A Christian perspective on the feast of Pentecost
The feast of Pentecost or Shavuot has many names in the Bible: the feast of the weeks, the feast of the harvest and the firstfruits. Celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Jewish Passover, Shavuot is traditionally a joyful moment of thanksgiving and submission of offerings for the new wheat from Israel's summer wheat harvest.
Pentecost feast
The feast of Pentecost is one of the three major agricultural festivals of Israel and the second major festival of the Jewish year.
Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage feasts when all Jewish males were required to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem.
Festival of the weeks is a harvest festival celebrated in May or June.
One theory as to why Jews routinely consume dairy foods such as cheesecakes and cheese blints on Shavuot is that the Law has been compared to "milk and honey" in the Bible.
The tradition of decorating with greenery on Shavuot represents the collection and reference of the Torah as "the tree of life".
Since Shavuot falls towards the end of the school year, it is also the preferred time to celebrate Jewish confirmation celebrations.
Festival of the weeks
The name "Feast of the Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23: 15-16, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) starting on the second day of Easter, and then to present offerings of new grain to the Lord as lasting order. The term Pentecost derives from the Greek word which means "fifty".
Initially, Shavuot was a party to express gratitude to the Lord for the blessing of the harvest. And since it occurred at the end of the Jewish Passover, it acquired the name "Last primitive fruits". The celebration is also linked to giving the Ten Commandments and therefore bears the name Matin Torah or "giving of the Law". The Jews believe that at that very moment God gave the Torah to the people through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Moses and the law
Moses carries the ten commandments along Mount Sinai. Getty Images
Observance time
Pentecost is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, or on the sixth day of the Jewish month of Sivan, which corresponds to May or June. See this Biblical Feast Calendar for the actual Pentecost dates.
Historical context
The feast of Pentecost originated in the Pentateuch as an offering of firstfruits, decreed for Israel on Mount Sinai. Throughout Jewish history, it has been customary to engage in a night study of the Torah on the first evening of Shavuot. The children were encouraged to memorize the scriptures and rewarded with treats.
Ruth's book was traditionally read during Shavuot. Today, however, many customs have been left behind and their meaning has been lost. The holiday has become more of a culinary festival of milk-based dishes. Traditional Jews still light candles and recite blessings, adorn their homes and synagogues with greenery, eat dairy products, study the Torah, read the book of Ruth and participate in Shavuot's services.
Jesus and the feast of Pentecost
In Acts 1, shortly before the risen Jesus was brought to heaven, he spoke to the disciples about the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by the Father, which would soon be given to them in the form of a powerful baptism. He told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would authorize them to go out into the world and be his witnesses.
A few days later, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were all together when the sound of a powerful impetuous wind came down from the sky and tongues of fire landed on the believers. The Bible says, "All of them were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other languages when the Spirit allowed them." Believers communicated in languages they had never spoken before. They spoke with Jewish pilgrims of various languages from all over the Mediterranean world.
The day of Pentecost
Illustration of the apostles who receive the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Peter Dennis / Getty Images
The crowd observed this event and heard them speak in several languages. They were amazed and thought that the disciples were drunk with wine. Then the apostle Peter got up and preached the good news of the kingdom and 3000 people accepted the message of Christ. On the same day they were baptized and added to the family of God.
The book of Acts continues to record the miraculous outburst of the Holy Spirit that began on the feast of Pentecost. This Old Testament feast revealed “a shadow of the things that were to come; reality, however, is found in Christ ”(Colossians 2:17).
After Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Word of God was given to the Israelites in Shavuot. When the Jews accepted the Torah, they became servants of God. Likewise, after Jesus went up to heaven, the Holy Ghost was given at Pentecost. When the disciples received the gift, they became witnesses of Christ. Jews celebrate a joyful harvest on Shavuot and the church celebrates a harvest of newborn souls on Pentecost.
Scriptural references to the feast of Pentecost
Observance of the Feast of the Weeks or Pentecost is recorded in the Old Testament in Exodus 34:22, Leviticus 23: 15-22, Deuteronomy 16:16, 2 Chronicles 8:13 and Ezekiel 1. Some of the most interesting events of the New Testament revolved around the Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, chapter 2. Pentecost is also mentioned in Acts 20:16, 1 Corinthians 16: 8 and James 1:18.
Key verses
"Celebrate the Festival of the weeks with the first fruits of the wheat harvest and the Harvest Festival at the beginning of the year." (Exodus 34:22, NIV)
“From the day after Saturday, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offer, it has seven whole weeks. He counts fifty days until the day after the seventh Saturday, and then presents an offering of new grain to the Lord. .. a holocaust to the Lord, together with their offerings of cereals and offerings of drinks - an offer of food, an aroma pleasing to the Lord ... They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest ... On that same day you must proclaim a sacred assembly and not do any regular work. This must be a lasting ordinance for generations to come, wherever you live. " (Leviticus 23: 15–21, NIV)