12 – What Is A New Lump? – A Demonstration
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”. 1 Corinthians 5:7 ESV As there is an “old leaven”, is there a “new leaven”? What is a “new lump”? Understanding the actual properties of leaven can help us to better understand its meaning in our lives.
Building on Previous Leaven Messages
Leaven is an important topic in The Bible, especially as it pertains to the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost.
Because of this, we’ve already gone over a few articles and messages on yeast:
- What Is Sourdough Bread?
And others. But it may be helpful to review the above messages for a proper context and to help build connections to the current message.
We have barely scratched the surface of the meaning of leaven and how it applies to our lives.
A Way God Reveals Himself
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Romans 1:18-20 NKJV
God Gives Us Details
And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. Exodus 25:8-9 ESV
And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain. Exodus 25:40 ESV
God’s Purpose For The Ceremonial System
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy [token, model] and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. Hebrews 8:1-7 ESV
Earthly and The Heavenly
Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Read the entire context in John 3:1-12
Connections Between The Higher (Spiritual) and The Lower (Physical)
- Tabernacle
- Ceremonial Feast System
- Parables
- Miracles
- And more – much more
From Old Leaven to New Lump
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
Notice: we are to specifically cleanse out the old leaven. What does it mean to be a new lump?
Characteristics of Leaven?
We are very familiar with leavened breads: their yeasty flavor, pleasant softness, and appealing aroma. Many of us consume them daily. And they are especially delicious fresh from the oven.
Yet, due to our modern convenience society, we do not have the experience of actually making the bread we eat, especially sourdough bread.
When The Bible speaks of leaven, it is referring to sourdough and it’s finished product: leavened bread.
What are some of the qualities of yeast that can help us understand why God chose it as a symbol for knowledge (doctrine, teaching, example, ideas, influence, a system, a WAY)? Specifically, we will be focusing on a “new lump”.
Leaven as Sourdough
Sourdough (leavened bread) was a staple food for the ancient Israelites and many other cultures, and even in modern times. Bread was often baked daily.
But did the ancient Israelites buy yeast packets from Walmart?
Their leavened bread was based entirely upon sourdough.
Again, the What Is Sourdough Bread? article can be very helpful. But we will go over some of the key highlights that are important to understand sourdough in the current context.
Baking Sourdough Bread
Every Israelite household would have a “mother” lump of sourdough that would contain yeast.
To bake a new loaf of bread, a portion (starter) of the mother sourdough (containing yeast) would be taken and kneaded into the dough for the loaf of baked bread.
It could then be baked immediately to produce a leavened loaf, but would often be left to set overnight to allow the yeast and bacteria to more fully develop within the loaf. This would create a lighter and more flavorful loaf.
More flour and water would be added to the sourdough mother to “feed” and maintain it.
Why a “New Lump”
And where did the original “mother” lump of sourdough come from in the first place?
Would situations arise when the sourdough mother would become unusable or less preferable to another?
Origin of The Yeasty Mother Lump
- Various strains of yeast exists in the air all around us – it is EVERYWHERE
- The quality of the strains and ratios of yeast in the air depend largely upon environment (temperature, moisture, location)
- Along with the yeast in the air are various bacteria – some good and healthy, some bad
- The good bacteria are various strains of Lactobacillus
- It is the lactic acid produced by lactobacillus that gives sourdough bread its “sour” flavor
Origin of the Mother Lump
- The first mother lump is created very simply
- A lump of dough is made from a simple mixture of flour and water (and maybe a little salt)
- Because the yeast and lactobacillus that exist in the flour and air are LIVING organisms, they begin to eat the flour
- As they quickly consume their food (the flour), they must be fed daily to keep the mother lump alive
- The yeast can multiply much more quickly than the lactobacillus
- It takes about two weeks for a new lump to fully develop that tangy aroma and flavor But the leavening process, as we will see, happens quite rapidly
Why Desire a New Lump?
- Sometimes the quality of bread from a neighbor’s mother lump would be superior
- Sometimes the flour used to feed the lump would become contaminated with the wrong food, which would attract and feed bad yeast and bacteria, spoiling the entire lump
- The healthy yeast and lactobacillus actually create an environment that keep the bad yeast and bacteria from infecting the entire lump
- If the maintainer of the mother lump is lazy or too busy to feed the lump, it would “collapse”, as the yeast and lactobacillus would die of starvation – allowing bad yeast and bacteria to colonize
Practical Demonstration of a New Lump
We start with simply making dough from flour (with NO leaven) and water.
Fresh New Lump
New Lump – 24 Hours
New Lump – 48 Hours
New Lump Comparisons
A New Lump Develops New Yeast
As this demonstration shows, a “new lump” develops new yeast, but it will be different than the “old leaven”.
At the end of the day of Christ’ resurrection:
When he [Christ] was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Luke 24:30-31 ESV
The bread Christ gave to His disciples was LEAVENED (ἄρτος: artos), NOT unleavened (ἄζυμος: azymos).
A Proper Role for Leaven
With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. Leviticus 7:13-14 ESV
You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. Leviticus 23:15-17 ESV
See also Amos 4:5
Another Name for Feast of Weeks/Pentecost
The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks overlap.
The Firstfruits are LEAVENED.
By demonstration, we can see that another name for The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost is The Feast of LEAVENED Bread.
Review
- God demonstrates what He is showing us through physical “shadows”.
- The characteristics of sourdough help to reveal the PROCESS we must go through as individual Christians.
- Throwing out the old leaven shows us the initial process that we are to eliminate every concept, idea, belief about God. As we will see later, it is God that initiates this process. Not us.
- There is NO DISCERNMENT – it is complete, total. It is the death of the old self.
- Only then can we become a “new lump” to receive the true understanding that God gives us through Jesus Christ.
- To become a “new man”, resurrected in Christ.
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