The Spring Feasts
Building Blocks Bible Study Week 9
Different Calendars-
A liturgical calendar consists of seasonal cycles and sanctoral cycles that are meant to draw believers together in the celebration, preparation, and remembrance of key Biblical timelines.
You see this is the Catholic verse Eastern Orthodox celebrations of Easter, as one uses the Julian Calendar, and one uses the modern Gregorian calendar.
This also constitutes a more linear timeline verses what is traditionally a cyclical timeline in Judaism. For the sake of argument and discussion, there are many different liturgical calendars in both offshoots of the Jewish calendars, and the Christian calendars.
Jesus had the ability to take issue with the calendars and Jewish oversight of such influence or decision making throughout the Gospels and yet all indications point that Jesus was following whatever calendar was established by the leadership at that time. This would at least imply Jesus’ submission to their authority, or at the very least His lack of caring the specifics of what days where being chosen.
The modern Hillel 2 calendar was the last established calendar in 359 AD/CE by the Sanhedrin as the best attempt to unify al the Jews in the celebration of the same Sabbaths, Feast gatherings, New Moon gatherings and keep them unified. This was due to Constantius outlawing the ability for the Jewish leadership to declare the new moon every month from Jerusalem.
I personally cannot find any place where God gives authority to man to establish, preach, or implement a new calendar. I could be wrong on this, and I reserve the right to be so. The priests declared the New Moon, the priests declared from the Temple Mount. While I disagree with a lot of Judaism, the fruit I have seen of us claiming the principles and precepts that we can do this on our own, has led to multiple calendars, division, and contention with all believers not just Jews.
The liturgical calendar is important when talking about Hebrew Feasts. They do not operate off a worldly, Roman, or Greek minded calendar, but the agricultural one of God.
The Sabbath-
The Sabbath sets the foundation for the cycles and the counting weekly leading into the Spring Feasts. All the Feasts are rooted in an agricultural cycle that foreshadows what God with do with humanity it planting them, feeding them, attempting to help them grow, and then harvesting them to continue the cycle.
The Spring Feasts-
“Pesach” or Passover- Leviticus 23:5 tells us Passover begins at the twilight on the 14th day of the Lunar Month known as Nisan. This would fall annually around March or April on our modern calendar.
Passover the memorialization of the Hebrew people being led out of Egypt and saved from the Egyptians. It is also a Feast about new life. The Hebrews in the Passover where crossed over into new life. We then see this throughout Jesus’ memorialization of the Passover in the New Testament. It is also where through the Greater Exodus spoken of in the Prophets, Jesus gives new life in the institution of the New Covenant using the elements from Passover.
Does it matter what day I memorialize the Passover? To a certain extent no. There are provisions throughout the Torah (Hezekiah being one) where the celebration of the Passover is to be moved based upon certain circumstances. This at least implies that while we know the rough day/hour to memorialize it isn’t so concrete that God doesn’t already implement grace measures.
Paul increases the importance of Messiah over the day/hour, early traditions. When he says:
“For as often as you eat this bread and rink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:26
“Chag HaMatzot” or Unleavened Bread- Leviticus 23:6 tells us that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the evening after Passover on the 15th day of Nisan, or March/April on the modern calendar.
Most of Modern Judaism connects Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread into one Feast and call all eight days, the day of Passover plus the seven of Unleavened Bread, Passover.
There are debates on whether the Passover falls at the beginning of the 14th or the end right before sundown. Remember, the Hebrew calendar and day/night structure start at sundown. Our day starts in the middle of the night. A 24-hour period. The Hebrew day started at the sundown. This can make things confusing but again God doesn’t consider you more holy or righteous because you kept everything perfectly. Just for example, even the modern Pharisee’s who celebrate the Feasts don’t travel to Jerusalem, they don’t present offerings at the Temple, they aren’t keeping the commandment in accordance with the Mosaic Covenant.
During this Feast you are not to eat any food with leavening in them. Some people have a list of 70 leavening agents, and they take it to the extreme. I personally do not do that anymore. I don’t believe that is what God was asking. However, you should search that out for your family and do what you believe is right. I have done it so many ways over the years. Paul tells us either way I don’t get to judge you or attempt to correct you in your interpretation.
Jesus was without sin, and while he would have celebrated this Feast in physical practice, He also was the only Human being to walk the earth with the testimony of being with leaven in his life.
“Bikkurim” or First Fruits- Leviticus 23:11 tells us of the Feast that is known as the Feast of First Fruits and occurs the day after the weekly Sabbath following Unleavened Bread. It is a celebration of the first offerings of the harvest of the land. It is a celebratory time to remember and thank God for His gifts of the harvest. This day is not considered a Sabbath. It also gets overlooked by many in modern Judaism and many modern Messianic believers.
Paul tells us:
“But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:23
So as much as we celebrate for the physical rewards of our labor annually, we also must memorialize that Jesus was the First Fruits of the dead and offered to God the Father as the first reward of salvation.
First Fruits remembers and reminds us of a new beginning, and in Christ we have a new life, a new promise, and a hope of future promises that won’t require the same toil, labor, and struggle of this lfie.
There are some debates on how First Fruits falls. Some will say the day after the Sabbath in Leviticus is referencing the special Sabbath that starts Unleavened Bread. I personally don’t subscribe to that is what the text is stating. I believe it is referencing the weekly Sabbath. Although this is debated topic. Either way, we honor God with our First Fruits offering physically, and spiritually by acknowledging what Jesus has done on our behalf.
“Shavuot” or Pentecost- Leviticus 23: 15-22 tells us about the Feast of Shavuot. It occurs on the 6rh day of the Jewish month Sivan which traditionally falls in May or June of the modern calendar.
Shavuot is the memorialization of the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai and the birth of the nation of Israel with its constitution. In the New Testament the Feast of Shavuot is known as Pentecost.
Shavuot/Pentecost is seven sets of seven weeks plus one day. This remembers the creation of the world, and the 7th day rest of the Sabbath. Shavuot/Pentecost is 50 days after the day of First Fruits.
In the book of Acts the Apostle Luke tells us of the Gift of the Holy Spirit falling on all who were celebrating Shavuot in the Temple. Thus, reminding us of the importance of the truth of the word of God through its history, a cultural context, and the power of God that can only come through the Holy Spirit not out of our own flesh. The day of Shavuot/Pentecost is considered a Sabbath day or no work.
While it is important to remember the giving of the law, the establishing of the nation, and the covenant made with the Israelites known as the Mosaic covenant, to memorialize the Feast of Shavuot with the emphasis on the giving of the Torah over the giving of the Spirit is lacking Biblical context. The word of God is forever true and applicable, yet it isn’t alive on its own. The Holy Spirit of God is always alive, active in the creation, manifestation, and implementation of God’s entire plan for all of humanity. The word of God helps us discern what spirits are from God and what spirits are not from God.
Conclusion-
The Spring Feasts of the Lord are also connected to the Church’s liturgical calendar. The church utilizes Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Holy Monday/Tuesday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter/Resurrection Day.
It is common to hear Feast keeping Christian’s link Easter and Passover together, however, this defies the structure of the weeks. Passover would be similar to the church’s Maundy Thursday/Good Friday services. First Fruits would be similar to Easter/Resurrection Day.
During most years, minus the leap year for the Jewish calendar, the Spring Feasts normally align with each other by a day or so. This allows people on different liturgical calendars to memorialize at a similar time. This happens to be one of those leap years where the Jewish calendar is one month later than the Christian liturgical calendars.
There have been other Jewish calendars, and there are many self-proclaimed calendars of modern-day teachers. None of them have any Biblical authority to do so. It has caused no unity amongst the fellowship of believers. It has created divisions and separations when God gave His Feasts days to be about Him, and people were to unify. We don’t look to Moses, David, Enoch, Deborah, the Dead Sea Scrolls, we look to Christ, the author and propitiation of our faith. We memorialize the Feasts because of Him.
