Questions and Answers About the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Have you ever heard of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day festival observed in the spring (in the northern hemisphere). If you’ve read the Bible, you may recognize it—it appears 13 times in the New King James Version.

Though often overshadowed by Passover, this festival also carries deep spiritual significance and plays a vital role in God’s plan of salvation, which is revealed through His seven festivals.

In this blog post, we’ll answer seven frequently asked questions about the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Question 1: What is the origin of the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 12. 

After God commanded the Israelites to smear lamb’s blood on their doorposts as a sign of His protection from the 10th plague on Egypt, He instructed them to observe this seven-day festival:

“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15). 

In verse 17, God identified this seven-day festival as “the Feast of Unleavened Bread.”

Question 2: Was the Feast of Unleavened Bread just a one-time observance?

No, God commanded it to be observed annually. 

After instructing the Israelites to observe this seven-day festival, God commanded: “Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:17, emphasis added throughout). 

Later, when God used Moses to preserve His law, He included the Feast of Unleavened Bread as one of the annual feasts the Israelites were to perpetually observe (Leviticus 23:5-8). 

This set of seven feasts, or festivals, are labeled “the feasts of the LORD” four times in this chapter (verses 2, 4, 37 and 44). 

These feasts, including the Feast of Unleavened Bread, are not merely the feasts of Israel or the Jews—God clearly identifies them as His feasts. 

Question 3: When does the Feast of Unleavened Bread occur?

Leviticus 23 clearly identifies the month and days on which the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be celebrated.

Leviticus 23:6 reads: “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of Nisan and ends on the 21st day. The “same month” is identified in the preceding verse as “the first month” (verse 5). Of course, this was written long before the current Gregorian calendar was invented, so the “first month” is not a reference to January.

Thankfully, the Jewish people have preserved the timing for us. The first month on the Jewish calendar is Nisan (also called Abib) and corresponds to late March or April on the Gregorian calendar. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of Nisan and ends on the 21st day. In 2025, the first day of Nisan occurs on March 30. This means that the 15th day would correspond to April 13. 

Therefore, in 2025, the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurs from April 13-19. 

(According to biblical timekeeping, days begin at sunset, so the Feast of Unleavened Bread technically begins at sunset on April 12. Exodus 12:18—which gives the dates for Unleavened Bread—is one of the clearest biblical references that demonstrates this.)

To learn more about the Hebrew calendar and how the festivals are calculated, read “Festival Calendar: Which Calendar Should We Use?” 

Question 4: Are Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread two distinct festivals?

Yes, the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread are two separate festivals. 

Leviticus 23:5 clearly states that the “LORD’s Passover” occurs on the “fourteenth day of the first month.” The following verse shows that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on “the fifteenth day” (verse 6). 

In the Old Testament, the Passover symbolized God sparing the Israelites from the 10th plague on Egypt because of the lamb’s blood on their doorposts. The Feast of Unleavened Bread represented the Israelites’ swift departure from Egypt after being freed from Pharaoh’s oppression.

Because these festivals occur back-to-back, people in biblical times often referred to them interchangeably. According to The Complete Word Study Old Testament, “the Passover feast was celebrated on one night. The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed for the next seven days. In time, both days were referred to as either ‘the Passover’ or the ‘Days of Unleavened Bread’” (p. 2334). 

An example of this is found in Luke 22:1, which says: “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.”

This usage was simply a matter of convenience in speech. A modern parallel would be how we commonly refer to both Saturday and Sunday as “the weekend.” Technically, Saturday is the last day of the week, while Sunday is the first day of the new week. But for simplicity and ease of speech, both are grouped together under one term, the weekend.

Question 5: What is unleavened bread?

The Hebrew word translated “unleavened bread” in English Bibles is maṣṣâ. The word means “an unfermented cake or loaf” (Strong’s). (The modern Jewish word for unleavened bread, matzo, comes from this ancient Hebrew word maṣṣâ.)

The Complete Word Study Old Testament describes it this way: “Specifically, it is an unfermented loaf. Yeast was normally used to make the bread rise during baking, but Israelites left Egypt so suddenly that they had no time to make their bread in the normal way” (p. 2334).

Leaven refers to any substance that causes dough to rise by producing gas, either through fermentation or through a chemical reaction. Leaven refers to any substance that causes dough to rise by producing gas, either through fermentation or through a chemical reaction. 

The most common leavening agents are yeast, baking powder, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and sourdough starter. Yeast and sourdough starters cause bread to rise through fermentation, while baking soda causes dough to rise due to a chemical reaction. 

Without a leavening agent, bread typically turns out flat, dense and firmer than normal leavened bread. While certain ingredients can enhance its texture and taste, unleavened bread is generally less airy than traditional leavened bread.

More information on leavening and unleavened bread can be found here: “What Is Leaven and What Does It Picture?” and “What Is Considered Leavening?” 

Question 6: What does unleavened bread symbolize? 

God first commanded the Israelites to prepare and eat unleavened bread when they were leaving Egypt. Because they left quickly, there wasn’t enough time for the leavening process to work and the bread dough to rise. 

Deuteronomy 16:3-4 reads: “You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days.”

For seven days, the Israelites ate unleavened bread to remember their years of affliction under Egyptian slavery and how God miraculously freed them, leading to their swift departure from Egypt.

Jesus introduced this new symbolism when He warned, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). 

Confused, the disciples assumed He was talking about literal bread baked by these groups (verse 7). However, Jesus clarified that leaven was an analogy of their sinful teachings (verse 12). He also used leaven to describe their sinful hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).

Jesus warned that just as a small amount of leaven infiltrates dough, causing it to expand and spread, sin may start out small but gradually grows, leading to greater sin and deeper character issues.

Paul later used this same analogy to show that sin, allowed to enter a life unchecked, will quickly spiritually leaven the entire character of a person or a group: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9).    

In the context of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, Paul focused the Corinthians’ attention on this powerful symbolism: 

“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

Not only are these scriptures direct evidence that the New Testament Church (composed of both Jews and gentiles) observed the annual festivals of God, it also shows the powerful spiritual symbolism of unleavened bread. 

During this seven-day festival, leavened bread represents sin and error, while unleavened bread represents a life based on God’s righteousness and truth. 

When Christians observe this festival, they sharply focus on two key themes: the need to purge sin from their lives and the even greater need to cultivate God’s righteousness.

Though Christians particularly focus on this analogy during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the analogy—sin out, righteousness in—should guide how they live every day of the year. 

Question 7: How does one observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread? 

Here are three major aspects of observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread today:

1. Attend the commanded assemblies. 

Though the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts seven days, only two of those days are holy days, or commanded assemblies. Leviticus 23 shows that “the first day you shall have a holy convocation, you shall do no customary work on it” (verse 7) and “the seventh day shall be a holy convocation, you shall do no customary work on it” (verse 8). 

In 2025, the first day of Unleavened Bread falls on April 13 and the seventh day falls on April 19.

On these two days, the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, holds church services in its congregations around the world. 

2. Remove all leaven from your dwellings and diet. 

During the seven days, Christians not only avoid eating leavened products, but also remove those products from their dwellings.

Notice Exodus 12:19: “For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.” 

These instructions were reiterated in verse 20: “You shall eat nothing leavened.” 

When we understand that leaven symbolizes sin during this period of time, these instructions become even more meaningful to us than they would have been to the ancient Israelites. 

Christians remove all leaven from their lives as a graphic reminder of the necessity of actively avoiding and fleeing from sin in their lives (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 12:1). This includes all the areas they have direct control over—including homes, vehicles and work spaces. 

Christians not only dispose of all leavening products in their kitchens, but also do a thorough cleaning to remove as much trace of leaven from their homes as possible. This reminds them of the need to overcome large and obvious sins, as well as searching out seemingly small and hidden sins. 

Since removing leaven is more complicated today than it was in ancient times, many Christians begin the process a few weeks in advance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

As they closely examine their dwellings for physical leaven, they also spiritually examine their lives for spiritual leaven (1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5). 

3. Eat unleavened bread.

Physically removing leaven from their diet and dwelling is a powerful exercise, but it’s not complete without the other diet modification God requires: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15; see also Exodus 13:7). 

In tandem with avoiding leavened products, Christians instead eat unleavened bread throughout the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Eating unleavened bread reminds us that God’s righteousness must be actively developed within a Christian’s life.  This reminds us that sin must be searched out and removed—but also that God’s righteousness must be actively developed within a Christian’s life. 

This two-part process is summed up in Paul’s words to Timothy: “Flee these things [leavened bread] and pursue righteousness [unleavened bread]” (1 Timothy 6:11). 

Thankfully, unleavened bread is easy to bake or available to buy in many countries. In areas with Jewish communities, matzos can often be found in local grocery stores and are also available from online retailers like Amazon and Walmart. But always check the ingredients on the package.

If matzos are unavailable, other unleavened cracker-style breads, such as crispbread, may serve as a substitute. (Again, be sure to check the list of ingredients to make sure it does not have leavening.) 

In regions where matzos are difficult to find, the basic ingredients for homemade unleavened bread—typically flour and water—are usually accessible. A quick Google search for “unleavened bread recipes” will provide plenty of options.

If you are someone who doesn’t find the taste of matzos appealing, there are many modifications and toppings that can be added to unleavened bread to improve the taste and make them quite enjoyable to eat. 

Finding more answers about the Feast of Unleavened Bread

If the Feast of Unleavened Bread is new to you, you may desire to learn more. Thankfully, we have many more resources available on this topic. 

We encourage you not only to study this festival but also to explore all of God’s festivals. These seven festivals reveal His plan of salvation, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is just one part of that plan. To fully understand its meaning, it must be viewed in the context of God’s other festivals.

Below this blog post, you’ll find links to resources that will help you learn more about the Feast of Unleavened Bread and its significance.

Photo credits:
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Date Posted: February 21, 2025