Jesus' life and the fulfilment of Jewish feasts

[Zeno11]

I posted this in another thread but it was slightly off topic so I thought I’d start a new one here.

I have become interested in Judaism myself, especially as I have come to know Messianic Jews, who do accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They are growing in number both in Israel and globally, reckoned to be about 300,000 in number. Another sign of the times we live in, but that’s another story!

What is really interesting to me regarding Judaism and Christianity is not just that Jesus was a Jew and that he would have celebrated all the Jewish feasts or ‘appointed times’ that God laid down for Jews, but that the major events in Jesus’ life corresponded exactly with those ancient Jewish feasts. The Jewish feasts were divided into the Spring and Fall feasts and Jesus Christ literally fulfilled all of these feasts in His person when he lived on earth.

Consider;

The four spring feasts describe the first coming of Jesus. He sacrificed Himself on the Feast of Passover, was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits, and He sent the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). The practices of each of these spring feasts clearly depict the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God.
“behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” –
John 1:29.
Christians are familiar with this idea of Jesus dying at Passover and being our sacrificial Lamb but do not seem to be aware of the fulfilment of the other Jewish feasts.

Jesus is the Unleavened Bread of Life. He was buried during the first three days of this feast.
“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats
of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall
give for the life of the world is My flesh.” – John 6:51
It points to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

Jesus is the First Fruits. He rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits!
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who are asleep” – 1 Corinthians 15:20.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).
“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place… And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” – Acts
2:1-4

It’s amazing when you consider it! Jesus has already fulfilled all the ‘Spring Feasts’, which are the days laid out by God for His chosen people as ‘appointed times’ for worship.

Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts to the letter! Following the patterns suggested by the spring feasts, it is highly probable that He will fulfil the Fall Feasts in His Second Coming.

He will come to catch away His bride to Heaven (fulfilling the Feast of Trumpets) for seven years during the tribulation (the Days of Awe) and will celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (fulfilling the Jewish wedding ceremony). He will then return to earth to judge and cleanse the people (fulfilling the Day of Atonement) and establish His kingdom on earth (fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles).

The links between Judaism and Christianity are all there in plain sight if you have eyes to see.
It’s fascinating! God’s plan for the salvation of humanity is shown by the seven feasts He gave to ancient Israel in Leviticus 23. God told the people of Israel to celebrate these feasts as "lasting ordinances.

"Maranatha!

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

I totally agree with this.

I personally love to study the intricacies of the Day of Atonement ceremonies. There’s so much detail that parallels Christ’s ministry–especially his last few days on this earth–and beautifully accomplishes The Law which he came to fulfill.

Nice to see your post

 

[meltzerboy]

I posted this in another thread but it was slightly off topic so I thought I’d start a new one here.

I have become interested in Judaism myself, especially as I have come to know Messianic Jews, who do accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They are growing in number both in Israel and globally, reckoned to be about 300,000 in number. Another sign of the times we live in, but that’s another story!

What is really interesting to me regarding Judaism and Christianity is not just that Jesus was a Jew and that he would have celebrated all the Jewish feasts or ‘appointed times’ that God laid down for Jews, but that the major events in Jesus’ life corresponded exactly with those ancient Jewish feasts. The Jewish feasts were divided into the Spring and Fall feasts and Jesus Christ literally fulfilled all of these feasts in His person when he lived on earth.

Consider;

The four spring feasts describe the first coming of Jesus. He sacrificed Himself on the Feast of Passover, was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits, and He sent the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). The practices of each of these spring feasts clearly depict the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God.
“behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” –
John 1:29.
Christians are familiar with this idea of Jesus dying at Passover and being our sacrificial Lamb but do not seem to be aware of the fulfilment of the other Jewish feasts.

Jesus is the Unleavened Bread of Life. He was buried during the first three days of this feast.
“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats
of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall
give for the life of the world is My flesh.” – John 6:51
It points to the Messiah’s sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’ body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

Jesus is the First Fruits. He rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits!
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who are asleep” – 1 Corinthians 15:20.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).
“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place… And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” – Acts
2:1-4

It’s amazing when you consider it! Jesus has already fulfilled all the ‘Spring Feasts’, which are the days laid out by God for His chosen people as ‘appointed times’ for worship.

Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts to the letter! Following the patterns suggested by the spring feasts, it is highly probable that He will fulfil the Fall Feasts in His Second Coming.

He will come to catch away His bride to Heaven (fulfilling the Feast of Trumpets) for seven years during the tribulation (the Days of Awe) and will celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (fulfilling the Jewish wedding ceremony). He will then return to earth to judge and cleanse the people (fulfilling the Day of Atonement) and establish His kingdom on earth (fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles).

The links between Judaism and Christianity are all there in plain sight if you have eyes to see.
It’s fascinating! God’s plan for the salvation of humanity is shown by the seven feasts He gave to ancient Israel in Leviticus 23. God told the people of Israel to celebrate these feasts as "lasting ordinances.

"Maranatha!

With regard to the frequent comparison of the Paschal Lamb to the foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice, according to Jewish apologist Tovia Singer, the lamb at the time of the Exodus was one of the Egyptians’ gods. Thus the slaughtering of the lamb at Passover represented the fact that those Jews who truly believed in G-d and were not afraid of incurring the wrath of the Egyptians for killing one of their gods would be saved from death on the Passover. In other words, the lamb itself had nothing to do with a sacrificial offering of atonement other than being an act of defiance against the Egyptians.

 

[Cathoholic]

“Good stuff” Zeno11.

Not exactly a “Spring Feast” but I think you will like this anyway.

**
JOHN 8:12, 10:22-23a** 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” . . . .22 It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter . . . .

My wife and I were visiting with a woman who grew up in Judaism (and was and is now a Fulfilled Jew–Catholic) then Rosalind Moss (now Mother Miriam of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope).

She was telling us how Jesus fulfills ALL of the feasts etc.

She talked about the Festival of Lights or Hanukkah (“Chanukkah”). Also called the Feast of Dedication (the re-dedication of the Second Temple after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled the Temple so the Temple then needed re-consecration). This was in about 353 B.C.

You can read about the Jewish Festival that Jesus had went up to Jerusalem for . . . . in 2nd Maccabees in the Bible.

Anyway. Rosalind was reminding us that there would be Jewish Menorahs (lots of special oil LIGHTS) all over the city of Jerusalem in festive remembrance of the event.

(You can still often see many Menorahs in windows of homes if you have Jewish neighbors)

The Priests only had a small amount of oil to rededicate the Temple back in about 353 B.C.

Not nearly enough oil for the whole eight day rededication (or re-consecration) ceremony. The Temple Priests elected to proceed anyway even though they did NOT have enough oil.

The priests knew the Temple NEEDED re-consecration after blasphemy had occurred there as the Temple had been defiled.

Never-the-less,** the oil miraculously lasted all eight days of the re-dedication ceremony** (when this was carried out - again in 353 B.C.).

The Festival of Lights has been celebrated in one way or another ever since.

When Jesus was in Jerusalem later in John’s Gospel, there would be LIGHTS all over Jerusalem. The city would be “lit up”.

And WHAT does our Lord Jesus say?

Jesus says . . . “I AM the LIGHT of the world.”

Just stop and consider the contextual implications of all of this.

Absolutely amazing.

Rosalind pointed out how people not raised in Judaism could easily miss this while reading St. John’s Gospel. But it was unmistakable for a Jewish person.

**
JOHN 8:12, 10:22-23a** 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” . . . .22 It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter . . . .

Keep posting MORE information about ancient Jewish Feasts and their FULFILLMENT in Jesus.

I enjoy reading about that.

You might want to get a hold of some of Dr. Brant Pitre’s audios too as he frequently focuses on Old Testament foreshadows and New Testament fulfillments.

Thank you and God bless.

Cathoholic

 

[GEddie]

I don’t believe the Church holds to a “millennial Kingdom” on the earth in which prophecy would be fulfilled, so from a Catholic perspective we have to revise our “speculations”.

ICXC NIKA

 

[1neophyte]

“Good stuff” Zeno11.

Not exactly a “Spring Feast” but I think you will like this anyway.

**
JOHN 8:12, 10:22-23a** 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” . . . .22 It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter . . . .

I also love in John 7, when Jesus declares “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!” on the last day of Sukkot, at the moment Isaiah 12:3 would be proclaimed. I can imagine that moment vividly, and it gives me chills every time.