DAY 1: PREPARING FOR THE PASSOVER LAMB
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” -1 Corinthians 5:7
Test of Day 1
During the Passover Seder there is a portion where we “Prepare for Passover” which is called “Bedikat Chametz” (Checking for Leaven). Before Passover can be celebrated, each person must clean out their entire house and rid it of leaven. There can be no leaven remaining in the house when Passover begins. Even to this day, any leaven that is found is taken outside and burned.
Today, Christians around the world observe Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. This is a day of mourning as we begin to set our focus and gaze on the Messiah who “turned his face towards Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). It’s a somber day that reflects what many describe in the Hebrew Bible as “weeping in sackcloth and ashes.” It’s a forty (really 46) day period of intense preparation for the cross and ultimate resurrection of our Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is calling out the boasting of the people within the church who are obviously living out sinful ways while still claiming to follow Jesus. He rebukes them for boasting and says, “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
As we set our gaze towards the cross over these next several weeks, we need to first ask ourselves:
“What sin (leaven) exists in my life that is holding me back from a deeper relationship with Jesus?” Lent shouldn’t just be a time of fasting but a time of deep reflection and “leaven burning” that roots out those sinful and ugly parts of our lives that are holding us back from who God created us to be.
Action: Spend time meditating or practicing Lectio Divina on 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. Take time to ask Jesus what sin exists in your life or what is holding you back – just like you do before communion. In your own journal or below, write down your responses.
