15th day of Nisan, the same month as Passover, at twilight.  This is a 7-day feast, and the first and last days are to be Sabbaths.  These Sabbaths differ from the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) and may occur on any day of the week.  Which day of the week they’re on changes from year to year, but no matter what day they occur on, the same rules apply as for the weekly Sabbath – rest and keeping the day holy. 

The command for this feast says to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to remove all leaven from your homes before the feast begins (this is the period where the Feast of Unleavened Bread overlaps Passover).  In our home, we get rid of anything leavened as well as any leavening agents.  For the rest of the 7-day period, all meals and snacks don’t contain any leavening agents or leavened products.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread gives those who participate in it such a great picture of the sin in our lives!  The Bible often uses “yeast” or “leaven” to signify sin.  In the process of cleaning it out of our homes, we realize very quickly how difficult it is to find and remove it all.  There are crumbs in the corners of our pantries and even under our refrigerators.  In a house like mine, with seven people, is it even possible to get it all?

But this is the part of this feast that points us right to Jesus.  When we see how difficult it is to get all the leaven out of our homes, we realize just how difficult it is to get the sin out of our lives.  It’s easy to find the obvious loaves of bread in the pantry but you have to really hunt for the Cheerios between the couch cushions (those of you who have toddlers understand.  The rest of you stay with me on this).  In the same way, it’s easier to get the big, obvious sins out of our lives, but more difficult to get the hidden, seemingly small ones out before they fester. 

Even though we can’t get all of the sin out of our lives, we have Jesus to cover them all.  Though we should still strive to live in a way that pleases God, if we believe in Jesus as our Savior, he even forgives the sins we’d rather leave in the dark places under the fridge.  Even if the “home” of our life is sparkling clean, chances are that there’s some leaven hiding somewhere. 

This is why we need Jesus!  He’s the only one capable of perfectly cleaning the “homes” of our lives, which allows us to have a relationship with a holy God.  What a wonderful picture!


Just like all of the Seven Biblical Feast Days, Passover and Unleavened Bread both point to our Savior in different but clear ways.  My family’s faith has grown so much since we included these important days or “Appointed Times” in the Bible.  If they aren’t yet traditions in your home, I encourage you to include them, and I’m sure you’ll be glad you did!



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