If you will recall, the Feast of Passover is a picture of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, dying as our substitute for sin. Jesus went to the cross on Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is picture of Jesus’ sinless body not undergoing decay while in the grave. And, last Sunday, I introduced the Feast of Firstfruits and illustrated how this feast is a picture of Jesus rising from the dead. Jesus rose again on the exact day of the Feast of Firstfruits.
The Apostle Paul wrote of the Feast of Firstfruits in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24:
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,
24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
First things are an important and oft-repeated theme of Scripture. God declared that, in general, the firstfruits of all agricultural produce belonged to Him—grain, wine, oil, and even fleece. In fact, all seven of the major crops grown in ancient Israel were included: barley, wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
According to Mosaic Law, each firstborn son was to be presented to the priest at one month of age (Num. 18:16). In His mercy, the Lord made provision so that the firstborn could be redeemed from a lifetime of service in the Temple. At this dedication ceremony, called a Pidyon Haben (Heb. “Redemption of the Son”), it was possible to redeem the son out of full-time service through the payment of five shekels (pieces of silver) to the priest (Num. 18:16). The Pidyon Haben held true for all except the firstborn of the priests and the Levites. They were obligated to serve in the Temple and, therefore, could not be exempted.
At one month of age, Jesus was taken to the Temple for His Pidyon Haben. Mary and Joseph presented Him to the Lord: “As it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’” (Luke 2:23).
It was on this occasion that Jesus was first publicly declared to be the Messiah. The godly Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:30). As a second witness, the godly Anna, declared His messiahship “to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
The meaning of the Pidyon Haben ceremony was given by the Lord in Numbers 3:13, “For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”
When God redeemed Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He did so through the blood of the Passover lamb. All firstborn were under the curse of death and judgment. Escape was possible only by exhibiting faith in God through the blood of the innocent Passover lamb (Ex. 12:12-13).
So, too, in the spiritual sense, all of mankind is firstborn. All are sinners just as Adam and, therefore, are under the curse of death and in need of redemption (Rom. 5:17, 19; 1 Cor. 15:22). Escape is possible only by exhibiting faith in God through the redemptive blood of the Messiah, the true Passover Lamb, sacrificed as our substitute. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “…For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.”
Seven Examples of Firstfruits in the New Testament
Although Firstfruits is not as strongly emphasized in the Hebrew Scriptures as the other Levitical feasts, the Feast of Firstfruits forms an important backdrop to New Testament teaching. It is directly mentioned on seven occasions in the New Testament.
First, Paul spoke of Epaenetus as “the firstfruits of Achaia” (Rom. 16:5).
Second, Paul later spoke of the household of Stephanas as the “the firstfruits of Achaia” (1 Cor. 16:15). These were some of the first believers in the large harvest that followed in that part of ancient Greece.
Third, Paul used the concept of the firstfruits pinched from the dough to teach: “For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy” (Rom. 11:16). By this he meant, if God chose and accepted the patriarchs, then the whole lump of dough (Israel) belonged to Him. Therefore, “God has not cast away His people” (Rom. 11:2).
Fourth, speaking of believers as set apart to the Lord, James taught in James 1:18: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
Fifth, Paul again used this imagery when he spoke of salvation as the “firstfruits of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:23). By this he meant that the indwelling of the Spirit of God is the guarantee, or pledge, that there will be a final redemption. Our bodies will be glorified and the creation redeemed from the curse. The present reality of the indwelling of believers by the Holy Spirit assures, or guarantees (is the firstfruits of), the future promise of Heaven!
Sixth, in the Book of Revelation, John described a special group of 144,000 Jewish men who will be sealed just prior to the opening of the seventh seal (Rev. 7:1-8). There will be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, sealed and protected from God’s wrath at the commencement of the Day of the Lord. Later, John describes these 144,000 as “the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4).
But how are these 144,000 considered firstfruits? Immediately after the Rapture of the Church, the 144,000 will be God’s first working with the nation of Israel. They will be the proof, guarantee, or pledge (the firstfruits) of a future harvest within the nation of Israel. God will burn away the chaff and impurities in the fiery blast furnace of His wrath to bring the remnant of Israel to repentance at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week. Paul summarizes the result in Romans 11:26, “And so all Israel will be saved.”
Paul longed for Israel’s final harvest and spoke of himself as “one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:8). The imagery was that of a fig tree which would occasionally yield prematurely ripened figs out of season. These early figs were few and rare. Paul viewed himself as one of these whom God had graciously saved before the final harvest.
The seventh reference to Firstfruits in the New Testament is the most significant because it tells us of its fulfillment. Like Israel’s other spring feasts, the Feast of Firstfruits found its fulfillment in the first coming of Jesus Christ. Paul gloriously declared in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” Revelation 1:5 refers to Jesus as “first born” from the dead.
How was Jesus our firstfruits? Jesus rose again on the third day (literally, the third day of the Passover season, Nisan 16), on the day of Firstfruits. But His resurrection had far greater implications beyond himself. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee and the beginning (firstfruits) of the final harvest, or resurrection, of mankind! Jesus fulfilled the prophetic meaning of this holy day by rising from the dead to become the firstfruits of the resurrection, and He did it on the exact day of Firstfruits!
The Bible clearly teaches that there is life after death. The human soul does not cease to exist, nor does it float aimlessly as part of some “cosmic consciousness,” nor is it reincarnated. All will be resurrected. Only the quality of that eternal existence remains in question. The Hebrew prophet, Daniel, prophesied in Daniel 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
Jesus further explained in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
Just as there are two parts to the harvest, the wheat and the chaff, there will be two parts to the final harvest. Some will inherit eternal life and dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Those who do not give their hearts to Christ will inherit separation from God and be confined to the Lake of Fire—forever.
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you will be resurrected to life at His coming. Jesus provided the ironclad guarantee when He rose from the dead. It will happen, of that we are sure, because “…Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”
Showing posts with label Sermon Notes: Feasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sermon Notes: Feasts. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord #6: The Feast of Firstfruits (Part 1) -- Leviticus 23:9-14
Many Christians are blessed in their studies of what is known as Eschatology, or literally, the study of last things. This vital area of biblical doctrine delves into future prophetic events in Scripture such as the Rapture of the Church, the Day of the Lord, the return of the Messiah, the restoration of Israel, and the messianic Kingdom. Many people spend countless hours studying the last things.
Although not a major discipline, nor often examined for very long by very many, the subject of first things is one about which the Bible has much to say. Somewhat obscure and essentially unobserved for almost two thousand years, Israel’s Feast of Firstfruits was an ancient holy day solely devoted to first things. Its powerful message and timeless truths provide a rich lesson for God’s people.
Firstfruits marked the beginning of the cereal grain harvests in Israel. Barley was the first grain to ripen of those sown in the winter months. For Firstfruits, a sheaf of barley was harvested and brought into the Temple as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord for the harvest. It was representative of the barley harvest as a whole and served as a pledge or guarantee that the remainder of the harvest would be realized in the days that followed.
1. The Regulations for Firstfruits
There were specific regulations for this feast outlined by the Lord in Leviticus 23:9-14.
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
11 ‘He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12 ‘Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord.
13 ‘Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine.
14 ‘Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
A sheaf (Hebrew omer, meaning “measure”) was to be brought to the priest at the Temple. The priest would wave it before the Lord for acceptance. There were also to be sacrifices: an unblemished male lamb of the first year, a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering of the barley flour mixed with olive oil.
The people were forbidden to use any part of the harvest in any way until after the firstfruits were offered to the Lord (Lev. 23:14). The neglect of these firstfruit offerings (or any others) were considered robbery of God according to Scripture (Mal. 3:8).
2. The Ritual for Firstfruits
The ceremony was detailed in Deuteronomy 26:1-10:
1 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it,
2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.
3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
4 “Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 “You shall answer and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation.
6 ‘And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us.
7 ‘Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression;
8 and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders;
9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 ‘Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God…”
3. The Reason for Firstfruits
Firstfruits was an early spring feast, the third in the Jewish festive cycle. On the Hebrew calendar, it occurred on the 16th day of Nisan, the first biblical month (March or April), only two days after the beginning of the Passover season.
Firstfruits was preeminently seen as a time marker. It marked the beginning of the grain harvest in Israel, but even more importantly, it marked the countdown to the Feast of Weeks, the fourth of Israel’s annual feasts. Beginning with Firstfruits, 49 days (or seven sevens) were counted, and on the 50th day, the Feast of Weeks was celebrated. The Lord commanded in Leviticus 23:15-16:
“You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.”
As a result, this period of time was, and still is, known as the Sefirat Ha-Omer (Heb. “the Counting of the Omer”) because of the ritual of counting the days from the omer (sheaf, measure) to the Feast of Weeks.
Scripture does not specify the actual calendar date of Firstfruits, but merely prescribed its time of observance to be “on the day after the Sabbath” (Lev. 23:11). This led to various interpretations and considerable debate as to which Sabbath was in view.
The Sadducees, and later Karaite Jews, understood it to refer to the first weekly Sabbath (Saturday) which occurred during the week of Passover season. However, the word Sabbath also designated any holy day on which work was prohibited, no matter on which day of the week it occurred (Lev. 23:24, 32, 39). The majority opinion, held by the Pharisees, was that the Sabbath in question was Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That day was to be a “holy convocation” (Lev. 23:7) on which no work was performed. This same description was given to the weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:3) and to holy-day Sabbaths held on other days of the week (Lev. 23:24-25, 28, 32, 36, 39).
Ancient Jewish observance agreed with the Pharisees. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, wrote: “But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them” (Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.5).
Thus, the chronology of the Passover season consisted of: Passover (Nisan 14), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 days, Nisan 15-21), and the Feast of Firstfruits (Nisan 16). The second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 16) was also Firstfruits, a day simultaneously shared by both holidays.
Why is the date of Firstfruits so important? Remember, the 7 feasts of the Lord picture the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Passover Lamb and died on Passover (Nisan 14). Unleavened Bread pictured the sinless body of Jesus that did not decay while it was in the tomb on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of Nisan. Jesus rose from the grave on Nisan 16—the day of the Feast of Firstfruits. We shall see why this is so important.
4. The Record of Firstfruits
Firstfruits sacrifices and offerings are not offered today since there is no Temple. The only Firstfruits ritual which has survived to modern times has been the counting of the omer, the days from Firstfruits to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).
In ancient times the feast was observed on two levels.
-First, the priests would observe the feast for the entire nation.
-Second, each farmer was to observe the feast for his family farm.
I will describe to you the ceremony observed by the priests. But remember, each farmer was required to do the same for his individual crop.
A. The Preparation for Firstfruits
In Temple days, Nisan 14 brought the painstaking preparations for the Passover season to completion: lambs had been chosen for Passover sacrifices, houses had been purged of all leaven in preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and barley sheaves had been marked in the fields for the Feast of Firstfruits.
With each passing week, the weather in Israel turned warmer. Winter rains had ceased, and cloudy days had quickly become few and far between. Looking eastward from the Temple, one could see the breathtaking panorama of the Mount of Olives and the intervening Kidron Valley basking in the bright golden rays of the springtime sun. Across the Kidron Valley in an area known as the Ashes Valley, a small, open field of amber barley nestled itself against a background of grassy, green slopes and misty gray olive trees. The ripe grain, swaying gently in the soft breeze, created a relaxing, mesmerizing pattern of warm gold. At one end of the field, several bundles of barley were conspicuously marked and tied together, still uncut, in anticipation of the coming Feast of Firstfruits.
This barley field was a special field, cultivated solely for the national Firstfruits offering and kept strictly in accordance with all rabbinic traditions. It had been plowed in the autumn and sown with barley some seventy days earlier during the winter months. Constant oversight assured that the crop had grown naturally, with no artificial watering or fertilization. In the days leading up to Passover, several sheaves were selectively marked and bundled by representatives from the Sanhedrin, Israel’s ruling religious body. With that, the preparation for Firstfruits was complete.
B. The Procession of Firstfruits
Several days later at sundown on Nisan 15 (the beginning of the new Jewish day, Nisan 16), a three-man delegation from the Sanhedrin emerged from the Temple area, accompanied by a multitude of excited observers. The procession made its way down to the barley field to perform the Firstfruits reaping ceremony. With sickles in hand and baskets under arm, the three chosen reapers positioned themselves in readiness before the predetermined bundles of barley. As they did so, a hush fell over the crowd in recognition of the solemnity of the moment. Only the soft whisper of the swaying grain could be heard.
Suddenly, the unison voices of the reapers broke the stillness of the evening with a series of questions to the onlookers: “Has the sun set?” “With this sickle?” “Into this basket?” “On this Sabbath?” “Shall I reap now?” To each question the crowd would respond “Yes!”
The series of questions was repeated two more times as a safeguard to make sure the sun had indeed set. The marked sheaves were then reaped until one ephah of barley (approximately 2/3 bushel) was obtained.
C. The Presentation of Firstfruits
In the Temple court, the grain was threshed with rods rather than oxen-drawn sledges so that the barley corns would not be broken. It was then parched over an open flame and winnowed in the wind to remove the chaff. Finally, the barley was milled and put through an intensive sifting process until sifted very fine. This sifting ceremony continued until one of the Temple inspectors could plunge his hand into the flour and remove it without any flour adhering to his hands (Talmud, Menahot 8:2).
On the morning of Nisan 16, the firstfruits were presented to the Lord. One omer (about 5 pints) of the barley flour was mixed with ¾ pint olive oil, and a small amount of frankincense was sprinkled upon it. This became the Firstfruits offering. The priest waved it before the Lord in accordance with Leviticus 23:11-13 and burned a small amount upon the altar. The remainder was given to the Levites.
D. The Picture of Firstfruits
The Feast of Firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus. The feast is a celebration of the rest of the harvest. I will go into greater detail of this next Sunday.
Did you see the picture of Jesus in the Firstfruits offering?
The barley is set apart for the harvest…Jesus was pure and sinless, set apart from the world’s sinfulness.
The barley is harvested by being “cut off” by sickle…Jesus was “cut off” by being crucified.
The barley is threshed with rods to separate the grain from the chaff, without breaking the kernels…Jesus was beaten, but none of His bones were broken.
The grain is then parched over fire…Jesus took our judgment upon Himself.
The grain is ground to a fine flour…Jesus did not take any shortcuts to end or relieve His suffering on the cross. He refused the narcotics that would have dulled the pain.
The flour sits overnight….Jesus was buried in the tomb.
At daybreak on Nisan 16 the flour is offered to the Lord after being mixed with olive oil and sprinkled with frankincense…Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb after being anointed with frankincense. Next, at daybreak on Nisan 16 Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (pictured by the olive oil).
The Firstfruits offering was a celebration that the remainder of the harvest still in the fields would be brought in to the storehouse…The resurrection of Jesus is a guarantee that all who trust in Him will one day be resurrected in the likeness of Jesus and brought to the Father’s house!
Do you know if have a part in the resurrection of Christ and will be brought to the Father’s house?
Although not a major discipline, nor often examined for very long by very many, the subject of first things is one about which the Bible has much to say. Somewhat obscure and essentially unobserved for almost two thousand years, Israel’s Feast of Firstfruits was an ancient holy day solely devoted to first things. Its powerful message and timeless truths provide a rich lesson for God’s people.
Firstfruits marked the beginning of the cereal grain harvests in Israel. Barley was the first grain to ripen of those sown in the winter months. For Firstfruits, a sheaf of barley was harvested and brought into the Temple as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord for the harvest. It was representative of the barley harvest as a whole and served as a pledge or guarantee that the remainder of the harvest would be realized in the days that followed.
1. The Regulations for Firstfruits
There were specific regulations for this feast outlined by the Lord in Leviticus 23:9-14.
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
11 ‘He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12 ‘Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord.
13 ‘Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine.
14 ‘Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
A sheaf (Hebrew omer, meaning “measure”) was to be brought to the priest at the Temple. The priest would wave it before the Lord for acceptance. There were also to be sacrifices: an unblemished male lamb of the first year, a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering of the barley flour mixed with olive oil.
The people were forbidden to use any part of the harvest in any way until after the firstfruits were offered to the Lord (Lev. 23:14). The neglect of these firstfruit offerings (or any others) were considered robbery of God according to Scripture (Mal. 3:8).
2. The Ritual for Firstfruits
The ceremony was detailed in Deuteronomy 26:1-10:
1 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it,
2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.
3 “You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
4 “Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 “You shall answer and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation.
6 ‘And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us.
7 ‘Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression;
8 and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders;
9 and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 ‘Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God…”
3. The Reason for Firstfruits
Firstfruits was an early spring feast, the third in the Jewish festive cycle. On the Hebrew calendar, it occurred on the 16th day of Nisan, the first biblical month (March or April), only two days after the beginning of the Passover season.
Firstfruits was preeminently seen as a time marker. It marked the beginning of the grain harvest in Israel, but even more importantly, it marked the countdown to the Feast of Weeks, the fourth of Israel’s annual feasts. Beginning with Firstfruits, 49 days (or seven sevens) were counted, and on the 50th day, the Feast of Weeks was celebrated. The Lord commanded in Leviticus 23:15-16:
“You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.”
As a result, this period of time was, and still is, known as the Sefirat Ha-Omer (Heb. “the Counting of the Omer”) because of the ritual of counting the days from the omer (sheaf, measure) to the Feast of Weeks.
Scripture does not specify the actual calendar date of Firstfruits, but merely prescribed its time of observance to be “on the day after the Sabbath” (Lev. 23:11). This led to various interpretations and considerable debate as to which Sabbath was in view.
The Sadducees, and later Karaite Jews, understood it to refer to the first weekly Sabbath (Saturday) which occurred during the week of Passover season. However, the word Sabbath also designated any holy day on which work was prohibited, no matter on which day of the week it occurred (Lev. 23:24, 32, 39). The majority opinion, held by the Pharisees, was that the Sabbath in question was Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That day was to be a “holy convocation” (Lev. 23:7) on which no work was performed. This same description was given to the weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:3) and to holy-day Sabbaths held on other days of the week (Lev. 23:24-25, 28, 32, 36, 39).
Ancient Jewish observance agreed with the Pharisees. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, wrote: “But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them” (Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.5).
Thus, the chronology of the Passover season consisted of: Passover (Nisan 14), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 days, Nisan 15-21), and the Feast of Firstfruits (Nisan 16). The second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 16) was also Firstfruits, a day simultaneously shared by both holidays.
Why is the date of Firstfruits so important? Remember, the 7 feasts of the Lord picture the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Passover Lamb and died on Passover (Nisan 14). Unleavened Bread pictured the sinless body of Jesus that did not decay while it was in the tomb on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of Nisan. Jesus rose from the grave on Nisan 16—the day of the Feast of Firstfruits. We shall see why this is so important.
4. The Record of Firstfruits
Firstfruits sacrifices and offerings are not offered today since there is no Temple. The only Firstfruits ritual which has survived to modern times has been the counting of the omer, the days from Firstfruits to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).
In ancient times the feast was observed on two levels.
-First, the priests would observe the feast for the entire nation.
-Second, each farmer was to observe the feast for his family farm.
I will describe to you the ceremony observed by the priests. But remember, each farmer was required to do the same for his individual crop.
A. The Preparation for Firstfruits
In Temple days, Nisan 14 brought the painstaking preparations for the Passover season to completion: lambs had been chosen for Passover sacrifices, houses had been purged of all leaven in preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and barley sheaves had been marked in the fields for the Feast of Firstfruits.
With each passing week, the weather in Israel turned warmer. Winter rains had ceased, and cloudy days had quickly become few and far between. Looking eastward from the Temple, one could see the breathtaking panorama of the Mount of Olives and the intervening Kidron Valley basking in the bright golden rays of the springtime sun. Across the Kidron Valley in an area known as the Ashes Valley, a small, open field of amber barley nestled itself against a background of grassy, green slopes and misty gray olive trees. The ripe grain, swaying gently in the soft breeze, created a relaxing, mesmerizing pattern of warm gold. At one end of the field, several bundles of barley were conspicuously marked and tied together, still uncut, in anticipation of the coming Feast of Firstfruits.
This barley field was a special field, cultivated solely for the national Firstfruits offering and kept strictly in accordance with all rabbinic traditions. It had been plowed in the autumn and sown with barley some seventy days earlier during the winter months. Constant oversight assured that the crop had grown naturally, with no artificial watering or fertilization. In the days leading up to Passover, several sheaves were selectively marked and bundled by representatives from the Sanhedrin, Israel’s ruling religious body. With that, the preparation for Firstfruits was complete.
B. The Procession of Firstfruits
Several days later at sundown on Nisan 15 (the beginning of the new Jewish day, Nisan 16), a three-man delegation from the Sanhedrin emerged from the Temple area, accompanied by a multitude of excited observers. The procession made its way down to the barley field to perform the Firstfruits reaping ceremony. With sickles in hand and baskets under arm, the three chosen reapers positioned themselves in readiness before the predetermined bundles of barley. As they did so, a hush fell over the crowd in recognition of the solemnity of the moment. Only the soft whisper of the swaying grain could be heard.
Suddenly, the unison voices of the reapers broke the stillness of the evening with a series of questions to the onlookers: “Has the sun set?” “With this sickle?” “Into this basket?” “On this Sabbath?” “Shall I reap now?” To each question the crowd would respond “Yes!”
The series of questions was repeated two more times as a safeguard to make sure the sun had indeed set. The marked sheaves were then reaped until one ephah of barley (approximately 2/3 bushel) was obtained.
C. The Presentation of Firstfruits
In the Temple court, the grain was threshed with rods rather than oxen-drawn sledges so that the barley corns would not be broken. It was then parched over an open flame and winnowed in the wind to remove the chaff. Finally, the barley was milled and put through an intensive sifting process until sifted very fine. This sifting ceremony continued until one of the Temple inspectors could plunge his hand into the flour and remove it without any flour adhering to his hands (Talmud, Menahot 8:2).
On the morning of Nisan 16, the firstfruits were presented to the Lord. One omer (about 5 pints) of the barley flour was mixed with ¾ pint olive oil, and a small amount of frankincense was sprinkled upon it. This became the Firstfruits offering. The priest waved it before the Lord in accordance with Leviticus 23:11-13 and burned a small amount upon the altar. The remainder was given to the Levites.
D. The Picture of Firstfruits
The Feast of Firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus. The feast is a celebration of the rest of the harvest. I will go into greater detail of this next Sunday.
Did you see the picture of Jesus in the Firstfruits offering?
The barley is set apart for the harvest…Jesus was pure and sinless, set apart from the world’s sinfulness.
The barley is harvested by being “cut off” by sickle…Jesus was “cut off” by being crucified.
The barley is threshed with rods to separate the grain from the chaff, without breaking the kernels…Jesus was beaten, but none of His bones were broken.
The grain is then parched over fire…Jesus took our judgment upon Himself.
The grain is ground to a fine flour…Jesus did not take any shortcuts to end or relieve His suffering on the cross. He refused the narcotics that would have dulled the pain.
The flour sits overnight….Jesus was buried in the tomb.
At daybreak on Nisan 16 the flour is offered to the Lord after being mixed with olive oil and sprinkled with frankincense…Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb after being anointed with frankincense. Next, at daybreak on Nisan 16 Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (pictured by the olive oil).
The Firstfruits offering was a celebration that the remainder of the harvest still in the fields would be brought in to the storehouse…The resurrection of Jesus is a guarantee that all who trust in Him will one day be resurrected in the likeness of Jesus and brought to the Father’s house!
Do you know if have a part in the resurrection of Christ and will be brought to the Father’s house?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord #5: The Feast of Unleavened Bread--Exodus 12:14-20
Remember, the first four feasts in the spring are a picture of what Jesus has already accomplished for us. The last three feasts in the fall are a promise of what Jesus will do for us in the future.
As we continue our examination of the “Seven Feasts of the Lord,” Israel’s second feast is named after the bread which is required to be eaten during the holiday.
The Hebrew Scriptures call this feast Hag Hamatzot. Matzah and the plural Matzot are the Hebrew words for “unleavened bread.” Therefore, this holiday is known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
15 ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 ‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19 ‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20 ‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
1. The “What?” of the Feast
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage, for when Israel fled from Egypt in the middle of the night, there was no time for bread dough to rise. So the Lord commanded, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 16:3).
The biblical record gives only three instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
--Special sacrifices were to be offered in the Temple each day of the feast (Lev. 23:8; Num. 28:19-24).
--The first and seventh days of the feast were Sabbaths with prohibitions on all work (Ex. 12:16).
--Leaven was strictly forbidden.
The Hebrew word for leaven is hametz, which literally means “sour.” Leaven (usually yeast or baking powder) is used to produce fermentation in bread dough. As leaven sours the dough, tiny gas bubbles are produced which cause the dough to rise.
Not only is the eating of leavened foods forbidden during the feast, but even the presence of leaven within one’s house is unlawful. The Lord commanded Moses in Exodus 12:15, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”
Disobedience to the divine command carried severe consequences! Did you notice the consequences of disobedience in Exodus 12:15 & 19? To be “cut off” meant to be put to death. An ancient Jew who did not keep this feast was guilty of a capital crime! Leaven was even forbidden in all the territory of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 16:4).
God’s command allows no room for debate. Any leaven, no matter how small the amount or how discreet its presence, is not permitted during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is not enough to simply refrain from eating leaven, or from touching leaven, or even from looking at leaven by storing it in a hidden place. All leaven must be purged out. Failure to do so is a serious breach of Mosaic law.
2. The “When?” of the Feast
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed in the early spring (March-April). It begins on the 15th day (evening of the 14th day) of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for seven days.
Because the Feast of Unleavened Bread (a seven-day holiday) begins the day after Passover (a one-day holiday), often the two holidays are blurred together and collectively referred to as “the eight days of Passover.” In the days of the Second Temple (Jesus’ time), it was also common to call all eight days the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Luke 22:1, 7).
Like Passover, this feast was instituted before the other feasts in Leviticus 23.
The Feasts of Unleavened Bread/Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles were the three annual pilgrim feasts and all Jewish men were expected to present themselves before the Lord at the Temple if at all possible.
3. The “How?” of the Feast
Observant Jewish households begin their painstaking preparations weeks before the arrival of Passover. Walls are washed and sometimes even painted. Cooking utensils are scalded. Clothing is washed with pockets turned inside out. Carpets are cleaned and vacuum bags are discarded. Everything in the house is cleaned and aired in preparation.
On the night before Passover eve, after evening prayers in the synagogue, the father of each household will perform the Bedikat Hametz, or “Search for Leaven,” ceremony. This ancient ceremony purges the last vestiges of leaven from the house. Earlier that evening, a few bits of leavened bread are placed in several corners or on window sills of the house.
After reciting the benediction for the occasion, the father begins the search. He uses an old wooden spoon in one hand and a goose feather in the other. By candlelight, he searches from room to room to discover the distributed bread scraps. The children follow behind with great excitement as he carefully uses the feather to sweep the bread he finds onto the wooden spoon. Finally, the bits of bread, the wooden spoon, and the feather are placed inside a bag or wrapped in a cloth. This is tied with a thread and set aside to be burned the next morning.
4. The “Why?” of the Feast
Sin is often pictured as leaven in Scripture (Mt. 16:6,11; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1; Gal. 5:9). The ancient rabbis believed that “leaven represents the evil impulse of the heart” (Talmud, Berachot 17a).
Leaven is well-suited as a picture of sin since it rapidly permeates the dough, contaminating it, souring it, fermenting it, and swelling it to many times its original size without changing its weight. In fact, this souring process (the first stage of decay) of sin is part of the curse of death decreed by God when Adam sinned (Genesis 3:19).
Since leaven pictures sin, only unleavened bread was used in the Temple. Offerings had to be pure, and anything leavened was deemed impure and unfit.
As with the other feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23, the prophetic meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is found in the work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Passover pictures the substitutionary death of the Messiah as the Passover Lamb.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the burial of the Messiah.
The Hebrew prophets foretold a day when the Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. He would be the Lamb offered up by God as the once-for-all sacrifice. The prophet Isaiah declared of the Messiah: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…When You make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:4, 6, 10).
Isaiah also predicted Messiah’s amazing burial in Isaiah 53:9…
“His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
Normally, one who dies a criminal’s death receives a criminal’s burial. But this was not the case with the Messiah. Jesus was executed as if He were a criminal, but God did not allow His body to be cast outside the city onto the garbage heap. The Messiah was honored in His burial because He was a pure, sinless (without leaven) sacrifice.
Jesus did not die for His own transgressions (He was innocent), but for ours (we are guilty). Therefore, God honored the Messiah with burial in a rich man’s tomb. Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Mt. 27:57-60). He was a rich man. God was making a statement about the innocence of the Messiah.
But there is further significance surrounding the burial of the Messiah in that His body did not return to dust. King David prophesied of the Messiah in Psalm 16:10, “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol [the grave]; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”
Obviously, King David did not prophesy this of himself. His grave has been a revered site in Jerusalem for almost 3,000 years. David’s body did decay, just like the body of everyone else who has died. But the Messiah’s body did not decay. The sons of Adam are sinners under the divine curse: “To dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
As a pure, sinless sacrifice, Jesus was not under the curse to return to dust. Therefore, Jesus came forth from the grave on the third day after He had carried our sins far away. Psalm 103:12 tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Hebrews 9:24-28 reads, For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread in that He was a pure, sinless sacrifice (unleavened bread). Seven is the number of perfection. The unleavened bread (Jesus) was eaten for seven days while sacrifices were offered (Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins).
God validated this by the Messiah’s burial in a rich man’s tomb. Furthermore, the body of Jesus was not permitted to decay in the grave (like dough soured by leaven), but was brought forth because He was not a sinner under the curse of death and decay.
5. The “So What Now?” of the Feast
It is interesting that Paul used the purging ceremony, the Bedikat Hametz, or “Search for Leaven,” to convey spiritual truth to the believers in the city of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
“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. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Paul’s message is simple and direct. For believers who have, by faith, accepted the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb upon Calvary, Passover is past history. The deliverance by Messiah, the true Passover Lamb, has already been experienced in their lives. They are now living in the Feast of Unleavened Bread where purity and separation from leaven are required.
It does no good to simply get rid of the large conspicuous loaves on the table and leave the little pieces of leaven scattered on the floor. A little leaven will contaminate everything else. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). He commands them to purge it out—all of it. In other words he pleads: “How can you enter into the Feast of Unleavened Bread still eating your leavened bread? It is not kosher. It does not belong. The two do not go together. It is an outrage! Get rid of it!”
Paul is simply stating what he later taught in Romans 6:1-18. The believer is no longer under the power (dominion) of sin—those chains have been broken. The believer is no longer a helpless slave to sin. A Christian chooses to sin when he is drawn away by his own lust (James 1:14-15).
The tragedy is that far too few believers realize this truth. They continue to be duped by the flesh into thinking and acting as if sin is still the evil taskmaster that they are obligated to obey.
In God’s sight we are now unleavened (justified and pure) and are called to lives of holiness. So Paul questions, “Why keep living as if we are not?
The presence of any leaven during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is an absolute outrage. Even the mere sight of it is a very serious matter.
Just as is done in the purging ceremony, we need to thoroughly sweep out our lives. It is not sufficient to simply throw out the conspicuous loaves on the table and hide the favorite sourdough loaf in the cupboard or allow the unnoticed crumbs to remain under the table.
We need to take the candle of God’s Word and search our lives. Every corner, every crack, and every window sill must be scrutinized in its light. The task is not complete until every speck of leaven is purged. Why? Paul gives us the motivation: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).
As we continue our examination of the “Seven Feasts of the Lord,” Israel’s second feast is named after the bread which is required to be eaten during the holiday.
The Hebrew Scriptures call this feast Hag Hamatzot. Matzah and the plural Matzot are the Hebrew words for “unleavened bread.” Therefore, this holiday is known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
15 ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 ‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19 ‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20 ‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
1. The “What?” of the Feast
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a reminder of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage, for when Israel fled from Egypt in the middle of the night, there was no time for bread dough to rise. So the Lord commanded, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 16:3).
The biblical record gives only three instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
--Special sacrifices were to be offered in the Temple each day of the feast (Lev. 23:8; Num. 28:19-24).
--The first and seventh days of the feast were Sabbaths with prohibitions on all work (Ex. 12:16).
--Leaven was strictly forbidden.
The Hebrew word for leaven is hametz, which literally means “sour.” Leaven (usually yeast or baking powder) is used to produce fermentation in bread dough. As leaven sours the dough, tiny gas bubbles are produced which cause the dough to rise.
Not only is the eating of leavened foods forbidden during the feast, but even the presence of leaven within one’s house is unlawful. The Lord commanded Moses in Exodus 12:15, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”
Disobedience to the divine command carried severe consequences! Did you notice the consequences of disobedience in Exodus 12:15 & 19? To be “cut off” meant to be put to death. An ancient Jew who did not keep this feast was guilty of a capital crime! Leaven was even forbidden in all the territory of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 16:4).
God’s command allows no room for debate. Any leaven, no matter how small the amount or how discreet its presence, is not permitted during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is not enough to simply refrain from eating leaven, or from touching leaven, or even from looking at leaven by storing it in a hidden place. All leaven must be purged out. Failure to do so is a serious breach of Mosaic law.
2. The “When?” of the Feast
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed in the early spring (March-April). It begins on the 15th day (evening of the 14th day) of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for seven days.
Because the Feast of Unleavened Bread (a seven-day holiday) begins the day after Passover (a one-day holiday), often the two holidays are blurred together and collectively referred to as “the eight days of Passover.” In the days of the Second Temple (Jesus’ time), it was also common to call all eight days the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Luke 22:1, 7).
Like Passover, this feast was instituted before the other feasts in Leviticus 23.
The Feasts of Unleavened Bread/Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles were the three annual pilgrim feasts and all Jewish men were expected to present themselves before the Lord at the Temple if at all possible.
3. The “How?” of the Feast
Observant Jewish households begin their painstaking preparations weeks before the arrival of Passover. Walls are washed and sometimes even painted. Cooking utensils are scalded. Clothing is washed with pockets turned inside out. Carpets are cleaned and vacuum bags are discarded. Everything in the house is cleaned and aired in preparation.
On the night before Passover eve, after evening prayers in the synagogue, the father of each household will perform the Bedikat Hametz, or “Search for Leaven,” ceremony. This ancient ceremony purges the last vestiges of leaven from the house. Earlier that evening, a few bits of leavened bread are placed in several corners or on window sills of the house.
After reciting the benediction for the occasion, the father begins the search. He uses an old wooden spoon in one hand and a goose feather in the other. By candlelight, he searches from room to room to discover the distributed bread scraps. The children follow behind with great excitement as he carefully uses the feather to sweep the bread he finds onto the wooden spoon. Finally, the bits of bread, the wooden spoon, and the feather are placed inside a bag or wrapped in a cloth. This is tied with a thread and set aside to be burned the next morning.
4. The “Why?” of the Feast
Sin is often pictured as leaven in Scripture (Mt. 16:6,11; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1; Gal. 5:9). The ancient rabbis believed that “leaven represents the evil impulse of the heart” (Talmud, Berachot 17a).
Leaven is well-suited as a picture of sin since it rapidly permeates the dough, contaminating it, souring it, fermenting it, and swelling it to many times its original size without changing its weight. In fact, this souring process (the first stage of decay) of sin is part of the curse of death decreed by God when Adam sinned (Genesis 3:19).
Since leaven pictures sin, only unleavened bread was used in the Temple. Offerings had to be pure, and anything leavened was deemed impure and unfit.
As with the other feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23, the prophetic meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is found in the work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Passover pictures the substitutionary death of the Messiah as the Passover Lamb.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the burial of the Messiah.
The Hebrew prophets foretold a day when the Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. He would be the Lamb offered up by God as the once-for-all sacrifice. The prophet Isaiah declared of the Messiah: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…When You make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:4, 6, 10).
Isaiah also predicted Messiah’s amazing burial in Isaiah 53:9…
“His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
Normally, one who dies a criminal’s death receives a criminal’s burial. But this was not the case with the Messiah. Jesus was executed as if He were a criminal, but God did not allow His body to be cast outside the city onto the garbage heap. The Messiah was honored in His burial because He was a pure, sinless (without leaven) sacrifice.
Jesus did not die for His own transgressions (He was innocent), but for ours (we are guilty). Therefore, God honored the Messiah with burial in a rich man’s tomb. Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Mt. 27:57-60). He was a rich man. God was making a statement about the innocence of the Messiah.
But there is further significance surrounding the burial of the Messiah in that His body did not return to dust. King David prophesied of the Messiah in Psalm 16:10, “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol [the grave]; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”
Obviously, King David did not prophesy this of himself. His grave has been a revered site in Jerusalem for almost 3,000 years. David’s body did decay, just like the body of everyone else who has died. But the Messiah’s body did not decay. The sons of Adam are sinners under the divine curse: “To dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
As a pure, sinless sacrifice, Jesus was not under the curse to return to dust. Therefore, Jesus came forth from the grave on the third day after He had carried our sins far away. Psalm 103:12 tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Hebrews 9:24-28 reads, For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread in that He was a pure, sinless sacrifice (unleavened bread). Seven is the number of perfection. The unleavened bread (Jesus) was eaten for seven days while sacrifices were offered (Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins).
God validated this by the Messiah’s burial in a rich man’s tomb. Furthermore, the body of Jesus was not permitted to decay in the grave (like dough soured by leaven), but was brought forth because He was not a sinner under the curse of death and decay.
5. The “So What Now?” of the Feast
It is interesting that Paul used the purging ceremony, the Bedikat Hametz, or “Search for Leaven,” to convey spiritual truth to the believers in the city of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
“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. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Paul’s message is simple and direct. For believers who have, by faith, accepted the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb upon Calvary, Passover is past history. The deliverance by Messiah, the true Passover Lamb, has already been experienced in their lives. They are now living in the Feast of Unleavened Bread where purity and separation from leaven are required.
It does no good to simply get rid of the large conspicuous loaves on the table and leave the little pieces of leaven scattered on the floor. A little leaven will contaminate everything else. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). He commands them to purge it out—all of it. In other words he pleads: “How can you enter into the Feast of Unleavened Bread still eating your leavened bread? It is not kosher. It does not belong. The two do not go together. It is an outrage! Get rid of it!”
Paul is simply stating what he later taught in Romans 6:1-18. The believer is no longer under the power (dominion) of sin—those chains have been broken. The believer is no longer a helpless slave to sin. A Christian chooses to sin when he is drawn away by his own lust (James 1:14-15).
The tragedy is that far too few believers realize this truth. They continue to be duped by the flesh into thinking and acting as if sin is still the evil taskmaster that they are obligated to obey.
In God’s sight we are now unleavened (justified and pure) and are called to lives of holiness. So Paul questions, “Why keep living as if we are not?
The presence of any leaven during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is an absolute outrage. Even the mere sight of it is a very serious matter.
Just as is done in the purging ceremony, we need to thoroughly sweep out our lives. It is not sufficient to simply throw out the conspicuous loaves on the table and hide the favorite sourdough loaf in the cupboard or allow the unnoticed crumbs to remain under the table.
We need to take the candle of God’s Word and search our lives. Every corner, every crack, and every window sill must be scrutinized in its light. The task is not complete until every speck of leaven is purged. Why? Paul gives us the motivation: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord #4: Passover - Part 3 (Isaiah 53:1-12)
(This series of sermons is based on the work of Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. 1997)
The Passover Seder's Symbolism
Last Sunday, we examined the Passover Seder (order of service) and its elements. Today, we shall look at the symbolism of Jesus Christ found in the Seder. Remember, this was the order of service in the day of Christ! There has not been a twisting or changing of facts to make it fit the life and death of Jesus Christ.
The Passover is a picture of the Messiah found in many passages in the Old Testament. The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah -- over 700 years before Jesus died on the cross -- of God’s ultimate fulfillment of Passover: Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Read with me the words of Isaiah 53:1-12.
[Isaiah 53]
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Seating & Lighting the Candles
The family unit receiving the Passover meal is seated around a table. This is a picture that everyone has equal access to the meal. It was the custom of the day for the children to eat after the parents—especially after the head of the household. Yet, at this meal, the youngest is seated in a place of honor on the leader’s right.
This is a picture of Jesus dying for all. Everyone has the opportunity to feast at God’s table and fellowship with God.
The mother of the household is the one who lights the candles to begin the Passover Seder. This is also a break in tradition. In the ancient Jewish home, the wife was not customarily allowed to initiate a religious observance—it was the father’s duty. The exception was Passover.
This, I believe, is a picture of the Virgin Mary. She was blessed by God and was the first to receive the news that Messiah, her Son, would be born. The candles symbolized light—from the star of Bethlehem to the glory of God shining from Jesus at the transfiguration—Jesus was God’s light in the darkness of this world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
The First Cup—the Cup of Thanksgiving
If you will recall, there are 4 cups of wine taken during the Seder. These correspond to the four statements God made about Israel’s promised deliverance in Exodus 6:6-7:
“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”
The first cup corresponds to God’s saying, “I will bring you out.” Egypt is always a picture of sin in the Bible. This cup pictures that God calls each of us to leave our sin and turn to him. This picture is continued in the next element of the ceremony.
The Washing of Hands
As the first cup is a symbolism of God’s call, or the Spirit’s conviction, the washing of hands is a picture of repentance. This idea of ceremonial washing of the outside as a picture of a new direction in life on the inside can be seen in the ministry of John the Baptist. He was baptizing people as a sign of their repentance. Christians are baptized today as a symbol of Christ’s cleansing touch on their hearts.
The Green Vegetable
The green vegetable (Karpas) was eaten after it was dipped in salt water. The vegetable was green—a spring time vegetable. This pictures a new beginning--a new life. But that new life came with many tears. The Messiah shed his blood on the cross for our sins. It was physical, emotional, and spiritual agony that Jesus endured for each of us.
The Middle Matzah
Three matzahs (unleavened bread) are stacked on top of each other. They are placed in a linen bag (tash). The middle matzah is removed and broken in half. Half is replaced in the tash and the other half is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden. The hidden half is called the afikomen.
The symbolism here is obvious. One rabbinic school of thought says the three matzahs symbolize the priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. Another rabbinic school of thought says they represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But no explanation is ever given why the Levites or Isaac must be broken.
As Christians, the symbolism is easy. The three matzahs represent the Trinity. They are One (in one bag), yet three. The middle matzah is a picture of Jesus Christ. He was broken, crucified, for us. The typical matzah has small holes in it and stripes on it from the grill it was baked on. Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and by His stripes (beatings with a whip) we are healed (Isaiah 53).
The Four Questions
The youngest person at the table recites four questions regarding the meaning of Passover (Ex. 12:26). Each of us must examine the death of Jesus and what it means. We must seek and inquire of God. Only when we understand that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins will we accept and trust in Him as our Savior.
The Second Cup—the Cup of Freedom
The second cup is the one that emphasized God’s promise to “rescue you from bondage.” This is the cup of freedom. Christ’s death on the cross delivers us from the bondage of sin (Egypt).
As the cup is shared, the first half of the Hallel (praise) is recited. The Hallel is Psalms113-118. These are same Psalms chanted by the priests as the Passover lambs were publicly slain—again a picture of Jesus dying for our sins.
The Dipping of the Matzah
Remember that the matzah (unleavened bread) symbolizes sinlessness. Jesus was perfect, without sin. The bread was dipped in horseradish and haroset (apple mixture). The bitter herb of horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of His death. The apple mixture symbolizes the sweetness of God’s deliverance from sin.
The Dinner
The main part of the dinner was the lamb. God commanded that everyone eat the lamb. Each of us must receive Christ, the Passover Lamb, into our hearts.
The Afikomen
After the meal, the broken piece of matzah that was wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden (the afikomen) is searched for by the children. When it is found, shouts of joy are heard and the child who finds it receives a special prize or reward.
Do I really need to explain this? If the middle matzah is a picture of God’s Son who was broken (crucified) for us, the afikomen is a picture of Jesus’ body in the tomb. It was wrapped in linen and hidden in the earth. On the third day, He arose from the grave! This is pictured by the children finding the afikomen and returning it to the table. It is brought back into the circle of fellowship. Everyone then eats a piece of it. Again, all of us must come to Christ on our own. When we come to the Risen Savior, we all receive the great reward of Heaven and eternal life. It was here that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
The Third Cup—the Cup of Redemption
This is the cup that corresponds to God’s statement, “I will redeem you.” To redeem means to “buy back.”
Remember, the first cup pictures the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding our sin. The second cup pictures our turning from our sin, our repentance. This third cup pictures our realization that Christ died on the cross to redeem us from our master—sin and death.
The Fourth Cup—the Cup of Acceptance
The fourth cup quickly follows the third. The fourth cup is the one Jesus said to His disciples at the institution of the Lord’s Supper that He would not drink until the Kingdom of God was fulfilled. The fourth cup is called the Cup of Acceptance. The fourth statement from Exodus 6:7 is God’s promise, “I will take you as my people.” When we receive Christ as our Redeemer, we become a child of God.
John 1:12 says, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
The Closing Hymn
The last part of the service of was the singing of the latter half of the Hallel. Jesus sang Psalm 118:22-26 as He was leaving the Seder just a little while before His arrest and crucifixion. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Jesus was rejected by the majority of the nation. Yet, He is the Chief Cornerstone. He has ascended to heaven and will return one day. The nation of Israel will receive Him as Messiah on that day.
Conclusion
There is no question that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Scripture records it. History echoes it. Yet one final Passover question remains, and it is the most important of all:
“Is He your Passover Lamb—have you placed your trust in the Messiah and His sacrifice as your only hope of heaven?”
Even as the ancient Israelite was required to individually apply the blood to his door; so, too, today men and women must individually make a decision concerning the Lamb of God. There is still no deliverance without the Lamb.
The Passover Seder's Symbolism
Last Sunday, we examined the Passover Seder (order of service) and its elements. Today, we shall look at the symbolism of Jesus Christ found in the Seder. Remember, this was the order of service in the day of Christ! There has not been a twisting or changing of facts to make it fit the life and death of Jesus Christ.
The Passover is a picture of the Messiah found in many passages in the Old Testament. The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah -- over 700 years before Jesus died on the cross -- of God’s ultimate fulfillment of Passover: Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Read with me the words of Isaiah 53:1-12.
[Isaiah 53]
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Seating & Lighting the Candles
The family unit receiving the Passover meal is seated around a table. This is a picture that everyone has equal access to the meal. It was the custom of the day for the children to eat after the parents—especially after the head of the household. Yet, at this meal, the youngest is seated in a place of honor on the leader’s right.
This is a picture of Jesus dying for all. Everyone has the opportunity to feast at God’s table and fellowship with God.
The mother of the household is the one who lights the candles to begin the Passover Seder. This is also a break in tradition. In the ancient Jewish home, the wife was not customarily allowed to initiate a religious observance—it was the father’s duty. The exception was Passover.
This, I believe, is a picture of the Virgin Mary. She was blessed by God and was the first to receive the news that Messiah, her Son, would be born. The candles symbolized light—from the star of Bethlehem to the glory of God shining from Jesus at the transfiguration—Jesus was God’s light in the darkness of this world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
The First Cup—the Cup of Thanksgiving
If you will recall, there are 4 cups of wine taken during the Seder. These correspond to the four statements God made about Israel’s promised deliverance in Exodus 6:6-7:
“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”
The first cup corresponds to God’s saying, “I will bring you out.” Egypt is always a picture of sin in the Bible. This cup pictures that God calls each of us to leave our sin and turn to him. This picture is continued in the next element of the ceremony.
The Washing of Hands
As the first cup is a symbolism of God’s call, or the Spirit’s conviction, the washing of hands is a picture of repentance. This idea of ceremonial washing of the outside as a picture of a new direction in life on the inside can be seen in the ministry of John the Baptist. He was baptizing people as a sign of their repentance. Christians are baptized today as a symbol of Christ’s cleansing touch on their hearts.
The Green Vegetable
The green vegetable (Karpas) was eaten after it was dipped in salt water. The vegetable was green—a spring time vegetable. This pictures a new beginning--a new life. But that new life came with many tears. The Messiah shed his blood on the cross for our sins. It was physical, emotional, and spiritual agony that Jesus endured for each of us.
The Middle Matzah
Three matzahs (unleavened bread) are stacked on top of each other. They are placed in a linen bag (tash). The middle matzah is removed and broken in half. Half is replaced in the tash and the other half is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden. The hidden half is called the afikomen.
The symbolism here is obvious. One rabbinic school of thought says the three matzahs symbolize the priests, the Levites, and the Israelites. Another rabbinic school of thought says they represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But no explanation is ever given why the Levites or Isaac must be broken.
As Christians, the symbolism is easy. The three matzahs represent the Trinity. They are One (in one bag), yet three. The middle matzah is a picture of Jesus Christ. He was broken, crucified, for us. The typical matzah has small holes in it and stripes on it from the grill it was baked on. Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and by His stripes (beatings with a whip) we are healed (Isaiah 53).
The Four Questions
The youngest person at the table recites four questions regarding the meaning of Passover (Ex. 12:26). Each of us must examine the death of Jesus and what it means. We must seek and inquire of God. Only when we understand that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins will we accept and trust in Him as our Savior.
The Second Cup—the Cup of Freedom
The second cup is the one that emphasized God’s promise to “rescue you from bondage.” This is the cup of freedom. Christ’s death on the cross delivers us from the bondage of sin (Egypt).
As the cup is shared, the first half of the Hallel (praise) is recited. The Hallel is Psalms113-118. These are same Psalms chanted by the priests as the Passover lambs were publicly slain—again a picture of Jesus dying for our sins.
The Dipping of the Matzah
Remember that the matzah (unleavened bread) symbolizes sinlessness. Jesus was perfect, without sin. The bread was dipped in horseradish and haroset (apple mixture). The bitter herb of horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of His death. The apple mixture symbolizes the sweetness of God’s deliverance from sin.
The Dinner
The main part of the dinner was the lamb. God commanded that everyone eat the lamb. Each of us must receive Christ, the Passover Lamb, into our hearts.
The Afikomen
After the meal, the broken piece of matzah that was wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden (the afikomen) is searched for by the children. When it is found, shouts of joy are heard and the child who finds it receives a special prize or reward.
Do I really need to explain this? If the middle matzah is a picture of God’s Son who was broken (crucified) for us, the afikomen is a picture of Jesus’ body in the tomb. It was wrapped in linen and hidden in the earth. On the third day, He arose from the grave! This is pictured by the children finding the afikomen and returning it to the table. It is brought back into the circle of fellowship. Everyone then eats a piece of it. Again, all of us must come to Christ on our own. When we come to the Risen Savior, we all receive the great reward of Heaven and eternal life. It was here that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
The Third Cup—the Cup of Redemption
This is the cup that corresponds to God’s statement, “I will redeem you.” To redeem means to “buy back.”
Remember, the first cup pictures the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding our sin. The second cup pictures our turning from our sin, our repentance. This third cup pictures our realization that Christ died on the cross to redeem us from our master—sin and death.
The Fourth Cup—the Cup of Acceptance
The fourth cup quickly follows the third. The fourth cup is the one Jesus said to His disciples at the institution of the Lord’s Supper that He would not drink until the Kingdom of God was fulfilled. The fourth cup is called the Cup of Acceptance. The fourth statement from Exodus 6:7 is God’s promise, “I will take you as my people.” When we receive Christ as our Redeemer, we become a child of God.
John 1:12 says, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
The Closing Hymn
The last part of the service of was the singing of the latter half of the Hallel. Jesus sang Psalm 118:22-26 as He was leaving the Seder just a little while before His arrest and crucifixion. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Jesus was rejected by the majority of the nation. Yet, He is the Chief Cornerstone. He has ascended to heaven and will return one day. The nation of Israel will receive Him as Messiah on that day.
Conclusion
There is no question that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Scripture records it. History echoes it. Yet one final Passover question remains, and it is the most important of all:
“Is He your Passover Lamb—have you placed your trust in the Messiah and His sacrifice as your only hope of heaven?”
Even as the ancient Israelite was required to individually apply the blood to his door; so, too, today men and women must individually make a decision concerning the Lamb of God. There is still no deliverance without the Lamb.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord #3: Passover - Part 2 (Exodus 12:21-28)
(This series of sermons is based on the work of Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. 1997)
{Be sure to pick up the handout listing the seven feasts of the Lord on the little table in the foyer.}
Last Sunday I began our study of the Feast of Passover in Exodus 12. If you will recall, there was only one Passover when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt in judgment. Every observance since then has been a memorial commemorating that occasion. In Exodus 12:21-28 the Lord commanded the Jewish people to observe this feast as a memorial forever.
[Exodus 12:21-28]
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.
22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 “When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’ ” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
God ordered in verse 25 that Passover was to be kept by a rite, or service. The service was to incorporate the lamb, matzah (unleavened bread), and bitter herbs. Verses 26-27 tell us the purpose of the service was to raise questions in the minds of the children so that the Exodus story could be rehearsed from generation to generation.
God did not tell the Israelites everything that was to be included in the service, only that it was to be kept. Today, we will explore the traditional Passover Seder (order of service), and next Sunday we will examine the beautiful picture of Jesus that is presented to us.
Several centuries before Christ’s birth, the ritual Passover Seder (meaning order of service) emerged. It prescribed the traditional order of the Scripture readings, prayers, symbolic foods, and songs in the Passover service.
The basic order of the Passover Seder today is the same as in the days of Jesus. The service continued to be embellished with more songs and traditions up through the middle ages. Yet, when Jesus and the apostles met in the upper room on the night before the crucifixion, it was this very order of service that was followed.
As the Passover holiday grows near, painstaking preparation takes place within the observant Jewish home to rid it of all leavened bread and related products. Houses are scrubbed, pockets are turned inside out and laundered, cooking utensils are scalded, and everyday dinnerware and flatware are replaced with the finest Passover china, silver, and crystal.
If you think that our services are sometimes quite lengthy, the Passover service takes a number of hours. During the Seder, the Passover story unfolds through many prayers, songs, and narrative readings in the Haggadah (“the telling”; it is a book that relates the Passover story through readings, songs, and prayers). The Seder sometimes lasts until midnight, or even into the early hours of the morning.
The Special Seating Arrangements
As the family is seated, special seating arrangements are observed. The leader sits at the head of the dinner table. The youngest sits at his right side in order to fulfill a special role later in the Seder. To the left of the leader, a guest of honor is seated, or sometimes the place setting is reserved for the prophet Elijah.
The Lighting of the Passover Candles
The mother of the house ushers in the holiday by lighting the Passover candles. She then covers her eyes with her hands and recites a Hebrew blessing over the candles thanking God for the special occasion: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has set us apart by His Word, and in whose Name we light the festival lights.”
The First Cup—the Cup of Thanksgiving
Wine is often a symbol of the joy of harvest; four cups of wine are shared during the Passover Seder to reflect the fourfold joyous promises of the Lord’s redemption.
The Lord used four promises regarding His deliverance from Egypt in Exodus 6:6-7: “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”
The four promises of God are:
*I will bring you out.
*I will deliver you from their bondage.
*I will also redeem you.
*I will take you for My people
To begin the service, the father (leader) pours the first cup of wine and asks everyone to rise from the table. The father then lifts his cup toward heaven and recites the Kiddush (“prayer of sanctification”) to set the day apart to God:
It was the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as the leader of the Seder service observed in the Upper Room, who said the Kiddush. Luke 22:17 says, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks.”
The Washing of the Hands
The next part of the Seder is known as the “washing of the hands.” One of the family members brings a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a towel to each person at the table to wash his hands. This is a symbolic act of purification as they prepare to handle the food.
It was at this point that Jesus chose to teach the disciples an object lesson. Instead of just washing hands, John 13:4-5 tells us that Jesus “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them off with the towel with which He was girded.”
Jesus was showing them that He was about to become the Suffering Servant of the Lord, and as such, He would be the One to cleanse not just their hands, but their even dirtier feet.
The Green Vegetable
After the hands are washed, the karpas (green vegetable) is dipped into salt water and eaten. The green vegetable is a reminder that Passover occurs in the springtime—the time of beginning. The salt water is a reminder of the tears of pain and suffering shed by the Jewish people in slavery.
The Middle Matzah
Three matzahs (unleavened bread loaves) are placed on top of each other and placed in a linen bag, called a matzah tash.
The leader removes the middle matzah from between the upper and lower matzah. He removes it from the bag and breaks it in half. Half is replaced in the bag, or tash. The other half is carefully wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden somewhere in the house while the children cover their eyes. It reappears later in the service to illustrate a very important truth.
The Four Questions
Next, the youngest child is called on to recite his diligently rehearsed part. The child asks the traditional Passover questions to fulfill Exodus 12:26: “When your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’” Beaming with joy and accomplishment the child will ask:
Often the youngest will recline upon the leader. This was the context of the Apostle John reclining upon Jesus at their Passover supper. John recorded, “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of the disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). This would indicate that John sat to the right of the Savior and was the youngest at the meal, a position consistent with early church tradition that John was the youngest apostle. John had the honor of asking the questions that night.
The Second Cup—the Cup of Freedom
In response to the four questions, the second cup of wine is poured. A lengthy narrative recounting the Passover story begins. The story relates the whole panorama of the beginnings of the nation: the calling of Abraham in Ur; God’s promises to the patriarchs; the story of Joseph and his brothers; the enslavement of the Jewish nation; the deliverance brought at the hand of Moses; and the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai.
As the ten plagues are described, a tiny bit of wine is poured out for each plague. This expresses the sorrow felt for the suffering of the Egyptians. As the Passover story unfolds, each element on the table is carefully explained and woven into the telling of the story.
Before the second cup of wine is taken, the first half of the praise psalms, known in Judaism as the Hallel (Psalm 113-118), is recited responsively. Hallel is a Hebrew word meaning “praise.” This word has made its way into many languages in the form of hallelujah (“praise Jehovah”).
According to the Talmud, which records ancient rabbinic commentary on Jewish practices, the Levites would chant this group of psalms while the Passover lambs for each family were being sacrificed.
The Dipping of the Matzah
In preparation for the meal, everyone present washes his hands a second time for ceremonial cleansing.
The upper matzah and the remainder of the middle matzah are broken into pieces and distributed to everyone. Each person must eat a piece of matzah dipped in horseradish and haroset (apple mixture). This is a reminder of the sweetness of God’s redemption in the midst of their bitter slavery. The leader will dip a piece of matzah and give it to the guest of honor seated to his left.
Each person then puts a filling of horseradish between two pieces of the matzah. This is called the “Hillel Sandwich.” It is named in honor of an ancient rabbi who was brilliant and highly revered. He taught that enough of the bitter herb should be eaten to bring tears to the eyes. In this way, each participant can identify with tears shed by their forefathers in Egyptian slavery.
It was this ritual which gave rise to another important event in the Last Supper. Jesus foretold that one of the disciples would betray Him (John 13:21-27). Peter motioned to John who was reclining against Jesus to inquire of whom this was spoken. Jesus replied that it would be the one to whom He gave a dipped piece of matzah. Jesus dipped the matzah and gave it to Judas Iscariot.
The Scripture is not specific as to the seating arrangement. Most likely, Judas was sitting to the left of the Lord in the seat of honor and naturally would have received the dipped matzah. Or, Jesus may have reached across the circle to begin with Judas first. However, if tradition was kept, everyone received a dipped piece of matzah that night. Perhaps this is why the disciples were still not clear as to who would be the betrayer. In either case, after this, Judas left the service and went out to finalize the betrayal. This ceremony occurred before the meal, and Judas was not present later when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper after the dinner.
The Dinner
At last, it is time for the Passover dinner. In the day of Jesus, it would have consisted of roasted lamb, served with bitter herbs and matzah. Today, however, the meal is far more varied and sumptuous. Today’s typical Jewish Passover meal includes gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, glazed chicken, matzah nut stuffing, potato kugel, honeyed carrots, stewed fruit, and sponge cake. In observant Jewish homes of today, it is a meal fit for a king!
The Afikomen
After the meal, the children (or adults if no children are present) are sent out to find the broken half-matzah that was wrapped and hidden away. It is known as the afikomen. The children search high and low with great excitement. The one who finds it receives a special prize. The children shout with delight to announce when the treasured afikomen is found.
Each person eats a piece of the afikomen that is broken off. It is a reminder of the Passover lamb.
We don’t think about the apostles playing a game in searching for the afikomen which Jesus hid that night! Most likely, it was after the afikomen had been found, that Jesus said these words in Luke 22:19: “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
This was the first part of Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper.
The Third Cup—the Cup of Redemption
Immediately after the afikomen has been eaten, the third cup of wine, called the Cup of Redemption, is poured and shared.
It was here in the Passover Seder that the Messiah instituted the second part of the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:20 says, “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’”
It was the third cup or Cup of Redemption, that Jesus chose to be a reminder of His work on the cross.
Passover is closely associated with the fervent hope for the coming of the Messiah. After the third cup, a child is sent to the front door to open it and hopefully welcome in the prophet Elijah. It is hoped that the prophet will step through the doorway, drink his cup of wine, and announce the coming of the Messiah. This tradition is rooted in Malachi 4:5 which says, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”
Many believe that Elijah will be one of the two messianic witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11 since one of them will perform the miracles of Elijah. Although the Scripture teaches that Elijah will return in the future, it does not name the two witnesses, and one cannot be absolutely dogmatic about their identification.
The Fourth Cup—the Cup of Acceptance
The fourth cup of wine, called the Cup of Acceptance, or Cup of Praise, is poured and taken. It was this cup that the Messiah said He would not drink until He drank it with the disciples in the Kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 26:29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Jesus knew that the hour of His acceptance by His Jewish nation was yet future—at His second coming. His joy would not be full until then.
The Closing Hymn
At the conclusion of the service, a hymn is usually sung or recited. This was also the tradition in the day of Jesus. Matthew 26:30 states, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out.” Perhaps since Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, he knew that they would know the name of the hymn since, by tradition, every Seder ends with the latter half of the Hallel (Psalm 115-118).
Conclusion
I want you to note that just hours before Jesus was betrayed and went to the cross, at the end of the Passover seder, He sang the prophetic words of Psalm 118:22-26: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Messiah sang these words just hours before He fulfilled them in becoming the stone that was rejected by the religious leaders.
How utterly tragic that the majority of the Jewish nation did not realize the truth of this Psalm, that the Messiah would first be rejected and suffer before He would reign on David’s throne. How doubly tragic, since Psalm 118 was a messianic psalm sung to Jesus proclaiming Him the Messiah at His so-called triumphal entry.
Don’t make the same mistake and reject Jesus! He is the Messiah who gave His life on the cross to save you from your sins. Come to Him now!
{Be sure to pick up the handout listing the seven feasts of the Lord on the little table in the foyer.}
Last Sunday I began our study of the Feast of Passover in Exodus 12. If you will recall, there was only one Passover when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt in judgment. Every observance since then has been a memorial commemorating that occasion. In Exodus 12:21-28 the Lord commanded the Jewish people to observe this feast as a memorial forever.
[Exodus 12:21-28]
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.
22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 “When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’ ” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
God ordered in verse 25 that Passover was to be kept by a rite, or service. The service was to incorporate the lamb, matzah (unleavened bread), and bitter herbs. Verses 26-27 tell us the purpose of the service was to raise questions in the minds of the children so that the Exodus story could be rehearsed from generation to generation.
God did not tell the Israelites everything that was to be included in the service, only that it was to be kept. Today, we will explore the traditional Passover Seder (order of service), and next Sunday we will examine the beautiful picture of Jesus that is presented to us.
Several centuries before Christ’s birth, the ritual Passover Seder (meaning order of service) emerged. It prescribed the traditional order of the Scripture readings, prayers, symbolic foods, and songs in the Passover service.
The basic order of the Passover Seder today is the same as in the days of Jesus. The service continued to be embellished with more songs and traditions up through the middle ages. Yet, when Jesus and the apostles met in the upper room on the night before the crucifixion, it was this very order of service that was followed.
As the Passover holiday grows near, painstaking preparation takes place within the observant Jewish home to rid it of all leavened bread and related products. Houses are scrubbed, pockets are turned inside out and laundered, cooking utensils are scalded, and everyday dinnerware and flatware are replaced with the finest Passover china, silver, and crystal.
If you think that our services are sometimes quite lengthy, the Passover service takes a number of hours. During the Seder, the Passover story unfolds through many prayers, songs, and narrative readings in the Haggadah (“the telling”; it is a book that relates the Passover story through readings, songs, and prayers). The Seder sometimes lasts until midnight, or even into the early hours of the morning.
The Special Seating Arrangements
As the family is seated, special seating arrangements are observed. The leader sits at the head of the dinner table. The youngest sits at his right side in order to fulfill a special role later in the Seder. To the left of the leader, a guest of honor is seated, or sometimes the place setting is reserved for the prophet Elijah.
The Lighting of the Passover Candles
The mother of the house ushers in the holiday by lighting the Passover candles. She then covers her eyes with her hands and recites a Hebrew blessing over the candles thanking God for the special occasion: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has set us apart by His Word, and in whose Name we light the festival lights.”
The First Cup—the Cup of Thanksgiving
Wine is often a symbol of the joy of harvest; four cups of wine are shared during the Passover Seder to reflect the fourfold joyous promises of the Lord’s redemption.
The Lord used four promises regarding His deliverance from Egypt in Exodus 6:6-7: “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”
The four promises of God are:
*I will bring you out.
*I will deliver you from their bondage.
*I will also redeem you.
*I will take you for My people
To begin the service, the father (leader) pours the first cup of wine and asks everyone to rise from the table. The father then lifts his cup toward heaven and recites the Kiddush (“prayer of sanctification”) to set the day apart to God:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who createst the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, Who hast chosen us for Thy service from among the nations…Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who hast kept us in life, Who hast preserved us, and hast enabled us to reach this season.
It was the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as the leader of the Seder service observed in the Upper Room, who said the Kiddush. Luke 22:17 says, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks.”
The Washing of the Hands
The next part of the Seder is known as the “washing of the hands.” One of the family members brings a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a towel to each person at the table to wash his hands. This is a symbolic act of purification as they prepare to handle the food.
It was at this point that Jesus chose to teach the disciples an object lesson. Instead of just washing hands, John 13:4-5 tells us that Jesus “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them off with the towel with which He was girded.”
Jesus was showing them that He was about to become the Suffering Servant of the Lord, and as such, He would be the One to cleanse not just their hands, but their even dirtier feet.
The Green Vegetable
After the hands are washed, the karpas (green vegetable) is dipped into salt water and eaten. The green vegetable is a reminder that Passover occurs in the springtime—the time of beginning. The salt water is a reminder of the tears of pain and suffering shed by the Jewish people in slavery.
The Middle Matzah
Three matzahs (unleavened bread loaves) are placed on top of each other and placed in a linen bag, called a matzah tash.
The leader removes the middle matzah from between the upper and lower matzah. He removes it from the bag and breaks it in half. Half is replaced in the bag, or tash. The other half is carefully wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden somewhere in the house while the children cover their eyes. It reappears later in the service to illustrate a very important truth.
The Four Questions
Next, the youngest child is called on to recite his diligently rehearsed part. The child asks the traditional Passover questions to fulfill Exodus 12:26: “When your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’” Beaming with joy and accomplishment the child will ask:
Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights, we eat either leavened or unleavened bread, but on this night, only unleavened bread? On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night, only bitter herbs? On all other nights, we do not dip even once, but on this night, we dip twice? On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night, we eat reclining?
Often the youngest will recline upon the leader. This was the context of the Apostle John reclining upon Jesus at their Passover supper. John recorded, “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of the disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). This would indicate that John sat to the right of the Savior and was the youngest at the meal, a position consistent with early church tradition that John was the youngest apostle. John had the honor of asking the questions that night.
The Second Cup—the Cup of Freedom
In response to the four questions, the second cup of wine is poured. A lengthy narrative recounting the Passover story begins. The story relates the whole panorama of the beginnings of the nation: the calling of Abraham in Ur; God’s promises to the patriarchs; the story of Joseph and his brothers; the enslavement of the Jewish nation; the deliverance brought at the hand of Moses; and the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai.
As the ten plagues are described, a tiny bit of wine is poured out for each plague. This expresses the sorrow felt for the suffering of the Egyptians. As the Passover story unfolds, each element on the table is carefully explained and woven into the telling of the story.
Before the second cup of wine is taken, the first half of the praise psalms, known in Judaism as the Hallel (Psalm 113-118), is recited responsively. Hallel is a Hebrew word meaning “praise.” This word has made its way into many languages in the form of hallelujah (“praise Jehovah”).
According to the Talmud, which records ancient rabbinic commentary on Jewish practices, the Levites would chant this group of psalms while the Passover lambs for each family were being sacrificed.
The Dipping of the Matzah
In preparation for the meal, everyone present washes his hands a second time for ceremonial cleansing.
The upper matzah and the remainder of the middle matzah are broken into pieces and distributed to everyone. Each person must eat a piece of matzah dipped in horseradish and haroset (apple mixture). This is a reminder of the sweetness of God’s redemption in the midst of their bitter slavery. The leader will dip a piece of matzah and give it to the guest of honor seated to his left.
Each person then puts a filling of horseradish between two pieces of the matzah. This is called the “Hillel Sandwich.” It is named in honor of an ancient rabbi who was brilliant and highly revered. He taught that enough of the bitter herb should be eaten to bring tears to the eyes. In this way, each participant can identify with tears shed by their forefathers in Egyptian slavery.
It was this ritual which gave rise to another important event in the Last Supper. Jesus foretold that one of the disciples would betray Him (John 13:21-27). Peter motioned to John who was reclining against Jesus to inquire of whom this was spoken. Jesus replied that it would be the one to whom He gave a dipped piece of matzah. Jesus dipped the matzah and gave it to Judas Iscariot.
The Scripture is not specific as to the seating arrangement. Most likely, Judas was sitting to the left of the Lord in the seat of honor and naturally would have received the dipped matzah. Or, Jesus may have reached across the circle to begin with Judas first. However, if tradition was kept, everyone received a dipped piece of matzah that night. Perhaps this is why the disciples were still not clear as to who would be the betrayer. In either case, after this, Judas left the service and went out to finalize the betrayal. This ceremony occurred before the meal, and Judas was not present later when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper after the dinner.
The Dinner
At last, it is time for the Passover dinner. In the day of Jesus, it would have consisted of roasted lamb, served with bitter herbs and matzah. Today, however, the meal is far more varied and sumptuous. Today’s typical Jewish Passover meal includes gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, glazed chicken, matzah nut stuffing, potato kugel, honeyed carrots, stewed fruit, and sponge cake. In observant Jewish homes of today, it is a meal fit for a king!
The Afikomen
After the meal, the children (or adults if no children are present) are sent out to find the broken half-matzah that was wrapped and hidden away. It is known as the afikomen. The children search high and low with great excitement. The one who finds it receives a special prize. The children shout with delight to announce when the treasured afikomen is found.
Each person eats a piece of the afikomen that is broken off. It is a reminder of the Passover lamb.
We don’t think about the apostles playing a game in searching for the afikomen which Jesus hid that night! Most likely, it was after the afikomen had been found, that Jesus said these words in Luke 22:19: “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
This was the first part of Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper.
The Third Cup—the Cup of Redemption
Immediately after the afikomen has been eaten, the third cup of wine, called the Cup of Redemption, is poured and shared.
It was here in the Passover Seder that the Messiah instituted the second part of the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:20 says, “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’”
It was the third cup or Cup of Redemption, that Jesus chose to be a reminder of His work on the cross.
Passover is closely associated with the fervent hope for the coming of the Messiah. After the third cup, a child is sent to the front door to open it and hopefully welcome in the prophet Elijah. It is hoped that the prophet will step through the doorway, drink his cup of wine, and announce the coming of the Messiah. This tradition is rooted in Malachi 4:5 which says, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”
Many believe that Elijah will be one of the two messianic witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11 since one of them will perform the miracles of Elijah. Although the Scripture teaches that Elijah will return in the future, it does not name the two witnesses, and one cannot be absolutely dogmatic about their identification.
The Fourth Cup—the Cup of Acceptance
The fourth cup of wine, called the Cup of Acceptance, or Cup of Praise, is poured and taken. It was this cup that the Messiah said He would not drink until He drank it with the disciples in the Kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 26:29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Jesus knew that the hour of His acceptance by His Jewish nation was yet future—at His second coming. His joy would not be full until then.
The Closing Hymn
At the conclusion of the service, a hymn is usually sung or recited. This was also the tradition in the day of Jesus. Matthew 26:30 states, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out.” Perhaps since Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, he knew that they would know the name of the hymn since, by tradition, every Seder ends with the latter half of the Hallel (Psalm 115-118).
Conclusion
I want you to note that just hours before Jesus was betrayed and went to the cross, at the end of the Passover seder, He sang the prophetic words of Psalm 118:22-26: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Messiah sang these words just hours before He fulfilled them in becoming the stone that was rejected by the religious leaders.
How utterly tragic that the majority of the Jewish nation did not realize the truth of this Psalm, that the Messiah would first be rejected and suffer before He would reign on David’s throne. How doubly tragic, since Psalm 118 was a messianic psalm sung to Jesus proclaiming Him the Messiah at His so-called triumphal entry.
Don’t make the same mistake and reject Jesus! He is the Messiah who gave His life on the cross to save you from your sins. Come to Him now!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord #2: Passover - Part 1 (Exodus 12:1-14)
(This series of sermons is based on the work of Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. 1997)
Two weeks ago, I introduced this series of messages on the seven “Feasts of the Lord.” The special holidays, or “holy days,” instituted by God were to be observed by the nation of Israel. While given to the Jewish people, these feasts are worthy of our attention because they point us to the Messiah—Jesus Christ. In Leviticus 23 we are given a list of these seven feasts. Today, and through the remainder of the month, we will examine the first feast: Passover.
Passover is the oldest holiday in human history. It spans some 3500 years of humanity. It is as old as the pyramids of Egypt. The Passover story begins with a death decree for all Jewish boys, soon followed by a bobbing baby in a basket in the Nile River. The Passover story features a cosmic game of chicken between Moses and a Pharaoh as God piles up plagues. There is a burning bush, slaves set free, an ocean opening, a drowning cavalry, and the birth of a nation at the base of a mountain.
Passover’s powerful message is practical for today. Understanding this holiday will bring to life the imagery in the events of the Upper Room, the symbolism of the Lord’s Table, and the meaning of Messiah’s death.
[ Ex. 12:1-14]
In Exodus 12:1-14 we read:
1 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
3 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.
4 ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.
5 ‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 ‘You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.
7 ‘Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 ‘They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 ‘Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
10 ‘And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
11 ‘Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.
12 ‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.
13 ‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
1. THE CORE OF PASSOVER
The Jewish people had been held as slaves for more than 400 years in Egypt. God was now going to bring them back to the Promised Land that was promised to the descendants of Abraham. In Exodus 11, God gave a warning the 10th and final judgment plague would befall the Egyptians and their false gods. At midnight, the Lord would pass through the land and kill the firstborn of each family and of all the cattle. With this final, climactic plague, God would dramatically free His people from the slavery of Egypt.
In Exodus 12, God instituted the Passover in explicit steps to be taken by those who trusted in Him so that they, unlike Pharaoh and the Egyptians, would not be struck down by the final plague.
In all biblical passages which address the subject of Passover, the lamb was at the core of Passover. It was the centerpiece of all that was occurring. If there was no lamb given, there would be no deliverance gained. So central was the lamb to the Passover observance that the term “the Passover” came be used interchangeably of the lamb, as well as the holiday. In Exodus 12:21 we read, Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. One could not exist without the other. The holiday was embodied in the lamb—without it, the holiday was meaningless.
What were the Israelites commanded regarding Passover in Exodus 12?
*They were to select a year-old male lamb in its prime.
*The lamb was to be a perfect lamb without any defect or flaw.
*It was to be taken out from the flock on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and kept until the fourteenth day of the month.
*On the evening of the fourteenth, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed by “the whole assembly.” This was to be done at “twilight”—the time between the descent of the sun and evening. This was from 3 PM to 5 PM.
*While all the assembly was responsible for the death of the lambs, each family was to individually apply the blood of their lamb to the doorposts of their home as a visible sign of their faith in the Lord (Ex. 12:13).
*At that moment, the innocent lamb became their substitute making it possible for the Lord’s judgment to “pass over” them.
*The lamb was to be roasted whole with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of the firstborn.
*The lamb was to be eaten by each person in the household. Any that was leftover was to be burned.
*God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night—the lamb, unleavened bread (Matzah), and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).
*And so the Lord instituted Passover as a “night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations” (Ex. 12:42).
2. THE CHRONOLOGY OF PASSOVER
Passover is a one-day feast that is immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both feasts today are usually blended and blurred together as a single entity and simply called “Passover.”
God ordained that Passover be observed each year on Nisan 14 (March/April), the day that God delivered His people from Egypt (Ex. 12:6).
God’s deliverance was so mighty and so awesome that Israel’s religious calendar was forever altered. The Jewish people reckon a new year’s beginning in two different ways: a civil new year in the fall with the month of Tishri; and a religious new year, which begins in the spring with the month of Nisan, in commemoration of this miraculous deliverance. The month of Nisan (known as Abib before Babylonian captivity, Ex. 13:4) became the first month of the Hebrew religious year from that time forward (Ex. 12:2).
3. THE CONTINUITY OF PASSOVER
Passover is the oldest continuously observed feast in existence today, celebrated for some 3,500 years. For the Jews, Passover was so important that God gave an alternate date for those who were unable to observe Passover on Nisan 14. God commanded in Numbers 9 that those who had become defiled by touching a dead body or were away on a long journey were to celebrate Passover thirty days later on the fourteenth day of the second month. No other feast of the Lord offers a “rain check.”
There was only one Passover when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt in judgment. Every observance since then has been a memorial commemorating that occasion (Ex. 12:14; 13:3). It was commanded to be a memorial forever.
[ Ex. 12:25-27]
God also declared in Exodus 12:25-27 that is was to be kept by a service:
25 “When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’ ” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
Did you see the purpose for this service? The service was to raise questions in the minds of the children so that the Exodus story could be rehearsed from generation to generation.
The Lord, however, did not detail the order of the service, only that it was to be kept. The next two Sundays, we will explore the traditional Passover Seder (order of service) and examine the perfect picture of Jesus that is presented to us.
4. THE CHARACTER OF THE PASSOVER LAMB
As I said earlier, the lamb was the core of the Passover observance. The character of the lamb in the Passover is a picture of God’s Passover Lamb- Jesus Christ.
*They were to select a year-old male lamb in its prime.
Jesus was a man in the prime of His life at age 33.
*The lamb was to be a perfect lamb without any defect or flaw.
Jesus was sinless. He lived a pure life and was faultless.
*It was to be taken out from the flock on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and kept until the fourteenth day of the month. Each family was to observe the lamb and confirm that it was fit. This would also allow time for each family to become personally attached to their lamb so that it would no longer be just a lamb (Ex. 12:3), but their lamb (Ex. 12:5). This would deeply impress upon them the costly nature of the sacrifice. An innocent one was to die in their place.
Jesus left His natural place in heaven and came to earth for a short time. Jesus was born into God’s chosen people. The nation of Israel witnessed His ministry, teachings, miracles, and sinlessness. He was indeed the only One who would be an acceptable sacrifice. An innocent one was to die in their place.
The sacrifice was costly—God’s own Son.
*On the evening of the fourteenth, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed by “the whole assembly.” This was to be done at “twilight”—the time between the descent of the sun and evening. This was from 3 PM to 5 PM.
Jesus died at 3 PM on Nisan 14. He had been rejected and sent to His death by the assembly of the people.
*While all the assembly was responsible for the death of the lambs, each family was to individually apply the blood of their lamb to the doorposts of their home as a visible sign of their faith in the Lord (Ex. 12:13).
All of us are responsible for Christ’s death—He died for OUR sins. Yet, each one of us must come to Christ in faith and let His blood cover our sins, or God’s eternal judgment will not “pass over” us.
*At that moment, the innocent lamb became their substitute, making it possible for the Lord’s judgment to “pass over” them.
Jesus was innocent. He died in your place and took your judgment.
*The lamb was to be roasted whole with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of the firstborn.
Jesus took ALL of God’s judgment for us. God did not spare Him in any way.
*The lamb was to be eaten by each person in the household. Any that was leftover was to be burned.
Jesus must be YOUR Savior and Lord—not your parents’ or grandparents’. You can only receive Him for yourself. No one can get to heaven on your “leftovers.”
*God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night—the lamb, unleavened bread (Matzah), and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).
Jesus was the lamb. He was pure and sinless. Yet, He died a bitter death as He took our place on the cross.
*And so the Lord instituted Passover as a “night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations” (Ex. 12:42).
For the Christian, the Lord’s Supper is our memorial of what Christ did for us.
Dr. Eleanor Chestnut was a medical missionary in China during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. She built a hospital and performed surgery for free. One operation involved the amputation of a common laborer’s leg. Complications arose, and skin grafts were needed. A few days later, another doctor asked Dr. Chestnut why she was limping. “Oh, it nothing,” was her reply.
Finally, a nurse told the inquisitive doctor that the skin graft for the patient came from Dr. Chestnut’s own leg.
A few years later, in 1905’s Boxer Rebellion, Dr. Chestnut was killed by the very people she was helping.
Christ came to help us and gave His life for us. Will you honor His death for you by your living for Him?
Two weeks ago, I introduced this series of messages on the seven “Feasts of the Lord.” The special holidays, or “holy days,” instituted by God were to be observed by the nation of Israel. While given to the Jewish people, these feasts are worthy of our attention because they point us to the Messiah—Jesus Christ. In Leviticus 23 we are given a list of these seven feasts. Today, and through the remainder of the month, we will examine the first feast: Passover.
Passover is the oldest holiday in human history. It spans some 3500 years of humanity. It is as old as the pyramids of Egypt. The Passover story begins with a death decree for all Jewish boys, soon followed by a bobbing baby in a basket in the Nile River. The Passover story features a cosmic game of chicken between Moses and a Pharaoh as God piles up plagues. There is a burning bush, slaves set free, an ocean opening, a drowning cavalry, and the birth of a nation at the base of a mountain.
Passover’s powerful message is practical for today. Understanding this holiday will bring to life the imagery in the events of the Upper Room, the symbolism of the Lord’s Table, and the meaning of Messiah’s death.
[ Ex. 12:1-14]
In Exodus 12:1-14 we read:
1 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
3 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.
4 ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.
5 ‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 ‘You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.
7 ‘Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 ‘They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 ‘Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.
10 ‘And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
11 ‘Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.
12 ‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.
13 ‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
1. THE CORE OF PASSOVER
The Jewish people had been held as slaves for more than 400 years in Egypt. God was now going to bring them back to the Promised Land that was promised to the descendants of Abraham. In Exodus 11, God gave a warning the 10th and final judgment plague would befall the Egyptians and their false gods. At midnight, the Lord would pass through the land and kill the firstborn of each family and of all the cattle. With this final, climactic plague, God would dramatically free His people from the slavery of Egypt.
In Exodus 12, God instituted the Passover in explicit steps to be taken by those who trusted in Him so that they, unlike Pharaoh and the Egyptians, would not be struck down by the final plague.
In all biblical passages which address the subject of Passover, the lamb was at the core of Passover. It was the centerpiece of all that was occurring. If there was no lamb given, there would be no deliverance gained. So central was the lamb to the Passover observance that the term “the Passover” came be used interchangeably of the lamb, as well as the holiday. In Exodus 12:21 we read, Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. One could not exist without the other. The holiday was embodied in the lamb—without it, the holiday was meaningless.
What were the Israelites commanded regarding Passover in Exodus 12?
*They were to select a year-old male lamb in its prime.
*The lamb was to be a perfect lamb without any defect or flaw.
*It was to be taken out from the flock on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and kept until the fourteenth day of the month.
*On the evening of the fourteenth, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed by “the whole assembly.” This was to be done at “twilight”—the time between the descent of the sun and evening. This was from 3 PM to 5 PM.
*While all the assembly was responsible for the death of the lambs, each family was to individually apply the blood of their lamb to the doorposts of their home as a visible sign of their faith in the Lord (Ex. 12:13).
*At that moment, the innocent lamb became their substitute making it possible for the Lord’s judgment to “pass over” them.
*The lamb was to be roasted whole with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of the firstborn.
*The lamb was to be eaten by each person in the household. Any that was leftover was to be burned.
*God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night—the lamb, unleavened bread (Matzah), and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).
*And so the Lord instituted Passover as a “night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations” (Ex. 12:42).
2. THE CHRONOLOGY OF PASSOVER
Passover is a one-day feast that is immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both feasts today are usually blended and blurred together as a single entity and simply called “Passover.”
God ordained that Passover be observed each year on Nisan 14 (March/April), the day that God delivered His people from Egypt (Ex. 12:6).
God’s deliverance was so mighty and so awesome that Israel’s religious calendar was forever altered. The Jewish people reckon a new year’s beginning in two different ways: a civil new year in the fall with the month of Tishri; and a religious new year, which begins in the spring with the month of Nisan, in commemoration of this miraculous deliverance. The month of Nisan (known as Abib before Babylonian captivity, Ex. 13:4) became the first month of the Hebrew religious year from that time forward (Ex. 12:2).
3. THE CONTINUITY OF PASSOVER
Passover is the oldest continuously observed feast in existence today, celebrated for some 3,500 years. For the Jews, Passover was so important that God gave an alternate date for those who were unable to observe Passover on Nisan 14. God commanded in Numbers 9 that those who had become defiled by touching a dead body or were away on a long journey were to celebrate Passover thirty days later on the fourteenth day of the second month. No other feast of the Lord offers a “rain check.”
There was only one Passover when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt in judgment. Every observance since then has been a memorial commemorating that occasion (Ex. 12:14; 13:3). It was commanded to be a memorial forever.
[ Ex. 12:25-27]
God also declared in Exodus 12:25-27 that is was to be kept by a service:
25 “When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’ ” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
Did you see the purpose for this service? The service was to raise questions in the minds of the children so that the Exodus story could be rehearsed from generation to generation.
The Lord, however, did not detail the order of the service, only that it was to be kept. The next two Sundays, we will explore the traditional Passover Seder (order of service) and examine the perfect picture of Jesus that is presented to us.
4. THE CHARACTER OF THE PASSOVER LAMB
As I said earlier, the lamb was the core of the Passover observance. The character of the lamb in the Passover is a picture of God’s Passover Lamb- Jesus Christ.
*They were to select a year-old male lamb in its prime.
Jesus was a man in the prime of His life at age 33.
*The lamb was to be a perfect lamb without any defect or flaw.
Jesus was sinless. He lived a pure life and was faultless.
*It was to be taken out from the flock on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and kept until the fourteenth day of the month. Each family was to observe the lamb and confirm that it was fit. This would also allow time for each family to become personally attached to their lamb so that it would no longer be just a lamb (Ex. 12:3), but their lamb (Ex. 12:5). This would deeply impress upon them the costly nature of the sacrifice. An innocent one was to die in their place.
Jesus left His natural place in heaven and came to earth for a short time. Jesus was born into God’s chosen people. The nation of Israel witnessed His ministry, teachings, miracles, and sinlessness. He was indeed the only One who would be an acceptable sacrifice. An innocent one was to die in their place.
The sacrifice was costly—God’s own Son.
*On the evening of the fourteenth, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed by “the whole assembly.” This was to be done at “twilight”—the time between the descent of the sun and evening. This was from 3 PM to 5 PM.
Jesus died at 3 PM on Nisan 14. He had been rejected and sent to His death by the assembly of the people.
*While all the assembly was responsible for the death of the lambs, each family was to individually apply the blood of their lamb to the doorposts of their home as a visible sign of their faith in the Lord (Ex. 12:13).
All of us are responsible for Christ’s death—He died for OUR sins. Yet, each one of us must come to Christ in faith and let His blood cover our sins, or God’s eternal judgment will not “pass over” us.
*At that moment, the innocent lamb became their substitute, making it possible for the Lord’s judgment to “pass over” them.
Jesus was innocent. He died in your place and took your judgment.
*The lamb was to be roasted whole with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of the firstborn.
Jesus took ALL of God’s judgment for us. God did not spare Him in any way.
*The lamb was to be eaten by each person in the household. Any that was leftover was to be burned.
Jesus must be YOUR Savior and Lord—not your parents’ or grandparents’. You can only receive Him for yourself. No one can get to heaven on your “leftovers.”
*God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night—the lamb, unleavened bread (Matzah), and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:8).
Jesus was the lamb. He was pure and sinless. Yet, He died a bitter death as He took our place on the cross.
*And so the Lord instituted Passover as a “night to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations” (Ex. 12:42).
For the Christian, the Lord’s Supper is our memorial of what Christ did for us.
Dr. Eleanor Chestnut was a medical missionary in China during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. She built a hospital and performed surgery for free. One operation involved the amputation of a common laborer’s leg. Complications arose, and skin grafts were needed. A few days later, another doctor asked Dr. Chestnut why she was limping. “Oh, it nothing,” was her reply.
Finally, a nurse told the inquisitive doctor that the skin graft for the patient came from Dr. Chestnut’s own leg.
A few years later, in 1905’s Boxer Rebellion, Dr. Chestnut was killed by the very people she was helping.
Christ came to help us and gave His life for us. Will you honor His death for you by your living for Him?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Feasts of the Lord: An Introduction (Leviticus 23)
(This series of sermons is based on the work of Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal in Feasts of the Lord, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. 1997)
There is not a country, nation, or people that do not celebrate holidays. Of course, the word “holiday” is a conjunction of the words “holy day.” What we often call holidays are not really holy days. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc. are national observances, not holidays. What about Christmas and Easter? Surely these would be holidays. Yes, to the Christian they are important and holy days. But, they are holidays that were established by the church many years after Christ’s birth and resurrection.
There are very few “holy days” established by God in the Bible:
God established the Sabbath (Saturday for the Jews) as a weekly holy day. Leviticus 23:1-3:
1 The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
3 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.
The New Testament church began practicing the Sabbath on Sunday as a memorial to the resurrection of Jesus.
The first day of every month, known as Rosh Hodesh, was a holy day (Numbers 10:10, 28:11-15; Amos 8:5).
There are three other holidays on the Jewish calendar which are not commanded by God in the Scriptures. The Ninth day of the fifth month Av, known as Tisha B’Av, was a day of fasting, mourning, and repentance for the nation.
Two common Hebrew holidays, Hanukkah and Purim, have spiritual significance for Christians, but they are not commanded by God.
We will deal with the Sabbath, Rosh Hodesh, Tisha B’Av, Hanukkah, and Purim after we have spent a few Sundays learning what God has to say to Christians through the major holy days in the Bible.
God only instituted seven holidays. And while it is not inappropriate for men to establish days of special celebration, their significance cannot be compared with the importance of the seven holidays instituted by God. These seven holidays are discussed throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. However, only in Leviticus 23 are all seven holidays listed in chronological order.
The Seven Feasts of the Lord listed in Leviticus 23 are:
-Passover (vv. 4-5)
-Unleavened Bread (vv. 6-8)
-First Fruits (vv. 9-14)
-Weeks (Pentecost) (vv. 15-22)
-Trumpets (vv. 23-25)
-The Day of Atonement (vv. 26-32)
-Booths (Tabernacles) (vv. 33-44)
These seven holidays are called “the feasts of the Lord.” That expression indicated that these holidays are God’s holidays—they belong to Him—in contrast to man’s holidays. Only on His terms and at His invitation can men participate in them and enter into their benefits.
The Hebrew word translated “feasts” means "appointed times". The idea is that the sequence and timing of each of these feasts have been carefully orchestrated by God Himself. Each is part of a comprehensive whole. Collectively, they tell a story. These feasts are also called “holy convocations”; that is, they are intended to be the times of meeting between God and man for “holy purposes.” Since these seven feasts of the Lord are “appointed times” for “holy purposes,” they carry with them great sacredness and solemnity.
I wish to make six points regarding these feasts before we look at them individually in the weeks ahead.
1. These seven feasts of the Lord were given to the Hebrew nation. The Jewish people are God’s covenant people.
2. These seven feasts relate to Israel’s spring and fall agricultural seasons. When the feasts were instituted, Israel was largely an agricultural nation. That agricultural characteristic of the feasts remains to this day.
3. The timing of these seven feasts is based on the Jewish lunar (moon) calendar of approximately 354-day years. Periodically (seven times every nineteen years), the modern Jewish calendar literally has a thirteenth month to make up for its shorter year. If such were not the case, it wouldn’t take long for winter to occur in the summer months, fall in the spring months, etc. It is for this reason that these holidays do not fall on the same day on the Gregorian calendar (the calendar most commonly used today) each year. So that’s why Easter (corresponding to Passover) changes each year.
4. These seven feasts typify the sequence, timing, and significance of major events of the Lord’s redemptive career. They commence at Calvary where Jesus voluntarily gave Himself for the sins of the world (Passover), and climax at the establishment of the messianic Kingdom at the Messiah’s second coming (Tabernacles). No box has to be manufactured, no text twisted, and no truth manipulated to make these appointed feasts conform to specific events in the Messiah’s life.
5. Because the spiritual realities to which the feasts clearly point are fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah; all men everywhere have been placed in an opportune position. All of humanity has been extended an invitation to “meet” with God and receive the blessings toward which these seven feasts unerringly point. To turn down this unprecedented and gracious invitation is the height of folly.
6. The participation of Gentiles in the blessing associated with the feasts of God appointed for Israel should come as no surprise. It is consistent with God’s unconditional covenant to the patriarch Abraham. The central provision of this covenant is found in Genesis 22:18 when God said, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Jesus taught in John 4:22 that “Salvation is of the Jews.” Israel and the church are distinct entities with distinct promises. However, every blessing and hope we have now and anticipate in the future comes out of the Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenants God made with Israel.
There is hardly a theme to which we could give our attention that is more important than these seven feasts of the Lord. Why? Because these seven feasts depict the entire redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
“Seven” is the biblical number for completion and perfection. After creating the world, God rested on the seventh day. He did not rest as a consequence of growing tired—omnipotence does not grow tired. Rather, God rested in the sense of completion and satisfaction.
Significant Sevens:
· On the seventh day of the week, the children of Israel were to observe a Sabbath of rest, patterned after God’s creation rest. They were to rest from all their labors (Ex. 16:23, 30).
· The seventh month of the Jewish year is especially holy. In that month, all three fall feasts are observed (Lev. 23:24, 27, 34).
· The nation of Israel was commanded to refrain from farming the land every seventh year—to allow the soil to rest (Lev. 25:4).
· Seven sevens of years were counted (forty-nine years), and then the next year (the fiftieth) was to be the Jubilee year in which all debts were forgiven and all slaves set free (Lev. 25:8-12).
· Seventy sevens of years were “determined” upon the Jewish people during which time God would bring to perfection and completion His redemptive purposes (Daniel 9:24-27).
· The Book of Revelation records the consummation of this age. It uses the number seven more than fifty times. The book revolves around seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
· The seven feasts of the Lord are appointed times that, when completed, will bring this age to a triumphant end and usher in the “golden age” to follow. During that age, every man will sit under his own fig tree (Micah 4:4). That concept is not to suggest boredom or a lack of creativity and activity, but completion and satisfaction.
Four of the seven holidays occur in the spring. The fulfillment of these is a “done deal.” We can look back and examine them and see what Jesus has already done for each of us.
The final three holidays occur in the fall of the year within a brief period in the Hebrew month of Tishri (September/October). As the first four holidays depict events associated with Messiah’s first coming, these final three holidays depict specific events associated with His second coming.
Conclusion
Many people make the mistake of confusing the keeping of holy days with righteousness before God. Some Jews slip into synagogue for Yom Kippur. Some Gentiles slip into church for Easter and Christmas. They think they are righteous in God’s eyes for doing their religious “duty.”
God rebuked Israel for keeping the external requirements of the Law while disregarding a heart relationship with Him:
“The new moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them” (Isaiah 1:13-14).
But why would God hate the feast days when it was He who had instituted them? Obviously, He did not hate the feast days themselves but the hypocritical manner in which they were being kept. The people had misunderstood and distorted God’s Law. They had abandoned a personal relationship with God. Instead, they sought after self-righteousness through keeping the requirements of the Law.
The outward requirements of the Law were meaningless without an inward relationship with the Living God. It was this reason that God commanded Israel in Deut. 6:4-6,
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today, shall be in your heart.”
So supreme in importance are these words that they begin the shema, the most holy prayer within Judaism. They are also written on the doorposts of all observant Jews and in the tefillin (Scripture boxes or phylacteries) worn on the forehead and forearm during prayer.
Jesus repeated this truth in Matthew 22:37-28. First and foremost, God desires a heart relationship.
Many in Isaiah’s day believed they were righteous before God because they were religious—they followed the mitzvot (commandments), they prayed, and they kept the holy days. Today, the overwhelming majority of mankind, whether Jewish or Gentile, find themselves in an identical situation. They mistakenly believe that keeping a list of religious rites or holidays will gain them acceptance in God’s sight.
The Bible likens the feast days to shadows which prophetically point to the person and work of history’s most stellar individual—the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Colossians 2:16-17 says,
“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Jesus alone is the source and substance. The holy days are merely a shadow cast by His indelible mark on history.
This can be illustrated by a husband who returns home after a long trip. His heart may beat faster in anticipation, seeing the outline of his wife’s shadow through the curtained window as she comes to the front door. He does not embrace the shadow. There would be no satisfaction in that. Instead, he steps through the doorway and embraces her in person.
Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Are you chasing shadows, or have you fully embraced the Messiah? Only He can save.
There is not a country, nation, or people that do not celebrate holidays. Of course, the word “holiday” is a conjunction of the words “holy day.” What we often call holidays are not really holy days. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc. are national observances, not holidays. What about Christmas and Easter? Surely these would be holidays. Yes, to the Christian they are important and holy days. But, they are holidays that were established by the church many years after Christ’s birth and resurrection.
There are very few “holy days” established by God in the Bible:
God established the Sabbath (Saturday for the Jews) as a weekly holy day. Leviticus 23:1-3:
1 The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
3 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.
The New Testament church began practicing the Sabbath on Sunday as a memorial to the resurrection of Jesus.
The first day of every month, known as Rosh Hodesh, was a holy day (Numbers 10:10, 28:11-15; Amos 8:5).
There are three other holidays on the Jewish calendar which are not commanded by God in the Scriptures. The Ninth day of the fifth month Av, known as Tisha B’Av, was a day of fasting, mourning, and repentance for the nation.
Two common Hebrew holidays, Hanukkah and Purim, have spiritual significance for Christians, but they are not commanded by God.
We will deal with the Sabbath, Rosh Hodesh, Tisha B’Av, Hanukkah, and Purim after we have spent a few Sundays learning what God has to say to Christians through the major holy days in the Bible.
God only instituted seven holidays. And while it is not inappropriate for men to establish days of special celebration, their significance cannot be compared with the importance of the seven holidays instituted by God. These seven holidays are discussed throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. However, only in Leviticus 23 are all seven holidays listed in chronological order.
The Seven Feasts of the Lord listed in Leviticus 23 are:
-Passover (vv. 4-5)
-Unleavened Bread (vv. 6-8)
-First Fruits (vv. 9-14)
-Weeks (Pentecost) (vv. 15-22)
-Trumpets (vv. 23-25)
-The Day of Atonement (vv. 26-32)
-Booths (Tabernacles) (vv. 33-44)
These seven holidays are called “the feasts of the Lord.” That expression indicated that these holidays are God’s holidays—they belong to Him—in contrast to man’s holidays. Only on His terms and at His invitation can men participate in them and enter into their benefits.
The Hebrew word translated “feasts” means "appointed times". The idea is that the sequence and timing of each of these feasts have been carefully orchestrated by God Himself. Each is part of a comprehensive whole. Collectively, they tell a story. These feasts are also called “holy convocations”; that is, they are intended to be the times of meeting between God and man for “holy purposes.” Since these seven feasts of the Lord are “appointed times” for “holy purposes,” they carry with them great sacredness and solemnity.
I wish to make six points regarding these feasts before we look at them individually in the weeks ahead.
1. These seven feasts of the Lord were given to the Hebrew nation. The Jewish people are God’s covenant people.
2. These seven feasts relate to Israel’s spring and fall agricultural seasons. When the feasts were instituted, Israel was largely an agricultural nation. That agricultural characteristic of the feasts remains to this day.
3. The timing of these seven feasts is based on the Jewish lunar (moon) calendar of approximately 354-day years. Periodically (seven times every nineteen years), the modern Jewish calendar literally has a thirteenth month to make up for its shorter year. If such were not the case, it wouldn’t take long for winter to occur in the summer months, fall in the spring months, etc. It is for this reason that these holidays do not fall on the same day on the Gregorian calendar (the calendar most commonly used today) each year. So that’s why Easter (corresponding to Passover) changes each year.
4. These seven feasts typify the sequence, timing, and significance of major events of the Lord’s redemptive career. They commence at Calvary where Jesus voluntarily gave Himself for the sins of the world (Passover), and climax at the establishment of the messianic Kingdom at the Messiah’s second coming (Tabernacles). No box has to be manufactured, no text twisted, and no truth manipulated to make these appointed feasts conform to specific events in the Messiah’s life.
5. Because the spiritual realities to which the feasts clearly point are fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah; all men everywhere have been placed in an opportune position. All of humanity has been extended an invitation to “meet” with God and receive the blessings toward which these seven feasts unerringly point. To turn down this unprecedented and gracious invitation is the height of folly.
6. The participation of Gentiles in the blessing associated with the feasts of God appointed for Israel should come as no surprise. It is consistent with God’s unconditional covenant to the patriarch Abraham. The central provision of this covenant is found in Genesis 22:18 when God said, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Jesus taught in John 4:22 that “Salvation is of the Jews.” Israel and the church are distinct entities with distinct promises. However, every blessing and hope we have now and anticipate in the future comes out of the Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenants God made with Israel.
There is hardly a theme to which we could give our attention that is more important than these seven feasts of the Lord. Why? Because these seven feasts depict the entire redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
“Seven” is the biblical number for completion and perfection. After creating the world, God rested on the seventh day. He did not rest as a consequence of growing tired—omnipotence does not grow tired. Rather, God rested in the sense of completion and satisfaction.
Significant Sevens:
· On the seventh day of the week, the children of Israel were to observe a Sabbath of rest, patterned after God’s creation rest. They were to rest from all their labors (Ex. 16:23, 30).
· The seventh month of the Jewish year is especially holy. In that month, all three fall feasts are observed (Lev. 23:24, 27, 34).
· The nation of Israel was commanded to refrain from farming the land every seventh year—to allow the soil to rest (Lev. 25:4).
· Seven sevens of years were counted (forty-nine years), and then the next year (the fiftieth) was to be the Jubilee year in which all debts were forgiven and all slaves set free (Lev. 25:8-12).
· Seventy sevens of years were “determined” upon the Jewish people during which time God would bring to perfection and completion His redemptive purposes (Daniel 9:24-27).
· The Book of Revelation records the consummation of this age. It uses the number seven more than fifty times. The book revolves around seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
· The seven feasts of the Lord are appointed times that, when completed, will bring this age to a triumphant end and usher in the “golden age” to follow. During that age, every man will sit under his own fig tree (Micah 4:4). That concept is not to suggest boredom or a lack of creativity and activity, but completion and satisfaction.
Four of the seven holidays occur in the spring. The fulfillment of these is a “done deal.” We can look back and examine them and see what Jesus has already done for each of us.
The final three holidays occur in the fall of the year within a brief period in the Hebrew month of Tishri (September/October). As the first four holidays depict events associated with Messiah’s first coming, these final three holidays depict specific events associated with His second coming.
Conclusion
Many people make the mistake of confusing the keeping of holy days with righteousness before God. Some Jews slip into synagogue for Yom Kippur. Some Gentiles slip into church for Easter and Christmas. They think they are righteous in God’s eyes for doing their religious “duty.”
God rebuked Israel for keeping the external requirements of the Law while disregarding a heart relationship with Him:
“The new moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them” (Isaiah 1:13-14).
But why would God hate the feast days when it was He who had instituted them? Obviously, He did not hate the feast days themselves but the hypocritical manner in which they were being kept. The people had misunderstood and distorted God’s Law. They had abandoned a personal relationship with God. Instead, they sought after self-righteousness through keeping the requirements of the Law.
The outward requirements of the Law were meaningless without an inward relationship with the Living God. It was this reason that God commanded Israel in Deut. 6:4-6,
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today, shall be in your heart.”
So supreme in importance are these words that they begin the shema, the most holy prayer within Judaism. They are also written on the doorposts of all observant Jews and in the tefillin (Scripture boxes or phylacteries) worn on the forehead and forearm during prayer.
Jesus repeated this truth in Matthew 22:37-28. First and foremost, God desires a heart relationship.
Many in Isaiah’s day believed they were righteous before God because they were religious—they followed the mitzvot (commandments), they prayed, and they kept the holy days. Today, the overwhelming majority of mankind, whether Jewish or Gentile, find themselves in an identical situation. They mistakenly believe that keeping a list of religious rites or holidays will gain them acceptance in God’s sight.
The Bible likens the feast days to shadows which prophetically point to the person and work of history’s most stellar individual—the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Colossians 2:16-17 says,
“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Jesus alone is the source and substance. The holy days are merely a shadow cast by His indelible mark on history.
This can be illustrated by a husband who returns home after a long trip. His heart may beat faster in anticipation, seeing the outline of his wife’s shadow through the curtained window as she comes to the front door. He does not embrace the shadow. There would be no satisfaction in that. Instead, he steps through the doorway and embraces her in person.
Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Are you chasing shadows, or have you fully embraced the Messiah? Only He can save.
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