Passover – the Passover (Good Friday and Easter)

The Passover begins with the Seder evening. Various dishes remind us of how the angel of the Lord spared the firstborn of the Israelites before the exodus from Egypt: a lamb bone reminds us of the slaughtered lamb, the matzah (unleavened bread) of the quick exodus, the bitter herbs of the hard life in Egypt. The preparations for this are described in Seder.

During the Passover meal, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and the New Covenant. In his death, the Passover was fulfilled because, as the sacrificed Passover lamb, he bore our sins (Isaiah 53; John 1:29.35.36).

After the Seder evening, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins (Lev 23:6-8). For seven days, nothing containing leaven may be eaten, as this is considered unclean and is a sign of sin. This feast was fulfilled through the sinlessness of Jesus’ sacrifice (Heb 9:11-10:18).

The Feast of Firstfruits: During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first fruits of the barley or grain harvest are offered to G’d on the day after Shabbat.

It is the first of three harvest festivals in the year. This feast is a type of the resurrection of Jesus as the “firstfruits” from the dead (1 Cor 15:20-23).

Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

Shavuot is to be celebrated seven weeks after Passover, on the 50th day (Deut. 16:9-10). A sacrifice of thanksgiving was offered in the temple from the wheat harvest.

Two loaves of leavened dough were waved before G’d: This is an image for the community of Jews and non-Jews.

On this feast (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit was poured out, giving rise to God’s congregation of Jews and non-Jews.

This is how the feast found its messianic fulfillment.

According to rabbinical tradition, G’d revealed himself to the Jewish people on Shavuot at Sinai through the gift of the Torah. This meaning of the festival was also fulfilled on Pentecost through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: G’d wrote his law into the hearts of believers through the Spirit.

Rosh HaShanah – the Feast of Trumpets

Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets, marks the start of the autumn festivals. The shofar (ram’s horn) sounds a wake-up call: during a ten-day period of reflection, everyone should examine their relationship with G’d and their neighbor. Since the Babylonian exile, the beginning of the new year has also been celebrated on this day.

Apples are dipped in honey as a sign of hope to be able to stand before G’d and a good and sweet year is wished (picture).

Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement

The time of repentance culminates on Yom Kippur with prayer and fasting.

In the temple, a goat was sacrificed for the unrecognized sins of all the people (Lev 16; Heb 9:7). With the substitutionary sacrificial death of Jesus, this temple sacrificial service was fulfilled. Messianic Jews pray on Yom Kippur in a special way that they too recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They pray for the salvation of the Jewish people.

Even if many Jews are already coming to believe in the Messiah now, Jesus will be recognized as the Messiah and his act of reconciliation by the whole nation of Israel at his return (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:25-26; Rev 1:7).

Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles (Thanksgiving)

In Israel and wherever Jews live, they build tabernacles to this day in memory of G’d’s provision during the wandering in the desert many thousands of years ago.

A joyful festival is celebrated in the Tabernacle for eight days. It is also celebrated as a harvest festival. It finds its final messianic fulfillment when Israel as a whole lives under the rule of the Messiah Jesus and the messianic 1000-year kingdom is established from Jerusalem in Israel. Then the other nations will also join Israel in worshipping and honoring the Lord Jesus (Zech 14:16-19).

In addition to the biblical festivals, there are also festivals that are part of Jewish tradition. They refer to events in Jewish history. There are older and newer festivals.

Hanukkah and Purim are ancient festivals that originated before the time of Jesus. They are part of the Jewish tradition.

They were not commanded by G’d in the five books of Moses, the Torah.

In part, however, we find them again in the New Testament.

Hanukkah is the eight-day festival of lights in December. It commemorates the oil miracle at the rededication of the temple after its desecration by the Greeks in 164 BC (1st/2nd Book of Maccabees). Instead of one day, as expected, the remaining oil in the candlestick burned for eight days.

This is why one more candle is lit on the Hanukkah candlestick for eight days. In John 10:22 we read how Jesus also spoke of being the light of the world at the temple dedication (Hanukkah) (John 8:12). We therefore hold on to the fact that only Jesus is the true light of the world.

Purimthe feast of lots, is based on a story in the Book of Esther (9:17ff.), when the planned annihilation of the Jewish people was averted. Through a young girl, Esther, the people of Israel can be preserved with God’s help.