Preparing for Passover this year, is taking on additional meaning for me. I always have this sense of importance about Passover, and this year is no different, except there is a much greater sense of purpose.

1 Cor 5:6 Your glorying [is] not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.

I was having a conversation recently with a sister in Messiah, who was lamenting the lack of true holiness within the called out assembly. And I was making the point that there is no way to judge the hidden leavening that surrounds us.

This Passover season, I'm reminded to keep watch over those in my charge, my family and my congregation, as small as it is. The passage is clear that it is talking about the feast of Unleavened Bread, and that the instruction Paul is giving is part of the instruction for the Passover Meal.

But the greater context of the passage is that of who is being invited (or not, as the case may be), to the Feast; who we associate with.

1 Cor 5:1 It is reported commonly [that there is] fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

1 Cor 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

Paul's instruction is clear here, that there was well known sin within the congregation, and here he is addressing it as clearly as he possibly can. "Do Not Associate" with fornicators. This cause is still going on in today's church, where "freedom in Christ" is a license to fornicate. How many of you know of people who go to church, who are "living together" and not married? How many pastors look the other way?

Passover is a family event, not one of the whole congregation. This is the picture given Exodus as Israelites prepared for the judgment that would free them.

Exd 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:

Exd 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

In the past, I've attended and participated in larger Passover events. And these have served their purpose. But this year, I'm feeling something different. This year, I'm getting a huge sense that this year is a year of decision for families. The men of the house will have to step up and be the MEN that YHVH would have us be. This will include making decisions as to who can participate in the feast with their family. And just as importantly, those who are not going to be invited.

Paul's instruction is one of removing the "leavening" which needs to be done without malice and wickedness, but rather with sincerity and truth. People within the congregation who know (or should know) the scriptures and Paul's instruction have no excuse for their continuing "with leaven".

This brings me to the Hebrew word of leaven, "seor" (shin, aleph, rosh). Seor means "sour", as in "sour dough". The Hebrew word for unleavened is Matzah (mem, tzade, hey), which has a connotation of "sweetness" with it. Now go back an read 1 Cor 5 again, with this added insight.

Passover is supposed to be a bittersweet Holy Day. While there are parts of the Passover Seder which can be unpleasant, especially for the younger children. I can recall my children when they were younger crying when they had to eat the maror bitter herbs, and the joy when they ate the haroset (sweet honey apple mixture).

The conclusion I have this year, is that we have to take some of the bitter herbs so that we can truly enjoy the sweetness that YHVH would want for us. This means that the men need to be men, and take a role in removing the leavening before Passover.

Each of the Holy Days that YHVH has set before us present an opportunity to learn valuable lessons. These lessons are hard, but they are much harder if we choose to ignore them.