Jewish Feasts: Background Part 2

The major passages on the annual feasts of ancient Israel are Ex. 12, 23, 34; Lev. 23; Num. 28–29; and Deut. 16. (Kickasola, Joseph N. “Leviticus and Trine Communion.” Ashland Theological Journal Volume 10 10 (1977): 6. Print.)


Ex 23:14-17
14  "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15  You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. 16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17  Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.


• So the way I read this, the three times does not include Passover (which would explain Jesus and his disciples eating it in Bethany)
• Feast of Unleavened bread
• Feast of Harvest
• Feast of Ingathering


• Similarities / Differences
• Five of the seven feasts include specific prohibition from work (the longer feasts are not every day)
• Two of the feasts do not include a prohibition from work: passover and feast of firstfruits
• The feasts differ according to the offerings
• Groupings
• You can group the feasts in two groups (a spring group and a fall group) with a summer feast separating the two seasons
• The summer feast is 4 months before the harvest (a phrase that Jesus used to refer to evangelism)
• The first three represent a holy season as do the last three
• Also note the first three feasts
• Passover focuses on the blood
• Unleavened bread focuses on the body
• First fruits focuses on the resurrection. Jesus is the first person resurrected
• Passover occurs on 14th, Unleavened bread starts on 15th, and Firstfruits is celebrated on the 16th (the day after the sabbath, the first day of the week)
• So we see the marvelous fulfillment wrought by Jesus Christ, …, who in Passion Week fulfilled the three feasts of the first month by giving His BLOOD to the altar of Golgotha on Good Friday (Passover, the 14th of Nisan), by giving His BODY to the tomb in the sleep of death on Holy Saturday (Feast of Unleavened Bread, the 15th), and on Easter Sunday by rising from the dead in RESURRECTION power of the first order (Feast of First Fruits, the day after the sabbath, the 16th of Nisan). (Kickasola, Joseph N. “Leviticus and Trine Communion.” Ashland Theological Journal Volume 10 10 (1977): 8. Print.)



Firstfruits

Wave offering Burnt offering Meal offering Drink offering

Sheaves Yearling male lamb without blemish Two-tenths ephah of fine flour, mingled with oil, made by fire Fourth of a hin of wine

Hui, Timothy K. “The Purpose of Israel’s Annual Feasts.” Bibliotheca Sacra 147 (1990): 152. Print.