THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil-an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma-and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. Leviticus 23:9-14  

The LORD (Yahweh) commanded that the Israelites were to bring an annual offering on the first day of the week (the day after the Sabbath) each year as they celebrated the Passover in the Promised Land. This celebration of Firstfruits included an offering which focused upon the first grain harvested in the spring. Every adult male was to bring a sheaf of the barley harvest as a wave offering. This sheaf was waved in six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down, to signify the omnipresence of God. This act was to recognize that the God of Israel was the author and sustainer of life.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:23-24

The winter is the season when annual plants die and the land looks barren. Spring, on the other hand, speaks of new life. Jesus used this symbolism to illustrate death and resurrection. The New Covenant was instituted at the Passover. Jesus was entombed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The third Festival of the LORD – The Feast of Firstfruits, not only was a time for thanking God as the sustainer of life, but also foreshadowed the resurrection of the Messiah of Israel.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8

Jesus was raised from the dead on the day after the Sabbath. The women went to tomb on the first day of the week. Jesus arose on the Feast of Firstfruits. The apostle Paul recognized that the Messiah (the Christ) was the fulfillment of this ordinance that was given to Israel.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.1 Corinthians 15:20-23

Jesus participated in the Passover with His disciples the evening of the 6^th day of the week (Friday on our Gregorian solar calendar). On the Hebrew calendar that year, that would have occurred on the 13th of Nisan (the first spring month) at twilight. For a Hebrew, the day began at twilight. This is in accordance to the pattern in Genesis chapter one: “And there was evening, and there was morning-the first to seventh day.” Later that evening, Jesus was illegally arrested, bound, beaten, tried, falsely accused and illegally sentenced.

We know Christ came to die as the Passover Lamb. Matthew 27:46 says that Jesus died at the ninth hour, which is three o’clock. He died at the exact moment when the slaughter of the Passover lambs began in the Temple. The Passover is later eaten that same evening on Nisan 14 at twilight.

We know Christ came to die as the Passover Lamb. Matthew 27:46 says that Jesus died at the ninth hour, which is three o’clock. He died at the exact moment when the slaughter of the Passover lambs began in the Temple. The Passover is later eaten that same evening on Nisan 14 at twilight. Since every seventh day is a weekly Sabbath on the Hebrew lunar calendar, the fourteenth day would be the 2^nd Sabbath of month. Therefore, Jesus was crucified on a weekly Sabbath (Saturday on the Gregorian calendar).

First Corinthians 5:7 says, “Even Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us.” Jesus died on the day and time the lambs were slaughtered that He might fulfill every prophecy to the letter.

Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover on a Friday night which was the day before the slaughter and eating of the paschal lambs. We know it wasn’t just another meal because Jesus insisted that it be eaten inside the city of Jerusalem. They constantly referred to it as the Passover. Furthermore, it was unusual for Jewish people to have a meal at night. To recline at the table was unusual for anything other than a festival meal. In a normal meal the breaking of bread occurred at the beginning, not in the middle of the meal as in this case. The use of red wine also was unusual. They sang a hymn when they were finished with the meal, which was true of the Passover. And when Judas left, the disciples thought that he was going to give money to the poor, which was a typical thing to do at the Passover. So we can be sure they ate a Passover meal.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour-when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:52-53

The first day of the month on the Jewish calendar is when there is a New Moon. By the 14^th day (Nisan 13 at twilight) there is a Full Moon. Although there was light from both a Full Moon as well as the torches of those who came to arrest Jesus, He proclaimed that there was darkness. Darkness symbolizes both sin and death. It wasn’t physical darkness but spiritual darkness that was reigning that night. On that Friday night, prophecy concerning the suffering servant of God was being fulfilled.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

It was the next day (Nisan 14 – weekly Sabbath) when Jesus was flogged and crucified.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. Mathew 27:45

At 12:00 noon, the brightest hour of the day, darkness came over the land. At 3:00 pm when the lambs were being slaughtered, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. The body of Jesus was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and placed in his tomb.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:57-59

The body had to be taken down before Saturday at twilight (Nisan 14) because the next day was a special Sabbath. There were two Sabbaths at the Passover. The seventh day Sabbath followed by first day of the seven day observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was a special or high Sabbath.

The LORD’S Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’S Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Leviticus 23:5-7

The day of the Passover marked the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread. By holding a sacred assembly and doing no regular work meant that the day was to be observed as a special Sabbath. Jesus and his disciples took of the Passover meal on Friday evening. From the night of his arrest when darkness reigned including the time of his trial and beatings to the morning of the 7^th day marked the 1^st day of his sufferings. From that Saturday evening when he was entombed to the morning of the high Sabbath marked the 2^nd day. From the high Sabbath at twilight through the morning the 1st day of the week completed the third day of Christ’s suffering. Jesus arose on the third day. Therefore, with an understanding of the Hebrew calendar and Jewish customs of Jesus’ day, Scripture does not contradict itself when it declares that Jesus suffered three days and nights, yet He rose on the third day! Jesus is the Firstfruits of the Resurrection. He rose from the dead on the Day of Firstfruits.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—Romans 6:4-6

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us assurance that we who are born again by the Spirit, just like Messiah Yeshua, will be resurrected to eternal life!