Part 4: Connecting with the Festivals: What Story Are You a Part Of?

By Craig Ashton Jr., October 14, 2023

I believe we can no longer strictly keep the Old Testament festivals according to the biblical instructions. However, they still hold exceeding value for our study and provide opportunities to mark our calendars so we can experience some of the beautiful rhythms of redemption.

The Exodus narrative begins the story of the Israelites leaving slavery in Egypt to head to the fruitful promised land. The festivals—from Passover to Tabernacles—mirror that journey. Christians often separate the festival texts from the narratives: the deliverance from Egypt (Passover), the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai (Pentecost), the forgiveness of the sin of worshiping the golden calf (Atonement), and the journey to the promised land (Tabernacles). However, these “exodus to a new land” stories are linked with the festivals. To see the festival narratives merely as exciting stories is to miss their connections to what Jesus did on the cross and how God will confront the future pharaohs of our world to bring about our final redemption. The festivals teach us practical lessons and theological aspects of the salvation plan (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Sadly, a lot of folks hold only to the stories as illustrations, neglecting to associate these memories with Israel’s festivals, which were designed to establish worship lessons about God’s character. The cross does not downgrade or renege the old Torah, for Jesus went to the cross thinking of the ceremonial law, which is an integral part of the biblical festivals (Hebrews 10:7). Learning about the festivals helps us know Jesus more fully, which requires seeing the connections between the Old and New Testaments. Jesus Himself emphasized this approach (Luke 24:27). So if we really want to know Jesus, we must recognize the historical narratives in connection with the specific festivals. The narratives may sound very Jewish and we may wonder if we can become apart of these redemptive events, but God has blended our personal story with the story of Jesus (Exodus 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:21-22; 1 Corinthians 5:7).

This interpretation places Jesus at the center of the entire Scripture narrative, and I find that taking this approach is the only way to fully see the plan of redemption. While the sacrificial system and various biblical festivals of the earthly temple are no longer necessary in a strict Levitical sense, they have not ended altogether. According to the Book of Hebrews, the earthly temple typified a greater heavenly temple with an exalted lamb, transferring our focus to a heavenly reality where Jesus fulfills all the conditions needed for grace and love to flow freely (Hebrews 8:1–5).

The various festivals connect the two Testaments by telling a coherent story and our place within the covenant of love—salvation’s history—which make them even more meaningful. The festivals not only look back but point forward to the longed-for reality. When considering the festivals, we can see that they were not all fulfilled at the cross. After the cross, there were First Fruits (resurrection), Pentecost (priestly inauguration), and Trumpets (preparing for judgment). There were also a prophetic fulfillment of the Day of Atonement (cleansing and judgment) and finally a unfinished fulfillment of a future Tabernacles (homecoming and Eden restored).

Summery of the Festivals and their Typical Meaning:

Spring Festivals

• Passover: The death of Jesus as our Passover lamb to redeem us from our “Egypts” (John 19:36).
• Unleavened Bread: Leaving Egyptian bondage, freedom from sin and evil powers (1 Corinthians 5:7–8).
• First Fruits: Jesus rises to life (1 Corinthians 15:23).
• Pentecost: The inauguration of Jesus as our High Priest, and the Spirit preparing the church to be a priesthood (Acts 2).

Autumn Festivals

• Trumpets: A call to reflect on our lives and prepare to stand before the judge as well as a proclamation of the second coming (1Thessalonians 4:6).
• Atonement: Cleansing through judgment and the vindication of God’s character (Daniel 7:9–14; 8:14).
• Tabernacles: Homecoming. The tabernacle of God dwells with men. Rejoicing that God’s healing presence is on earth (Revelation 21:3).

Looking at these festivals, we can see that their significance continues after the cross. Jesus hasn’t finished fulfilling the festivals. Passover still looks forward to the final exodus and the day when we feast with Jesus, fully redeemed in the kingdom (Luke 22:15–16). The festival of Pentecost also continues, as the Holy Spirit has not yet been poured out on all flesh as prophecy indicates (Joel 2:28). The law is not yet fully written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrew 8:10). It’s a work in process. We still look forward to the Spirit being poured out in the latter rain and the day when everyone from the least to the greatest will know the Lord (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11). When that day comes, we can say that Pentecost is no longer needed. Likewise, the prophetic significance of the Day of Atonement will continue until God’s cleansing work is finished. Tabernacles and the hopes to dwell with God in a new land “flowing with milk and honey” have not yet been completed (Deuteronomy 26:5-9). We are still waiting for ultimate fulfillment, when the Feast of Tabernacles will culminate in Eden restored (Revelation 21:1–5). However, I find it significant that according to the prophet Zachariah, there will always be a need for joyful celebration and thanksgiving—that is, for the Feast of Tabernacles (Zachariah 14:16–21). Dwelling and meeting with God comprise a feast that never ends.

So if the festivals’ narratives set a precedent for the significance of God’s work in the world, how can we walk in the light they provide? Beyond honoring the seasons by following the customs of the Jewish calendar, we can meditate on the feasts’ spiritual implications and meanings, encouraging our imaginations to be formed by them. I believe the festivals should be marked in some way during their respective seasons, not because I believe they are ritually or covenantally binding for everyone but because we are blessed when we familiarize ourselves with them, learn their messages, and treasure them by following the rhythms of redemption to the best of our ability. This allows us to avoid the pagan elements, grasp the details of biblical theology, and honor the feasts’ spiritual implications.

Understanding the different effects of dividing and joining the festive calendar with the narratives helps us view the Bible as a united story, leading us to understand Jesus more fully:

1. Neglecting the festivals and their stories obscures the connection between what happened on the cross and in an empty tomb and what will occur at the culmination of history.
2. Associating the narratives with the annual observances provides us a more complete picture of God’s plan of redemption.

Craig Ashton Jr.