GIG266 Should Christians Celebrate the Jewish Feasts?

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #266

Title: Should Christians Celebrate the Jewish Feasts?

 

Web Description: Following the examples set for us by Paul and Yeshua (Jesus) Himself, the Jewish feasts and fasts are special occasions for believers in Christ as well. All Christians should recognize the importance of these celebrations and find ways to make them a part of their lives. Study this podcast and consider how you can incorporate these biblical holy days into your personal walk of faith.

 

Show Notes: Christ and the early Church followed the schedule of the biblical feasts. When He was a child Yeshua and His family went up to Jerusalem and celebrated the feasts as ordained by the Lord. Later during His ministry Yeshua continued to observe the feast times. It is recorded throughout the Gospels that His pattern was to go to Jerusalem during a prescribed feast. Even when people there were seeking to kill Him, it was important for Him to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. We also read that He went to Jerusalem in winter for the Feast of Dedication, which is Hanukah.

 

The same pattern was followed by Paul. On one occasion Paul decided to sail past Ephesus because he was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. At another time he told the Corinthians that he would remain in Ephesus until the feast. So Paul often made observing the feasts a priority in his travel plans. The greatest example though of the importance of these biblical feasts is the fact that the Church was created during the Feast of Pentecost. It was the Lord Himself who directed the disciples to be in Jerusalem during that time.

 

Zechariah prophesied that in the days of Christ’s Kingdom on the earth, all the nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles together. And it will not be a matter of choice. A plague and a punishment will be on the nations and families who do not come. Clearly God is serious about these times that He has appointed for us to celebrate Him and His Word. We should approach these times with tremendous anticipation in our hearts, not out of a sense of obligation but with an expectation that God will meet us, open doors that have never been opened, and show us things in His Word we have never seen before.

 

Key Verses:

 

•       Luke 2:40-42. “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.”

•       John 2:13, 23. “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

•       John 5:1. “There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

•       John 7:2-10. “When His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up.”

•       John 10:22–23. “The Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple.”

•       Acts 20:16. “Paul … was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.”

•       1 Corinthians 5:7-8. “Celebrate the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

•       1 Corinthians 16:7-9. “I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost.”

•       Acts 2:1-4. “When the day of Pentecost had come.”

•       Acts 1:4-8. “He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised.”

•       Zechariah 14:16-19. “All the nations that went against Jerusalem will … celebrate the Feast of Booths.”

•       Micah 4:1-2. “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD.’”

 

Quotes:

 

•       “There are several appointed times in the Hebrew Scriptures. And people wonder if this is something that has passed or if there is a significance or a reason why Christians should be observing or looking for God to move in their lives during these times.”

•       “Even though it was dangerous for Yeshua to go into Jerusalem and go through Judea at this time, He still went up at this prescribed time of the feast.”

•       “Christ had told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait until they were endued with power from on high. And that endowment of the Spirit, that giving of authority and power to the disciples to spread the gospel into all the world, came on the Day of Pentecost.”

 

Takeaways:

 

1.    Christ’s family celebrated the feasts as observant Jews. Paul himself celebrated these times. He scheduled his travels to be in Jerusalem for a specific feast. The Church itself was born during the Feast of Pentecost.

2.    Zechariah prophesied that the Gentile nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. The feasts then are not something only to be observed by Jews. They continue to be an important part of our Christian experience.

3.    These are appointments with God that He has established for us. Let us schedule our hearts and our spirits to enter into these times and expect that He will meet us.