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Discover these 
Biblical festivals!


 

Should we keep the Feasts of Israel today? A few years ago I was encouraged to see young people wearing WWJD wristbands. I was delighted to think that as these committed believers went through their day, facing various issues they would ask themselves, “What Would Jesus Do?” I prayed for them to have the courage to follow Messiah’s example in those challenging moments.

Over time I saw fewer and fewer “WWJD” wristbands, and I figured another fad had come and gone. However the question raises a vital issue. In order to understand what Yeshua would do we need to examine how He lived. When we study the life of Yeshua from a Jewish frame of reference it becomes easier to understand just what was important to Him and what example He wanted us to follow. Scripture clearly teaches that Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah, the Feast of Tabernacles, and Passover. In fact, the reason that we know Yeshua ministered for just over three years is because John’s Good News account records three Passovers Yeshua celebrated. It seems believers can often become distracted by man-made ideas that relate to our celebrations and forget the beautiful truths that our faith is founded upon.

Yeshua, the Apostles, and all the first century believers understood Messiah’s Resurrection in light of the prophetically central events of Passover and First Fruits. With the ultimate focus of our redemption being the Lamb of God, Passover helps us understand the meaning of redemption, and the absolute necessity of having resurrection life in Yeshua.

In fact, in order to continually appreciate the new life that we have in the Lord, Paul expected all believers to keep the feast of Passover. Thus, Passover redemption is the foundation of our First Fruits resurrection, our Pentecost experience, and our anticipation of the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  Why are many churches unaware of God’s appointment calendar that is clearly given to us in Leviticus 23? Why do most believers in Yeshua no longer celebrate the feasts? In order to understand why this took place we must not only be aware of the history of the church but also see this history in contrast to what the Bible actually teaches.

Throughout history, church councils have on many of the issues crucial to the faith, been helpful in distinguishing biblical truth from error. Unfortunately, in the fourth and fifth centuries, these same councils made many questionable decisions that pertained specifically to Jewish people and the Jewish roots of our faith. Such decrees were made in an attempt to remove the faith from its Jewish roots, specifically regarding the celebration of the Resurrection apart from Passover.

The Council of Nicea

The Council of Nicea in AD 326 and the Synod of Sardica in AD 343, influenced by several powerful and anti-Semitic church leaders conducted a deliberate and apparently quite successful effort to remove all Jewish expressions of the faith from the celebration of the faith.  There were various reasons these decrees were developed. In some cases it was to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and of the church over the synagogue.

Also Emperor Constantine insisted on unity in his Roman Empire, and that meant religious unity as well through his new state religion, Christianity. What was intended to be some sort of victory for the church has instead meant confusion for many believers as they read the Bible and try to correlate the teaching of Scripture with the traditions of the church that have been handed down to them. Worst of all, these anti-Jewish decrees were devastating to the Gentile believer’s witness to the Jewish community. The following letter is one example of the governmental authority used to accomplish this by Constantine:

“The Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at The Council: “When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was universally thought ... to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom [the calculation] of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom, we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter... We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way ...we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews” (2 Eusibius, Vita Cont. Lib.iii., 18-20).

Rediscover Your Rich Heritage

 I believe that this blatant removal of the Jewish roots of Scripture has actually accomplished devastating results for the body of believers today. Gentile believers are unaware of the Jewish roots of their faith. These roots include beautiful, powerful illustrations of God’s plan throughout the Hebrew Scriptures regarding Messiah (1 Corinthians 10:4, 11). When Yeshua’s death and resurrection is removed from its Jewish context the fulfillment of the Messianic hope that is found only in Yeshua is all but hidden from the Jewish community. 

Studying and understanding the roots of our faith is a wonderful beginning since we have a rich heritage and history of faith waiting to be discovered in the Scriptures. Reclaim what God has for you in Messiah! Y