The Feasts of the Lord

Last week we looked at the Feast of Passover which was initially a Jewish festival and took place on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nisan. We read in Leviticus 23: 4-5 that Passover is the first of the feasts of the LORD. We might ask as Christians what this has to do with us. Whenever we see the word LORD in all capitals in the Old Testament it is a reference to the preincarnate Jesus. Therefore, each feast is a prophecy and foreshadowing of future events, part of which have been fulfilled, and part are yet to be all pointing to Christ. They are the “shadow of things to come,” of which Christ is the “body”. (Col 2: 16-17) They are called “holy convocations” which actually means “rehearsals.” Passover typically stands for “Christ our Passover (who) is sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7-8 and 1 Peter 1: 19) This feast is a memorial and brings into view redemption in Christ—the Lamb of God upon which all blessing rests. The seven festivals of the LORD found in Leviticus were given by God to teach His people the role the Messiah would play in redeeming and restoring creation back to God. They help us understand God’s plan of redemption for the world and our personal relationship to Him. (Romans 15:4) The first three spring festivals, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits, overlap. They present a portrait of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Last week we had the opportunity to attend a Seder meal which vividly portrayed the types of this Passover meal to Christ. Seder means “order” and in this one meal we see the significance of the first three spring feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. The Hebrew name of the Passover feast is Pesach which means “the lamb.” There are 50 references to Passover in the Old Testament—far more than to any other feast. The commandment to keep the feast was actually the first law Moses conveyed to the people of Israel. The initial meal of lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread was to be repeated every year on the same night that Egypt’s first-born sons died while the angel of death “passed over” the Jewish homes with the blood of the lamb on their door ports. Today, everyone present at the Seder meal is instructed to re-live the Exodus personally, as if they themselves were delivered from slavery and chosen for a divine mission. Each item on the Passover plate symbolizes a particular aspect of the redemptive experience, from the bitterness of slavery to the joy of liberation. The Seder also instills a confidence in the promised Messianic redemption. Passover traditionally lasts for eight days which includes the feasts of Unleavened Bread which begins the second day of Passover. Leaven in the Bible represents sin. The God of Israel asked for a week of eating “sinless” bread so unleavened bread or matzoh is served at the meal and throughout the eight days of Passover. The unleavened bread is representative of Christ’s sinless and holy life and He as the Bread of Life. The feast speaks of communion with Christ, the unleavened bread in the full blessing of His redemption and of a holy walk. As we walk out the remainder of these days of Passover and Unleavened Bread may we be drawn into close communion and fellowship with our Lord. The divine order is beautiful; first, redemption; then holy living. (I Cor. 5: 6-8) Jesus clearly observed Passover throughout His lifetime and the Last Supper, which was held during Passover, is generally thought to have been a Seder. Believers are instructed to “keep the Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” There are four cups of wine or grape juice used at various points during the Seder which commemorated the lamb’s blood the fruit of the vine. Each of these cups has a name—the first is “cup of sanctification.” We are sanctified and set apart by the blood of the Lamb. The second cup is the “cup of liberation” whereby we are liberated from judgment by the blood of the Lamb. The third cup is the “cup of redemption” as Christ and Christ alone is the only means of salvation—the perfect sacrifice. The fourth cup is the “cup of completion or praise.” At the Last Supper Jesus took the first cup and promised His disciples that the next time He drank the fruit of the vine with them would be in the kingdom (Luke 22: 17). Later in the Seder, Jesus took the third cup—the cup of redemption and used that cup as a symbol of the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22: 20). Thus, Jesus fulfilled the Passover symbolism and infused the whole feast with a new meaning. The fourth cup looks forward to Jesus’ second coming as He comes in the clouds for His Bride and 7 years later as we return with Him as He sets up His Millennium Kingdom upon the earth! This brings us to the Feast of First Fruits celebrated by Christians as Easter or Resurrection Sunday. Jesus’ resurrection on the Feast of First Fruits was like a wave offering presented before the Father as the “first fruits” of the harvest of souls at the end of the age. Jesus was the first fruit of all who would arise from death, never to die again. Read 1 Corinthians 15: 20-28. And then we shall forever be with the Lord!