There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. The first three spring holidays were fulfilled on the appointed holiday by Jesus Himself. The names of the feasts are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.
In the Hebrew year 5783 or the Gregorian calendar year of 2023, the holidays occur as follows. Passover essentially begins at sunset on Wednesday, Nisan 14th (Hebrew calendar) or April 5th on a western calendar. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the next day at sunset on Thursday, Nisan 15th or April 6th. Lastly, the feast of First Fruits starts at sunset on Friday, Nisan 16th or April 7th. The holidays culminate and end at sunset on Thursday, April 13th. These are the mathematically calculated dates 21st century calendars.
As usual, there is not consensus on these dates within various studies of Judaism and Jewish Messianic believers in Yeshua or Jesus Christ. Granted, all of these folks are making good faith efforts to be accurate. Each group has good reason(s) for the dates selected. They are not all idiots. When in doubt, search for the new moon and full moon. Humanity struggles to keep time as God has directed. No one knows the day or the hour…
The first of God’s holidays is Passover or Pesach in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Nisan (March or April on a Gregorian calendar). There is a play on words in the original Hebrew. A “pesach” is an unblemished lamb which was required for the sacrifice. After the “pesach” was sacrificed, the blood was to be smeared on the wooden posts of the house. When God saw the blood on the door posts, He passed over or “pasach” and the house was spared judgment.
The original directions for the Passover were given to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. The statute and happenings are noted in Exodus 12. God defines the purpose of the holiday to Israel.
Exodus 12:26-27a “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ 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.’”
The second of God’s holidays is Unleavened Bread or Chag haMatazt in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 15th of Nisan and runs for seven days.
The directions of Unleavened Bread are noted in Exodus 12:15-20. The focus of the week is to live a life without leaven, the symbol for sin. Leaven is not to be in the house. Leaven products are not to be consumed. Bread without yeast, matzah, is to be eaten.
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The third of God’s holidays is First Fruits or Reshit Katzir in the Hebrew. The one day holiday begins on the day after the Sabbath or Sunday on our calendar.
The directions for First Fruits are noted in Leviticus 23:9-14. The priest is to make a barley offering of the first portion of the harvest to the Lord. The priest intervenes on behalf of the people. The reality of the holiday for the people of Israel is this. The people bring their grain sheaf to the priest. They are to sacrifice a lamb without blemish. The offering is also to be presented with bread and wine.
Jesus was resurrected on First Fruits. He is the First Fruits or barley offering before God the Father. He is the High Priest who intervenes on our behalf for sin. He is the perfect offering.
In memory of Him, we participate in communion with the elements of bread and wine.
At some point in the future, as a pattern of history, will believers in Christ be resurrected on First Fruits?
Jesus Christ died. He was buried. And He was raised.
This is the gospel message of Jesus Christ, really “good news”.
