The Jewish Festivals
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’”
—LEVITICUS 23:1–2
I think if you ask most believers if they have ever heard that everything important in Jesus’ life took place during one of the traditional Jewish festivals, they would probably say no. Most wouldn’t even be able to list the Jewish festivals, much less describe the importance of them in Jewish life. This is typical of the problem we are up against as we try to educate Christians regarding the foundations of our faith. Perhaps if we could learn how important Jesus felt these festivals were, we might grow to understand how important they should be to us as believers.
The city of Jerusalem is an integral part of these Jewish festivals. The Lord declared, “I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there” (2 Chronicles 6:6). Thus, Jerusalem became the spiritual center of Israel, the place where God would place His name, causing His presence to dwell in the temple. Jerusalem was the place of pilgrimage, for everyone in Israel was commanded by God to appear before Him three times a year—during the three pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—to offer sacrifices and firstfruit offerings in the temple.
Understanding the setting and celebration of these Jewish festivals brings new light to familiar stories of Jesus’ life. For example, Jason explained to me during our first meeting in December 2016 that on the night that Jesus was born, the shepherds in the fields and the sheep they were tending were not ordinary sheep or shepherds. (He mentioned these truths earlier in this book, but they are worth repeating.)
The Bible is clear that the land directly surrounding Jerusalem was controlled by the Levitical priests, and everything either grown, raised, or born in that area was for one purpose: to be sacrificed on the altar of God in the temple of God for the people of God. Bethlehem is only three miles away from Jerusalem.
When we understand the Jewish feast of Passover, we realize the sheep that the shepherds were tending were born for the same reason that Jesus was born: to die for the forgiveness of sins! And just as Jesus was perfect, these lambs raised to be Passover sacrifices had to be perfect, too, without any defect or blemish. Do you know what shepherds in Bethlehem used to do to assure a sheep’s perfection when it was first born? They wrapped the newborn lamb in swaddling cloths and laid it in a manger!
When the angel explained this sign to the Levitical shepherds, they would have understood the significance of finding the newborn baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, because they knew that this baby was holy—set apart for sacred use—and in fact, this baby would be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), as John the Baptist later described Him.
Do you see how understanding the Jewish feasts can shed new light on the Scripture? If you don’t have goose bumps right now, I haven’t done a very good job of explaining this!
As Rabbi Jason explains next, every major event in Jesus’ life happened on a Jewish holiday.
Come . . . to Jerusalem!
MORE FROM RABBI JASON
AN OVERVIEW OF GOD’S APPOINTED FEASTS
Every follower of Jesus should be interested in the biblical holidays because Jesus Himself celebrated the Jewish festivals! More importantly, every major event in Jesus’ life occurred on one of these Jewish holidays. For instance, Jesus is said to have been born around the time of Sukkot, the festival that focuses on God’s presence, provision, and protection. Jesus’ death was on Passover, the holiday that promises redemption. As we saw in chapter 19, the Last Supper of our Lord was a Passover Seder.
The biblical holidays are part of the inheritance of all followers of Messiah. Understanding the holidays gives us a deeper understanding and greater insight into the person and work of Jesus. Since much of Jesus’ life and ministry revolved around the Jewish festivals, a fuller revelation of Jesus can be ours when we grasp the significance of these appointed times.
On the lighter side, as you study the Jewish feasts, you will find that our God is not merely about fasting; He is also very fond of feasting. He is a God of celebration. He wants you to come and join His party. Now let’s take a moment to briefly explore the spiritual meaning and transformative nature of these biblical holidays.
Leviticus 23 describes the calendar of yearly feasts for God’s people, breaking them into three cycles. The weekly celebration of the Sabbath (Shabbat, in Hebrew) is the first holiday mentioned. This Hebrew word means “rest.” God rested on the seventh day and commanded Israel to do the same in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8). From the days of Moses to the present, the Jewish people have celebrated the Shabbat starting at sundown on Friday and ending at sundown on Saturday. God rested on the seventh day, so we do as He did.
The spring holidays are Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost. These are holidays that reflect God’s work of the past and were fulfilled in the first coming of Messiah. If you’re scratching your head, let me explain briefly.
PASSOVER AND REDEMPTION
The focus of Passover (Pesach, in Hebrew) is redemption, which leads to freedom. The Lord redeemed the Israelites from Egypt, freeing them from the bondage of slavery. Centuries later, Jesus (Yeshua, in Hebrew) died as the Passover Lamb to redeem us from death and break the bondage of sin. Redemption in the days of Moses was meant to mirror the future redemption through the death of Messiah. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of redemption.
THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS AND THE RESURRECTION
During the celebration of Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim, in Hebrew), the focus is resurrection. This was an agricultural holiday that celebrated the firstfruits of the harvest, which were brought from the fields to the temple on the second day of Passover. Fittingly, thousands of years later, Jesus was brought back from the dead during this festival. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul tells us, “But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (TLV). Though Jesus fulfilled the promise of this holiday in His resurrection, there is also a prophetic fulfillment of this feast in which the firstfruits of the harvest symbolize the future resurrection of believers at the end of the age.
PENTECOST, SINAI, AND THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot, in Hebrew) focuses on revelation. This holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. During Jesus’ time on earth, He gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples in Jerusalem on Pentecost. There is something significant about the fact that God chose the same day, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, to give the gift of Word and Spirit. In Genesis 1, the Spirit hovered over the formless surface of the watery earth, then God spoke the words, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). Word and Spirit combined to bring about new creation and greater revelation.
During His lifetime, Jesus fulfilled the focus and promise of all three spring holidays—redemption, resurrection, and revelation.
THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AND THE RETURN OF MESSIAH
The fall holidays are Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). These holidays are awaiting their prophetic future fulfillment.
Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) is the Jewish New Year and is “trumpeted in” with the blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn). This holiday points to repentance (changing one’s way of thinking and being), resolving to make a better life, and ideally returning or regathering to God. At the sound of the shofar in a day yet to come, God will gather all His people from the four corners of the earth to Himself at the return of Messiah (Isaiah 27:13; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AND THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL
Yom Kippur means “atonement,” or to repair a wrong so that we can be one with the Holy One. (Notice the word atonement can be broken down as at-one-ment.) This feast also focuses on repentance and redemption and forgiveness from the sins of the previous year. In the future fulfillment of this holiday, all Israel, as well as all the nations, will look upon the One they pierced and recognize Him as the Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). This will result in the fullness of redemption being realized. In Jewish thought, this is the final redemption.
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) is a time for rejoicing. This holiday commemorates the wandering of the Israelites in the desert. The shelters (sukkot, in Hebrew) relate to the temporary structures in which they lived as they wandered. This holiday commemorates how God provided manna from heaven to feed them, water from the stones to quench them, and a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to guide them. Ultimately, it reflects God’s presence, provision, and protection. Many Messianic Jews believe that Jesus was born during this holiday. When the future promise of Sukkot is fulfilled, the kingdom of God will be established, and we will all rejoice. According to the prophet Zechariah, all the nations of the world will join the Jewish people in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. “Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot” (Zechariah 14:16 TLV).
In addition to the fall and spring holidays, which are known as the major holidays and are found in Leviticus 23, there are two other minor but key Jewish holidays mentioned in Scripture: Purim and Hanukkah.
THE FEAST OF PURIM, ESTHER, AND THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
Purim is found in the book of Esther. Intrigue, sabotage, fear, courage, romance, and rising to one’s destiny may sound like a soap opera, but the story of Esther is a chronicled struggle between good and evil, where the hidden hand of God isn’t seen but is at work on behalf of His people. The story of Esther and the celebration of Purim is ultimately about God working all things together for the good (Romans 8:28). At Purim, we realize that when we cannot see the providential hand of God, we must trust the heart of God. Realizing the goodness of the Father stirs us to rejoice!
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication found in both the book of Daniel and the gospel of John. It commemorates the miraculous rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by the Greeks. It honors and celebrates the miracles God did, such as one night’s cruse (jug) of oil for the menorah providing eight nights’ worth of light and the victory of the outnumbered Israelites over the Greeks. God delivered the many into the hands of the few, proving Zechariah 4:6, which declares, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Some believe that Jesus called Himself “the light of the world” in John 8:12 during Hanukkah, while others believe He made this statement during Sukkot. In John 10, Jesus went up to Jerusalem with His disciples to celebrate the Feast of Dedication. This holiday’s prophetic fulfillment will occur when the light of the Messiah shines forth to all the ends of the world and we become the light that God calls us to be.
Why is learning about these Jewish festivals so important? It is in looking back at what God has done that we can see forward to His future plans for us. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).