How I Observe the Feasts as a Messianic Jewish believer.

Coming to faith in Yeshua, Jesus, in my heart was the easy part. Figuring out what that means after spending years believing the law justified you before God was another matter completely.

Passover, for example. Each year, we try to observe Passover perfectly so that God doesn't cut us off.

Think we are being dramatic?

Exodus 12:19 is clear. "During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel."

This is why you will see religious Jews cleaning and vacuuming, burning chametz, leaven, and making sure not a speck remains. Cars are scoured and checked. Carseats are taken apart. Counters are torched and covered with foil. It is not a joke.

We saw what happens in the Bible when Israel gets it wrong. The Jewish people wish to stay in covenant both out of love for God and because disobedience has been historically, very dangerous.

But as follower of Jesus now, what is one to do?

"Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation." Exodus 12:17

Jesus even said He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

Matthew 5:17

There is much debate about keeping the Biblical feasts amongst followers of Jesus, Yeshua.

In the Bible, God said that they are forever, olam.

One thing I'd wished I'd known about the word "olam" is that it can mean forever, in terms of, the life of a covenant.

The ordinance can be forever, but how it is expressed can change.

God knows we don't have a temple to keep many of the things He said were forever in the first covenant.

God knew He had a plan for our redemption that wouldn't require a building.

Yeshua told the Samaritan woman that one day we would worship God in spirit and in truth.

When I began to study the scriptures, I realized that I can honor the feasts today.

Not in pride, not in stress, but because they all point to my first love.

A feast cannot save a person.

But when the Messiah is at the center, it can point a lost soul to the only One who can.

There are two covenants. Those made new in Christ, born again as the Jesus called it, are under the second covenant. One with "better promises" as it says in Hebrews.

While we are not under the older covenant, it is not a burden, but a holy honor to observe the feasts that have new, richer meaning in the light of what Jesus did.

Jesus did fulfill the feasts. All of the Old Testament, the first covenant points to Him.

When we observe the feasts, we are not doing so because we are afraid that God is going to strike us or we will be cut off, but because they all praise the King of Kings and what He did so we could be saved.

For instance, the Festival of Firstftuits.

There is something really beautiful about the idea of first things. The first blooms of spring, the first paycheck, the first bite of something you have been waiting for. In Scripture, those “firsts” are never just random.

In fact, all of the firstborns of Israel belong to God until they are redeemed through Pidyon HaBen (which is still observed today), as established in Exodus 13. In Numbers 3 and 18, God set apart the Levites to serve in the temple as a replacement for the firstborns who were His.

God sees and values all, but truly has His eye on the firsts of things. The Feast of the Firstfruits make this even more clear.

Leviticus 23:14 contains a strict agricultural and religious law: “You must not eat any bread, or roasted grain, or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” This verse forms the conclusion of the Law of the Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim).

This feast establishes a boundary between human consumption and Divine ownership.

God gave a very specific instruction to His people. They were not allowed to eat any of the new harvest until they first brought an offering to Him. No bread, no roasted grain, not even a handful straight from the field. It all had to wait.

God got the first portion.

This law was tied to the barley harvest. After a long winter, when food was scarce and people were tired of waiting, the first crops would finally be ready. But instead of rushing in to eat, the people had to pause.

A priest would take the very first sheaf of barley and present it before the Lord. Only after that offering was made could the rest of the harvest be gathered and enjoyed. It was a clear message. The harvest did not belong to them first. It belonged to God.

Orthodox Jews today track whether grain was planted before or after Passover. If it is "New Grain" (Chadash) harvested before the Omer is counted, it cannot be eaten until the next Passover cycle ends.

In the Jewish diaspora, this requires specialized kosher certification ensuring products are Yashan (Old/Permitted Grain).

But how to believers in Jesus observe this feast now? How does this festival honor Yeshua?

Yeshua's death and resurrection occurred on the exact morning of the Firstfruits celebration (the Sunday after Passover). This wasn't an accident.

New Testament writers like Paul use this specific Leviticus imagery to describe Jesus as the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). The theology shifts from literal grain to a spiritual fulfillment: Christ is the "first sheaf" presented to God, making the rest of humanity's "harvest" holy.

In other words, He is the first of the harvest. Just like that first sheaf of barley was offered to God, Jesus was presented as the first of a much bigger promise. His resurrection points to what is coming for everyone who belongs to Him.

Jesus rose from the dead on the very day the Feast of Firstfruits was being celebrated. That timing is not random.

The Feast of Firstfruits is not just an ancient agricultural rule. It is a prophetic picture.

Yes, it reminds us that God always goes first, and what we give to Him matters.

But even more than that, it shows us that Jesus is the beginning of something bigger than we can fully see right now. Just like the first sheaf promised a full harvest, His resurrection promises life, restoration, and a future that is still unfolding as we await His arrival.

Colossians 1:15 & 1:18: calls Jesus the "firstborn of all creation" and "firstborn from the dead," emphasizing His supremacy over creation and the resurrection.

Romans 8:29: Describes Him as the "firstborn among many brothers" regarding believers.

Revelation 1:5: Calls Him the "firstborn of the dead" and ruler of kings.

How do I observe the Feast of Firstfruits? I do not, like the Orthodox, look for certain certifications for cereal or bread. But I do offer the first of my harvest, my income to God through tithing.

I don't do this out of compulsion or fear, but love and a desire to give God the first of my harvest.

The writers of the New Testament, who I believe like the writers of the Old Testament were inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote about how to give.

Jesus talked about how to give. It is not meant to be forced, it is deeply personal. We should not draw attention to ourselves while doing it.

We see God's heart for the vulnrable among us. We can honor our harvest but taking care of those in our community and the family of Christ abroad with it. We can bring the first and best of our harvest into the Kingdom of God.

And most of all, we can partake in the eternal message of the Feast of Firstfruits by sharing the good news about the One, Jesus, who fulfilled this feast.

Being a follower of Jesus as a Jewish person who knows God doesn't waste words, can be stressful when we want to make sure we are following Him correctly. But God sees when we desire to be on the right path. The Holy Spirit guides us.

Keep studying the Word for yourself. He will help you apply it, not in pride, but in humble faith. Don't judge others. Love them. Pray for them. We are all learning together as a family in Christ.

The feasts are a blessing. Not meant to be observed in pride or stress, but to point to our loving God, our Father who gave His Son so we could live. Study and you'll find that every single feast points to the Messiah.

I know now that I'm observing the feasts well, not when I'm tired or everything is perfect, but when they make me think about Jesus and the faithfulness of God, rather than myself.

Sometimes I wonder if the church had kept the feasts, the feasts would have kept the church from being infected with the same Jewish hatred that plagues the world.

Perhaps they would have been somewhat of a balm against that infection.

I pray God blesses our harvests and that through it, we honor Him and take care of each other. I pray that the good news that the firstborn of God, His beloved Son and our King Jesus, is known by you and more every day.

May more be saved.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

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