Feast of Unleavened Bread - Turning to God's Word

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion is described in an account from the Gospel According to Matthew. Much of the Christian focus around this feast is on the timing of the Passover, but from a Jewish point of view, the Passover is only a part of the larger eight-day feast. The Gospel According to Matthew 26:17 (NABRE) sets the timing: “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, ‘Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?’“

From this context alone, we can see that the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for more than one day and that the Passover is only a part of it. A number of different sources from the Torah describe this feast: the books of Leviticus 23:4–8, Exodus 13:4–10, Numbers 28:16–25, and Deuteronomy 16:2–8. (All links are to the NABRE.) The overall celebration lasts for an octave (eight days).

The first day of the celebration is the Passover. On the evening after the day of Passover (Jewish days end at sundown), the Passover feast is eaten. This next day is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and is observed as a mandatory sabbath day even when it doesn’t fall on a Saturday. This day and the next six are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the final day of this feast also is a mandatory sabbath.

Note that from a Jewish point of view, the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread takes much more time and has much more emphasis than the Passover does. Why do you think Christians have come to focus so heavily on the Passover during this time of year?

you also may like our free Lenten study of Jesus’ Passion (digital only)
Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is a five-lesson Catholic Bible study offering an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of the movie The Passion of the Christ. This revised study, which has been granted an imprimatur, contains all of the original material of the 2004 edition as well as many new features in an improved, reader-friendly format. Click on the book’s cover to view the introduction. Free digital lessons of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering are available on the website during Lent.

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