FIRSTFRUITS OF GOD’S HARVEST
“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. And you shall proclaim on the same day that
it is a holy convocation to you.” (Leviticus 23: 15-16, 21)
The Day of Pentecost is called by several names in the bible. In the Old
Testament it is called the Feasts of Harvests and the Feast of Weeks.
In the New Testament it is called the Day of Pentecost. Unlike the other
festival days, the Day of Pentecost is not dated to any specific day of
the month. Rather, it is celebrated fifty-days after the presentation
of a unique offering called the Sheaf of Firstfruits or Wave Sheaf
Offering. According to Leviticus 23, this offering was presented by the
High Priest on the first day of the week (Sunday) during the Days of
Unleavened Bread. “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. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your
behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Leviticus
23: 10-11) It should be noted that none of the new grain from the
spring harvest could be eaten until this important offering was made. In
fact, it can be said that the spring harvest season did not even begin
until this special offering was made.
Exactly fifty days from the presentation of this Sheaf of Firstfruits,
another special offering was made. This second offering, called the
Offering of Firstfruits, was presented at the end of the springtime
harvest on the Day of Pentecost. This Offering of Firstfruits consisted of two loaves of leavened bread and was also waved before God by the priest. “You
shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an
ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven.
They are the firstfruits to the LORD.” (Leviticus 23: 17)
What is the meaning of these two special offerings? Clearly, they are
closely associated with the spring-time harvests. And as we shall see,
both of these offerings and their associated ceremonies are rich in
Christian symbolism.
First of all, the Sheaf of First fruits clearly points to Jesus Christ. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
(I Corinthians 15: 20, 23) After spending three days and three nights
in the grave, God raised Jesus from the dead. But here is where it gets
interesting.
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene early on the
first day of the week. Full of joy, Mary cries out, “Rabboni”, and
reaches for Him. But strangely, Jesus does not allow her to hold onto
Him. Instead, Jesus tells her: “Do not cling to Me, for I have not
yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am
ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
(John 20: 17) What is going on here? The answer is simple. This event
occurred on the day that the Sheaf of Firstfruits was offered during the
Days of Unleavened Bread. Although Jesus had been resurrected, He had
not yet ascended to the Father. Still early in the morning, Jesus seems
to have been waiting for the appropriate time to ascend into Heaven
itself and present His sacrifice to God as the true Sheaf of First
Fruits!
There is one other interesting point worth noting. Although most English
translations of the bible call this particular day “the first day of
the week”, this day is actually called the “first of the Sabbaths” in
the original Greek. The six references to the “first day of the week” in
the gospels are actually references to the day that the Sheaf of
Firstfruits was offered. Therefore, these scriptures are referring to a
specific day of the year, not just a day of the week!
The fifty-day count to the Day of Pentecost began on the day that the
Sheaf of Firstfruits was offered. For the Israelites, this fifty-day
period was a time of harvesting, first barley and then wheat. It is also
a time of harvesting for the church. “Do you not say, ‘There are
still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you,
lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for
harvest!” (John 4: 35) Called the Feast of Harvests in the Old
Testament, the Day of Pentecost is a harvest festival. It reminds us
that we are laborers in God’s field bringing light to those who are in
darkness, joy to those who are in despair, good news to those who have
no hope, and salvation to those who are lost! We are to feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, look after the sick, and
visit the imprisoned. We are to make disciples of all nations,
“baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28: 19-20) This is God’s time of harvesting. All who believe, repent, and accept Jesus as their Savior are firstfuits of God’s harvest!
Under the old covenant, an Offering of Firstfruits, consisting
of two loaves of unleavened bread, were presented to God on the Day of
Pentecost. Although Pentecost was celebrated at the end of the harvest
season, it is interesting to note that only the firstfruits of the
harvest were holy to God – not the entire harvest. And so we read in
James 1: 18: “He chose to give us birth through the truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” In Revelation 14: 4 we also read: “These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”
After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He told his disciples to stay
in Jerusalem and wait for the promised gift of the holy spirit. While
the disciples obeyed Jesus, they had no idea when the holy spirit would
be given since Jesus didn’t tell them. But as they met together to
celebrate the Day of Pentecost, God poured out his holy spirit on his
disciples with power and great glory. Of all days, God chose the Day of
Pentecost to fulfill his promise. In doing so, God established the
importance of this holy day for Christians forever. Then, as a result of
Peter’s preaching on that day, three thousand new believers were
baptized. They were an “Offering of Firstfruits” to God.
The Day of Pentecost commemorates the harvest of God. It began when Jesus Christ, the “Sheaf of Firstfruits”,
was resurrected as the firstborn from the dead. It will continue until
He returns and the “firstfuits” are raised from the dead. In celebrating
this feast day, we remember that we are laborers in God’s harvest as we
rejoice in God’s work of redemption.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all gathered with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven… and they were all filled with the holy spirit.” (Acts 2: 1-2, 4)
Joe Weicks