An Overview
The Feast of First Fruits is the third and final feast of the Lord in the season of Passover. The actual Passover Feast took place on the 14th of Nissan, (April 21, 2024) The Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th of Nissan (April 22, 2024) The Feast of First Fruits on 22 Nissan (April 29, 2024). It occurs to me that we find varying dates for the feasts on Google. Keep in mind that the original sacred Hebrew calendar is lunar and must be adjusted every year. Our modern Gregorian calendar is solar and and adjusts every four years. The sacred calendar was preserved with the original scriptures at Qumran following the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the 2nd Jewish Temple under the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 AD. It is believed that the Jewish priests known as the Sons of Zadock and or the Essenes are the ones who preserved the scriptures. In addition, they resisted the Hellenization of Judaism and the changing of the sacred calendar under the Pharasees and Sadducees. It is believed that John the Baptist was probably an Essene.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Lev 23:9-14
The very first Barley sheeves were waved in air by the Priest as a firstfruits offering to the Lord. This process continued daily for fifty days up to The Feast of Pentecost in what is called the counting of the Omer (measure of Barley). Counting the Omer was a way of remembering God is our provider that man’s true purpose was to worship and obey God amidst the daily labour of bringing in the harvest.
What makes this relevant for us is that Jesus was resurrected on the exact of day of The Feast of Firstfruits celebration.
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Mat 28:1-6
Once again, the dawn of the first day of the week is sunset on saturday not sunrise on Sunday. Mary arrived sometime near sunset, not at sunset. Jesus rose when the first offering was being waved before God as the fulfillment of The Feast of Firstfruits that the Jews had been rehearsing for 1500 years.
Apart from the correct correlation with the Feasts, we miss the significance of several events and statements of Jesus described in the Gospels.
For example,
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:16-17
Jesus told the women not to touch Him in accordance with the fact that the first barley sheeve could not be touched until it was offered to God by the Priest in the Temple. Similarly, Jesus could not be touched until He ascended to the Father to offer Himself as the Fristfruits from the dead. Furthermore, the barely offering consisted of multiple barley sheeves bound together. Consider that multiple people were raised with Jesus.
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Mat 27:52-53
Naturally we could go into more detail regarding the season of Passover. However, what is most important for us as believers is found in the application that proceeds from thier fulfillment in Jesus. We don’t have to to celebrate the feasts, we get to. Still, apart from the feasts we miss the details, timing and depth of God’s carefully orchestrated will and plan for eternity. We miss a deeper experience of reverence and awe that is at the heart of true worship.
Where Unleavened bread is a separation onto God that is putting off the old man.
…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, Eph 4:22-23
Firstfruits is consecration that is putting on the new man.
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph 4:22-24
As Christians the Feast of Firstfruits means we offer ourselves and our lives that are His gift as firstfuits.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:16-18
That offering manifests itself in daily life as fruits of the spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23