The Spirit Of Festival Laws Series

The ancient Hebrew year was observed using a lunar-solar calendar with 12 and 13 months over a 19 year cycle. This was easy to observe in the sky as a new moon began a new month. Throughout the calendar year there were ritual observances of locally relevant harvests and commemorations of notable events.

The new moons were celebrated (Exodus 12:2; Deuteronomy 16:1). The seventh day was a rest and worship day (Exodus 16:23; 23:12). The Exodus was commemorated each northern spring with roast Passover lamb and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12-13). Fifty days later, Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, was celebrated (Leviticus 23:15-21). As northern autumn approached, came the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24), followed by the Day of Atonement, a day of complete fasting (Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:27-32), and then the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34-36) with its Last Great Day (John 7:37).

Passover/Easter

One thing needs to be noted here. The later Quartodeciman controversy centers around the date of the observance of Passover. It was not called any equivalent of Easter at that time, but Passover. What we call Easter in English, is still called the equivalent of Passover in most languages, and means Christian Passover. Would it be better to choose the original 14th of the first month, whereby the day of the week would vary from year to year, or choose a floating date, so as to preserve the same Thursday through Sunday sequence each year? Paul’s letter to the Romans would have given permission to observe either.

However, later church officials ventured into lording it over the flock, did not want Christians “judaizing” so they enforced a “romanizing” of this observance, calling those whose conscience would not allow anything but the Jewish observance, anathema. This unfortunate bullying of the flock has played out many times in church history and done great harm to the faith. The ecclesiastical decision regarding this controversy was a sad contradiction of Paul, and it caused much harm to Jewish Christians.

And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. (Matthew 26:19 ESV)

The Passover meal became the basis for another celebration which sprung out of it, communion. This is variously called the Eucharist (meaning thanksgiving), the Lord’s Supper, Communion and simply the bread and wine. Along with baptism, this is one of the most important observances within Christianity.

Unleavened Bread

Leaven has become symbolic of the sin in our lives.

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7 NASB)

John the Baptist recognized Jesus as our Passover Lamb and because of that the leaven of sin is removed and we are in fact unleavened.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 CEV)

We are redeemed with the precious blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV)

Even when all our earthly struggles are over and we enter the culmination of all things, Jesus will be celebrated as the Lamb with singing.

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (Revelation 15:3 KJV)

Unleavened bread takes on a spiritual meaning as Paul explains. The physical ritual of cleaning houses of leaven each year, becomes our spiritual cleansing from malice and wickedness, and becoming people of sincerity and truth.

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV)

Pentecost

Pentecost took on a new spiritual meaning with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. The law written on men’s hearts, and power for the Gospel came together in one marvellous celebration of the Holy Spirit.

First Fruits

Part of several festivals was the offering of first fruits. Pentecost was one of those festivals. In some ways, Christians are called first fruits. This gives us hope that in God’s time and mercy, others will join us.

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23 NASB)

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) (1 Corinthians 16:15 KJV)