Overview of the Spring Festivals

Here's what I've learned in an overview of the spring festivals. Remember, this is an overview, so later I'll go back and give more meat to what I've learned. I hope you find this interesting, too. If not, I'm sorry, because I think I'll be camped out on this topic for a while.


The spring festivals are remembrances of God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land. These celebration closely parallel events in Christ's first coming and works of redemption.

The first of the spring festivals is Passover. It is celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of the religious calendar with a special meal, and reminds us of the first Passover meal the Israelites ate while in Egypt. Remember, God told them to slay a lamp and then put the blood on the doorposts of their homes. That night the Angel of Death would 'passover' any home that bore the blood of the sacrificial lamb. The parallel to this feast is that Jesus is our Passover lamb. His death and blood allowed God to passover us and not punish us in the way that we deserve.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the day after Passover and lasts for 7 days. During this time, the Exodus is remembered. The Israelites left Egypt so quickly that they did not have leavened bread. There are some things during this feast that tie in closely with Jesus being in the tomb.

During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of First Fruits (Feast of First Harvest) is celebrated. It's the first of the barley harvest and is the first day of the week (our Sunday). In Exodus, the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea 3 days after the Exodus. Exodus 14:13 in the New King James Version reads, "And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever." Remember, the Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshua.
Even here, we find our Deliverer at work! From what I read, the Feast of First Fruits is celebrated on the 17th of the month, 3 days after the Passover meal. That's right, 3 days later. The Feast of First Fruits gives us information about the resurrection. When Jesus rose from the tomb he accomplished great things for us.

The final of the spring festivals is the Festival of Harvest or Feast of Weeks. It takes place 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits. In my reading, I discovered that the Israelites received the Law from God 50 days after the Exodus. The Greek word for 50th is Pentecost. Sound familiar? In the New Testament, believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Jesus death. It's also noted that the Season of Passover is not totally over until Pentecost. Now, don't you find all of this just a tad bit interesting?