Calvary Week & the Seven Feasts

Editorial
By Marjorie Kinnee

Text:  Leviticus 23
Luke 16:16 - "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of Heaven is preached, and every man presseth into it."
Luke 26:44 - "And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me." 

Over the last few days, a link I've never noticed before has been illuminated. That Calvary week occurred during the Jews Passover and feast of unleavened bread is well documented. That this was intentional is also clear. I recently learned that Jewish rabbis teach that their calendar is not merely linear, it is also cyclical; meaning significant events occur again and again on the same date throughout their history. Students of Bible prophecy will find this concept fascinating. Let's explore all seven feasts and some interesting correlations...

Passover [Pesach] - a one or two-day feast, (one day in Israel, two days everywhere else,) which commemorates the night when the death angel passed over the homes of the children of Israel. The key to their safety lay in obedience to God's command - a spotless lamb, killed, and its blood sprinkled (using a hyssop branch) on the lentel and doorposts of each home. This obedience spared the life of every first born taking refuge in a blood-marked home. Into every home, Egyptian or otherwise, (from the Pharaoh himself down to the lowest slave and the animals,) that did not have the blood of the spotless lamb in place, the death angel entered and the life of the firstborn in that dwelling was forfeited. During the seder, the Jews also rehearse the events leading up to the Passover; the patriarchs, their sojourn in Egypt, slavery, Moses' birth and deliverance, his call and confrontations with Pharaoh, the ten plagues, and on through to the parting of the Red Sea. Through the Haggadah (readings) they re-visit their deliverance year after year, always leaving an empty chair for Elijah, (the one who is to come and prepare the way of the Lord,) and always ending with, "Next year in Jerusalem!" Today, we understand the relationship between Passover and its fulfillment at Calvary as a cornerstone of our present faith.

Unleavened Bread - occurs in tandem with Passover because it is a memorial of the meal eaten in haste as they prepared to leave Egypt behind; it lasts seven days. To this day, Jews eat the Passover Seder; consisting of unleavened bread, wine, roasted lamb, along with vegetables and bitter herbs, (each having its own significance,) in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Prior to Unleavened Bread, they undertake an extensive cleansing of their homes, vehicles, clothing, accessories, etc., to eliminate every trace of leaven. The rabbis teach this purging of old leaven, which in itself takes many days to complete, is symbolic of repentance. Note: Both John the Baptist ("Prepare ye the way of the LORD!") and Jesus preached repentance. Moreover, when Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, He told them to preach repentance. Finally, The Last Supper was not only a celebration of Passover and Unleavened Bread, it was also its fulfillment! There -  Jesus instituted the concept of a new testament/covenant, one that extended into the immediate future and would find its fulfillment when we all celebrate it in the Kingdom of God. (See Matthew 26:28-29.) What we now call the communion service, which includes the essential elements of both Passover and Unleavened Bread, was rooted in what was and would grow a veritable mountain, in which the knowledge of the LORD, who He is and what He came to do would fill all the earth - and heaven too! Of this supper, Jesus said, "This do in remembrance of Me."  [Side note: Jesus first washed His disciples' feet, including Judas Iscariot, and the at first unwilling Peter, then shared communion with them, still including Judas. It was at this point that Judas went out into the night to meet with the chief priests and their guards. Jesus went on to Gethsemane, where He prayed, submitted, was betrayed, arrested, abandoned by all, and then thrust into an all-night trial and the agony that followed.]

First Fruits - Leviticaus 23 lists the seven feasts and places "First Fruits" on "the morrow after the Sabbath" (Sunday). This feast, although not celebrated until they came into the Promised Land, was also part of Passover week, because the fifty-day countdown to Pentecost [Shavuot] began on that same day. (See I Corinthians 15:20-23.) At some point the Jews began combining "First Fruits" with "Pentecost" and they celebrate the two together at the present time. Either way, whether you count Jesus as the first fruits of the resurrection, or whether you count Pentecost as the first fruits of His harvest - the feast of first fruits plays an important part in God's design, plan, and purpose.

Pentecost [Shavuot] - Shavuot literally means weeks. It comes seven Sabbaths (also referred to as "the counting of the omer,") after the Feast of Unleavened Bread is complete. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning fifty. Present day Judaism does not recognize the relationship between Shavuot and the Day of Pentecost, but a comparison of Deuteronomy 29:10-15 and Acts 2:38-39 should help clarify the relationship between the old and the new covenant/testaments. (See also Deuteronomy 29:29; and Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26.) Jesus coined the phrase "new testament" (Luke 22:20) while the writer to the Hebrews (in Hebrews 8-9,) explains how the "old" passes away when the "new" (better) comes. After His death and resurrection, (on the first day of the week, as the "first" fulfillment of the concept of "first-fruits,") Jesus showed Himself alive with many infallible proofs for forty days, then, as He ascended into heaven, the disciples watched in amazement. Ten days later, "when the Day of Pentecost was fully come," while Jews from every nation were assembled in Jerusalem, the Holy Ghost was poured out, the old passed away, the new covenant was initiated, and the world took note that this was the inauguration of true, life-changing transformation.

Trumpets [Rosh Hashanah] - the feast of trumpets actually marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar. It celebrates the sixth day, when man was created. Everything prior to the sixth day was in preparation for God's holy purpose, man. The rabbis teach Rosh Hashanah comes for two reasons; 1.) to crown God as King, and, 2.) to remind us that creation was not accidental. God had a purpose in mind. We are here for a reason - to fill the earth with the knowledge of God. The shofars (trumpets) call us to think seriously. The Day of Atonement is coming when the deeds of men will be judged. The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur allow man to consider his ways, repent, ask forgiveness, make restitution where possible, and prepare to stand before God's judgment seat. It's interesting to note that there was a period of ten days between Jesus' ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost, during which the disciples and Mary, Jesus' mother, were among the 120 gathered in the upper room waiting/tarrying for the promise of the Father (See Acts 1:4-5; 12-14; 2:1-4.) Look how the knowledge of the Lord filled the earth following that glorious outpouring!

Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur] - Under the Old Testament sacrificial system, sins were dealt with year by year. Atonement could be accurately described as at-one-ment. Acknowledging sin, recognizing that God's way was the only right way, and coming into agreement with God and His commandments concerning sin was key. Two goats were selected; one to be sacrificed immediately, the other to bear the blood of the first goat and thereby, the sins of the people outside the camp into the wilderness, where he too perished. Sins covered by repentance were rolled forward to the next Day of Atonement, sins not repented of were not forgiven and cut one off from fellowship with God. Compare the Day of Atonement with Romans 14:10-12; I Corinthians 3:11-17; and, II Corinthians 5:10-11. (See also Revelation 20:11-15.)

Tabernacles [Succot] - Also called the feast of booths, is celebrated by fashioning a crude booth out of boards or reeds and "camping out" in it for eight days. The rabbis teach that it is celebrated during the fall of the year (as opposed to sequentially after Shavuot,) as a reminder that God's purpose prevails in good times (spring, when all is fresh and new,) and not so good times (fall, when the weather is changeable and often rainy, chilly, and uncomfortable,) in the understanding that God wants to "tabernacle" with men in every kind of situation. During this feast, Jews remember the wilderness sojourn of their forefathers, meditate on what went wrong back then, and look forward to the promised day when the knowledge of the Lord shall truly fill all the earth. (See Isaiah 11:1-9; 65:17-25; Habakkuk 2:14; and, Revelation 21:1-4.)