The Unleavened Cross

Just over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ of Nazareth died a gruesome death on a cross to pay for the sin of the world (1 John 2:20). Before he passed on the cross, he exclaimed, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Here, he himself proclaims that he has paid the fine in full, and no further work needs to be done to receive salvation. This was prophesied many years ago as scholars concur there to be 200-400 messianic prophecies in the OT. Isaiah the prophet writes, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). 

The first two humans that God had created chose to go against God's commands and sin by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2 & 3). Ever since then, sin entered the world, and every human has been born into sin (Romans 5:12). Because God is good and just, he cannot ignore evil, and he must execute judgment to give meaning to right and wrong in this world. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), there needed to be a payment for the sins that we commit. Thus, Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for our sins.

As a result, the cross has become one of most--if not the most--dominant symbols this world has ever known. It is the chief symbol of the Christian faith, representing redemption, sacrifice, salvation, and divine love. Today, this meaning still stands for so many people across the globe, and it's used by our God as a mighty evangelistic tool. However, for others, the meaning of the symbol of the cross has been contaminated or even completely distorted.

Today, many people wear the cross on their neck, but they don't bear the cross in their life. Jesus tell us in Matthew 16:24, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Similarly, we see in 1 John 2:4-6, "Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." This verse speaks pretty well for itself; just as Jesus died, we must die to ourselves and live a life of righteousness. Unfortunately, many people claim the cross, but they live a life contrary to the life that Jesus lived. In doing so, they are knowingly or unknowingly preaching a different gospel as Paul warns about in Galatians 1. We are told, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like" (James 1:22-24). So, as we look in the mirror and see that cross on our chest, we must ask ourselves, "Are we living by the way of the cross?" Now we see, the symbol of the cross can be distorted and twisted. People fool themselves along with others. Perhaps we as Christians can fight this narrative by creating symbolic forms of biblical truths to engage and draw people toward the true realities in scripture.

Over the history of time, there have been a significant number of different cross designs that have become popular and administer great biblical influence upon our world. For instance, the Tau Cross is one of the oldest Christian cross designs that symbolizes salvation and repentance and is linked to God's command in Ezekiel 9:4 to mark the faithful ones with a "tau" mark; it is noticed by its T-shape. The anchor cross originated during the 1st century, and it was used as a discreet symbol during Roman persecution to remind believers of the salvation in Jesus as an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19). It is marked by its bottom having a ship anchor. Other historical crosses include the Staurogram, Canterbury cross, Maltese cross, cross Patonce, Celtic cross, cross Fleury, Latin cross, and many more.

In comes the "Unleavened" cross. This cross is designed with four equilateral wheat leave arm segments, an oval-shaped stem, and a concave hexagon. Unleavened bread is made with the primary ingredient of wheat flour, inspiring the wheat shaped arms of the cross. 

In the Bible, "unleavened" refers to bread made without yeast, symbolizing purity, sincerity, and truth. During the Exodus, God commanded the Israelites to eat unleavened bread, symbolizing their swift departure from Egypt (a land of slavery) and their diligence to follow the Lord (Exodus 12). Leaven, often representing sin or corruption, was to be removed entirely during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This festival was to be practiced by God's people annually for seven days. So, it was even practiced by Jesus Himself.

More than that, we learn from scripture that Jesus is the true unleavened bread. In John 6:35, Jesus says that He is the "bread of life", meaning He is the one who satisfies and gives eternal life. 

Then, the night before He was crucified, He broke bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, gave thanks, and said, "This is my body, given for you" (Luke 22:19). In doing this, He revealed that His sinless body was the fulfillment of what unleavened bread symbolized--pureness and holiness. Spiritually, being "unleavened" points to the life of Christ and the freedom we receive through Him.

It’s a life that is in full surrender to the Lord, walking in truth, righteousness, and devotion.

It’s a call to be set apart from this world and purified from the sin of our old self through the Holy Spirit. 

It’s an understanding of one’s identity in Jesus as 1 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us, “ye are unleavened.”