'Appreciating God's Love'
A) Jesus the Perfect Offerings
Luke 2:7 And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jesus, born in an animal shed and wrapped in the swaddling cloths was the perfect (animal) offering and sacrifice. Since He was laid in a manger, God made Him to be the perfect cereal and vegetation offering also required for the religious ceremony in the temple of God.
Three Jewish Feasts
Deu 16:16 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
1. Feast of Unleavened Bread
a) The Passover
Lev 23:5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord's Passover.
Our Lord Jesus was crucified on the day of Passover as the Passover Lamb of God, thereby fulfilling the Passover.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
b) Feast of Unleavened Bread
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the *Feast of Unleavened Bread* to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
Our Lord Jesus was the Word made flesh the pure Bread of Life (unleavened bread), thereby fulfilling the Feast of the unleavened bread.
John 6:48 I am the bread of life."
2. Fulfilled Feast of Weeks
a) A Sheaf of 1st firstfruits
Lev 23:10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
A sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest was waved by the priest before the Lord - this was fulfilled by our Lord being the first firstfruit (resurrected) from the ground.
1 Cor 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
b) Feast of Weeks
Lev 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (50 days) resulted to 3,000 Jews being harvested (converted to Christianity) fulfilled the Feast of Weeks of harvest.
3. Feast of Tabernacles
a) Blowing of Trumpets
Lev 23:24, 27, 34 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
The angels heralded the birth of the Lord with the sounding of the trumpets thereby fulfilling this event.
b) Day of Atonement
Lev 23:27a "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you.."
After the baptism of Jesus by John, He and His disciples preached repentance to bring the Jews back to the Lord. Repented Jews were baptized thereby fulfilling this event.
c) Feast of Tabernacles
Lev 23:34 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord."
God dwelled in the Tabernacle amongst men in the Promised Land. Jews were to dwell in tabernacles (tents) during this Feast. After our Lord's resurrection, He gave the Holy Spirit to dwell in the physical bodies (tents) of His disciples thereby fulfilling this Feast of Tabernacles.
John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
Jewish Feasts Obsoleted
At Jesus' death, God tore the veil into two signifying that He had left the temple of God thereby obsoleting the Old Covenant and the Jewish Feasts. In 70AD, the complete destruction of the Temple reconfirming the end of the Mosaic law of the Old Covenant or Judaism.
Warning - Christian cannot observe any Jewish Feast otherwise they will lose the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
