Spring Feast

The First of the Seven Feast are in the Springtime and sometimes fall in early summer. The timing of the feast is based on the Hebrew calendar. Before studying the Jewishness of our faith, I was often confused as to why Passover and Easter did not fall on the same day or why it was different from year to year. I have come to understand that is because we follow the Gregorian calendar that was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory hence the name Gregorian. The Jewish people still go by the Hebrew calendar that dates to creation. The more you immerse yourself into ALL of God’s word, the more evident it becomes that scripture and history are intertwined.

The Spring Feast: Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost, reflect Gods work in the past and directly coincide with the first coming of Jesus our Jewish Messiah. These Jewish holidays are more than religious festivals they reflect God’s heart. They remind us of what he will do by helping us remember what he has already done. Remembrance is woven so deeply into the fabric of Judaism—designed both to remind the Jewish people of their covenant responsibilities and to call God to remember His covenant promises. We will see that each of these feasts were divine appointments set by God to meet with us and call us to remembrance.

Jesus died on Passover, he arose on Firstfruits and the Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost.
Passover and the festival of unleavened bread is more widely known in the Christian community. This festival centers around the children of Israels redemption from slavery and exodus from Egypt. In Leviticus 23:4-8 God tells Moses it is to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month in the Hebrew calendar Nissan which falls somewhere between late March and early April on the Gregorian calendar. Jesus died on Passover as our Passover Lamb and great redeemer.

Next is Firstfruits where the Israelites were to celebrate the harvest after entering the land that God had given them. They were to celebrate and bring the Firstfruits of the harvest from the field to the temple. The focus of this holiday is resurrection. Leviticus 23:9-14 says that this is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. Jesus fulfilled the promise of this holiday in his resurrection. How fitting that thousands of years later, on this very festival Jesus would be brought back from the dead.

There is a 49-day period between Firstfruits and the last of the spring holidays Pentecost. This time is significant to both the Jews and to us as Christians. The festival of weeks or counting of the Omer is a countdown from the sabbath of the grain offering of first fruits to Pentecost. This festival celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. During this same time of counting seven full weeks (Leviticus 23: 15-22) that is 49 days on the 50th day Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples in Jerusalem on Pentecost. God chose the very same day to give us the Word and the Spirit, how awesome is that!!!!

There is so much imbedded in each of these festivals that calls us to remember all that God our heavenly father has done for us. We remember how God redeemed Israel from Egypt—and in doing so, we remember how Jesus redeemed us from our own Egypt: our sin. Through Firstfruits we remember his resurrection and look forward to the future coming harvest of believers at the end of the age by counting the days to Pentecost when we remember his time on earth and the giving of his Word and Holy Spirit! How awesome is our God that he is the same today as he was yesterday and forever will be. His promises never change and his faithfulness endures for generations!!