We're quickly approaching one of the most exciting times of the year-Passover, which collectively includes Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits. These are the spring feasts of the Lord, which, prophetically, represent the first coming of Yeshua (Jesus), our Messiah.
The story of the first Passover (in a nutshell):
About 4000 years ago, God's people, the Isrealites, were slaves to Egypt. God sent Moses to free them from bondage. Moses talked to Pharoah, but because Pharoah's heart was hard he would not listen. Because of this, God sent plague after plague to convince Pharoah to let His people go. Even after nine plagues, which destroyed crops and livestock, made water undrinkable, and caused much pain to many people, Pharoah still refused to heed to God. God would send one more plague which would affect every person in Egypt who did not do as God commanded. "Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again." Exodus 11:5-6 The Israelites were given specific instructions in order to avoid this affliction. Each family was to sacrifice a sheep or goat. "Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." Exodus 12:7, 13
Amazing! Right? Okay, so just two questions. How does this prophetically represent the first coming of Yeshua? And, what does this have to do with us today? For the answers to both questions we have to fast-forward 2000 years. When we compare the old testament requirements of Passover to the new testament story of Yeshua's death, burial, and resurrection, we will see incredible connections that only God could have correlated.
The story of Yeshua's death burial, and resurrection:
On the 10th day of the first month (on the Hebrew calendar), Yeshua entered Jerusalem, where he met crowds of people waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna", which, in Hebrew, means, "save now." The people had, unknowingly, chosen their Passover lamb. Exodus 12:3 "Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household."
A few days later, after Judas had turned him over to the chief priests and Pharisees, Yeshua was brought before Pilate to be examined. After questioning Yeshua, Pilate "went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, 'I find in him no fault at all,'" John 18:38. And in John 19:4, "Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, 'Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.'" This fulfilled the requirement for the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:5, "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats."
This brings us to the crucifixion, on the 14th of the month. Luke 23:44-46 "It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last." To understand God's perfect timing, we have to understand a couple of Hebrew ideas and phrases. Hebrew reckoning of time is different from what we are used to. Time begins at sunrise and again at sunset, so the sixth hour would have been six hours after sunrise, or about noon. The ninth hour, then, would have been about 3pm. We also have to understand the phrase "between evenings". In Hebrew thought there are two evenings to each day--first when the sun starts setting, or noon, and second when the sun actually sets, or about 6pm. Knowing these two Hebrew ideas, we can see that Yeshua again, perfectly fulfilled the requirement of the Passover lamb. Exodus 12:6 "...and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight (or in Hebrew, "between evenings").
As Yeshua was hanging on the cross, the soldiers, in order to speed up death, "came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs." John 19:32-33. This fulfills Exodus 12:46, "In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones."
Mark 15:42-43, 46 "And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb." Yeshua's burial also fulfills a requirement. Exodus 12:10 "And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn."
And this is the exciting part! We all know that Yeshua was in the ground for 3 days and 3 nights, but did you know that this also means that He rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits? Lev. 23: 9-11 "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." Yeshua was the firstfruit of those raised from the dead. Even though we are all sinners and deserve death because of it, we have the promise of resurrection if we accept Yeshua as our savior. 1 Cor. 15:20-23 "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."
What a blessed gift we have in the Feasts of the Lord. First, that He would ask us to meet with Him each year, and second, that which the feasts represent...the greatest gift of all...eternal life with our God and Savior. AMEN!