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As we enter together into this holy week and season of Passover, sure wish everyone could see how the final events of Jesus life coincide with an ancient, annual cycle of Jewish holidays.
In addition to fulfilling the mysterious predictions of prophets, Jesus showed how deeply his life was rooted in the annual celebrations of Israel.
It is well known that Jesus was crucified during the Jewish feast of Passover. But it is just as important to see how his Passover sacrifice gave richness of meaning to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). Together his dramatic fulfillment of these holidays showed how he was using the ancient history and hope of a “chosen people” to call men and women of all nations to himself.
Following the instructions of Moses given in Leviticus 23:
1. Passover was celebrated on the 14th of Nisan, followed immediately by
2. the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning on the 15th of Nisan and lasting for seven days.
The 3rd Feast of First Fruits, according to Moses, was then to occur on “the day after the Sabbath” (23:11). Because the first and last days of Unleavened bread were “Sabbaths” in addition to the weekly 7th day rest, there has been a difference of opinion about when the third feast was to be celebrated.
But according to authors Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in”The Feasts of the Lord”, “The majority opinion, held by the Pharisees” was supported by the first century Jewish historian Josephus who wrote, “On the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth” (Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.5).
This would mean that,
3. Firstfruits was celebrated on the 16th of Nisan…to be
Followed exactly 50 days later by the
4. Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
So:
As our Passover sacrifice who put away our sin for us, Jesus died on the 14th, and was in the grave on the 15th (burying forever the sins of those who trust him)– the first day of Unleavened Bread (1Cor 5:7-8).
His resurrection coincided with the Feast on the 16th that made him the first fruits (an agricultural picture) of all who will be resurrected to everlasting life. (1Cor 15:20-24).
Exactly 50 days later, as determined by the Jewish “counting of the omer” (Lev 23:15-16), he sent the promise of his Spirit during the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, Acts 2:1).
At this point several months pass separating the four Spring Feasts from the three Fall feasts at the other end of the calendar during the seventh month of Tishri (September-October):
5. Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) on the 1st of Tishri
6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) on the 10th of Tishri
7. Tabernacles (Sukkot) on the 15th of Tishri
These 3 remaining feasts seem to be related to a season of fulfillment at some time in the future. If the remaining three feasts follow the pattern of the first four, they anticipate the Messiah’s return to call a repentant nation of Israel to himself, to forgive their personal and national sins, and to fulfill God’s promise to live among his people.
Seems to me that the fulfillment of patterns like this combine with the mysterious prophecies that predicted Messiah’s death (i.e Isa 53; Dan 9:26) to give us a compelling and convincing statement that the Passover Lamb was all that Jesus claimed to be– and far more.
How does it hit you? Do you find it as significant as I do that these feasts are so closely and specifically connected to one another… and to the inexpressible sacrifice of Jesus?
Note: Am going to use Twitter (see in column on the right) to add short BTA updates and other short related info…
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