The Jewish festivals were central to Jesus’ life. Listed in Leviticus 23, the Jewish festivals were God’s appointed times given to the Israelites to remember him in his ordained way. All of them were celebrated by Jesus with his family and community. He used each holiday to point to himself. All of the following explanations, and more, can be found in our new Light of Messiah Ministries calendar, which you can read about at the end of this newsletter.
God’s Holy Days – Leviticus 23
Shabbat - The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, designated as a day of rest by God who rested on the seventh day of creation (Gen 2:2-3). From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, Shabbat is observed to varying degrees as a weekly holiday by the Jewish community. Many celebrate Shabbat dinner with family on Friday nights and go to synagogue Friday evening and Saturday morning. Jesus and his disciples observed the Sabbath, and Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8).
Pesach - Passover is celebrated on the evening of the 14th of Nisan (Mar/Apr), Passover is the most widely observed Jewish holiday. Passover commemorates God freeing the Israelites from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. We remember death “passed over” the houses of Israel because of the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorframe. Jewish people eat a traditional meal called a Seder (“order”), retelling the story of the Exodus. Jesus and his disciples ate their last supper together in observance of Passover. Jesus was crucified on Passover, the true Passover Lamb slain to bring deliverance from slavery to sin and death (1 Cor 5:7).
Hag HaMatzot – The Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed during Passover and for seven days following. Traditionally Jewish people do not eat anything containing leaven or yeast during this time, because the Israelites when leaving Egypt had to go quickly before their bread could rise. Leaven is a biblical symbol of sin. Removing it from one’s diet is a symbolic way of renouncing sin to obey God (Gal 5:9). On Passover Jesus said that the unleavened bread was symbolic of his body, sinless in nature (Luke 22:19). During this festival his body was broken and buried.
Yom HaBikurim – The Feast of Firstfruits is observed the Sunday after Passover. This agricultural holiday marks the beginning of the Spring barley harvest. The Israelites would bring the very first fruit of their crops to offer to the Lord, demonstrating their trust and devotion to him. Firstfruits begins the counting of the Omer, a period of fifty days of counting until the final Spring harvest. Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits, the Sunday after Passover, and he is the “firstfruits” from the dead (1 Cor 15:20).
Shavuot - Pentecost, also referred to as the Feast of Weeks, is celebrated fifty days after the feast of Firstfruits. Agriculturally, Pentecost is the celebration of the latter Spring harvest. Traditionally marking the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai (Ex 19), Pentecost is observed by the religious Jewish community by all-night communal studying of the Torah. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, when Jewish men from all over the known world had gathered in Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festival.
Yom Teruah – The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah is mentioned in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6. It is the least-described holiday in Scripture. It was a memorial day by the blowing of trumpets (shofars), which traditionally indicated a call to assembly, battle, or a coronation of a king. Jewish people today recognize this day as the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), celebrated with sweet food and well wishes. It begins a ten-day period of spiritual reflection called the “Days of Awe” leading up to Yom Kippur. Prophetically, Jesus will return at the sound of a trumpet.
Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah and is the holiest day of the year for Jewish people. This was the day that the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple, making atonement for the sin of Israel and sending a scapegoat into the wilderness. Today most Jewish people fast for 24 hours and pray in the synagogue, asking God to forgive their sins. Jesus became our atoning sacrifice on the cross, and after he returns, he will one day judge the nations.
Sukkot – The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths is the final Fall harvest, a celebration of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and provision. On Sukkot the Israelites were commanded to rejoice before the Lord for eight days, and to live in booths (small tabernacles) to remember when they sojourned in the wilderness for 40 years. Jewish people today build three-sided booths outside their homes and celebrate with friends and fam ily. John 7 describes Jesus in Jerusalem at Sukkot. One day the Tabernacle of God will be with man again (Rev 21:3), and he will dwell with us forever.
Minor Festivals and Modern Celebrations in Israel Today
Purim - Purim or the Feast of Lots is celebrated according to the Book of Esther to commemorate the victory of the Jewish people over their attempted destruction by Haman. It is com manded to be remembered for all generations in Esther Chapter 9, therefore we know that Jesus celebrated it. The festival of Purim is commemorated with joyous gatherings and the reading of the Book of Esther. Though God is never men tioned in the Book of Esther, his sovereign hand of protection of the Jewish people is mightily evident.
Hanukkah - Hanukkah or the Feast of Dedication is the cel ebration of God protecting the Jewish people from attempted annihilation by Antiochus, Emperor of the Assyrian Empire in approximately 165 BC. Also known as the Feast of Dedica tion or the Festival of Lights, it is celebrated for 8 nights. The history is recounted in the Apocrypha. The Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, overthrew Antiochus and his armies and rededicated the Temple to God’s glory. The only mention of Hanukkah in Scripture is in John 10:22 when Jesus celebrated and proclaimed, “I and the Father are one.”
Tisha B’Av - Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av (July-Aug), is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this day of remembrance Jewish people fast, deprive them selves and pray. The destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem is marked on this day. The Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans in 133 CE ended in defeat on this day. Later in Jewish history, many more tragedies happened on this day, including the 1290 expulsion of England’s Jews and the 1492 banishment of all Jews from Spain. Today we pray against antisemitism.
Yom HaShoah - Yom HaShoah, literally the Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust, commemorates the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan — a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers). Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities worldwide.
Yom HaAtzmaut - Yom HaAtzmaut is Israel’s Independence Day, May 14, 1948. Typically, in other countries, Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and Independence Day occur on two separate days of the year. In Israel, Independence Day begins the moment that Memorial Day ends. “The State of Israel wouldn’t be able to celebrate its existence if it weren’t for those who gave their lives for it,” the Israeli Defense Force states. “We wouldn’t have one of those days without the other one. We honor their memory and everything they fought for, so that today, we can celebrate our independence.
