Festivals
Can you think of any celebrations that have really stuck with you? Maybe a birthday, a family Christmas, a big sporting win, or a school formal. We especially remember those things—and the significance of those things—when they are marked by something. A song, a speech, a cake, a meal.
Celebrations help us remember things. Important things. That’s why God gives his people festivals in the Old Testament: to help them remember things, important things. They were like spiritual “stop signs”, giving people a chance to pause, remember and refocus on what truly matters.
God’s people don’t celebrate these festivals in the same way anymore, not because they’re unimportant, but because they were never meant to be the end of the story—they pointed to a greater reality.
In this article, we’ll explore what Exodus teaches about some of these festivals, how they point to Jesus, and what this means for Christians today.
1. Festivals and Exodus
To begin with, God gives festivals to help us celebrate and remember what he’s done.
In Exodus 23:14-19, we’re introduced to three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering.
Festival of Unleavened Bread. This seven-day festival took place in the month of Aviv (also called Nisan), around March or April (Exodus 23:15). Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month, followed immediately by the Festival of Unleavened Bread beginning on the fifteenth (Leviticus 23:5–6). During this week, the Israelites were to eat bread made without yeast, hold sacred assemblies on the first and seventh days, and present food offerings to the Lord while refraining from ordinary work.
The festival was first introduced in Exodus 12:17, tied to Israel’s rapid departure from Egypt—so quick that their bread had no time to rise. It was given as “a lasting ordinance for future generations”, a way for God’s people to remember his powerful rescue from slavery.
Festival of Harvest (a.k.a. Feast of Weeks or Pentecost). This festival involved bringing the first fruits of the crop (Exodus 23:16a). We read more about this festival in Leviticus, where it’s called the “Feast of Weeks”. On the Sunday after Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites were to offer a single sheaf of barley to God before any of the harvest is eaten, a kind of “firstfruits” offering. Fifty days after that (the Greek word for “fifty” is “pentēkostē”, from which we get the word “Pentecost”), they were to present a variety of other offerings:
Two loaves of bread baked with yeast as a wave offering (Leviticus 23:17)
Seven lambs, one bull, and two rams as burnt offerings with their grain and drink offerings (Leviticus 23:18)
One male goat as a sin offering and two lambs as a fellowship offering (Leviticus 23:19)
There would be a sacred assembly, and nobody was allowed to work. In Deuteronomy 16:10-12, we read that God gave this festival so that his people would joyfully celebrate his provision, give generously in proportion to his blessing, and remember that they were once slaves whom he redeemed (Deuteronomy 16:10–12).
Festival of Ingathering (a.k.a. the “Feast of Tabernacles” or “Festival of Booths”). This festival was celebrated “at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field” (Exodus 23:16b). It was a joyful celebration held after the final harvest, marking the completion of the agricultural year (Deuteronomy 16:13). It also commemorated Israel’s time in the wilderness, when they lived in temporary shelters after being brought out of Egypt (Leviticus 23:42–43). The festival reminded the people of God’s faithful provision in both past and present (Deuteronomy 16:15). By living in booths, Israel was taught that their true security came not from houses or full barns, but from God himself (Leviticus 23:42–43; Exodus 16:35).
So, in summary:
Unleavened Bread taught God’s people to remember their rescue from slavery (Exodus 12:17).
Harvest/Weeks/Pentecost taught them to celebrate God’s ongoing provision, give generously, and remember their redemption (Deuteronomy 16:10–12).
Ingathering/Tabernacles/Booths taught them to rejoice in God’s abundance, recall their dependence in the wilderness, and remember that God, not possessions, is their true security (Leviticus 23:42–43; Deuteronomy 16:13–15).
Or, to go back to my original summary, God gave festivals to help us celebrate and remember what he’s done.
2. Festivals and Jesus
When we get to the New Testament, we discover that the festivals ultimately point to Jesus. That’s why we no longer celebrate these festivals. In Colossians 2:16–17, we read:
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Here, Paul teaches us that festivals like Unleavened Bread, Harvest and Ingathering were like “shadows” pointing us to a greater reality, Jesus.
The Festival of Unleavened Bread taught God’s people to remember their rescue from slavery in Egypt, bought for them through the blood of the lamb at Passover. We have been rescued from slavery to sin (Romans 6:6) through the blood of Christ, “our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus is big on bread. He was born in Bethlehem (literally, “house of bread”), called himself the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35), and, when he celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread, he likened the breaking of bread to the breaking of his body for his people (Luke 22:19).
The Festival of Harvest (Pentecost) taught God’s people to celebrate his ongoing provision, give generously, and remember their redemption. Through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, he makes a new harvest possible. His resurrection is called the “firstfruits” of those who will rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). He rises as the firstfruits leading to a greater harvest among the fields (see John 4:35). Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, when Jews were celebrating the Feast of Harvest, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1–4). This marked the beginning of the church. Thousands believed and were “gathered in” to God’s kingdom as a kind of spiritual harvest (Acts 2:41). The generous giving of the Spirit ensures God’s ongoing provision to his people, and is a seal and deposit guaranteeing their redemption (Ephesians 1:13–14).
During the Festival of Ingathering, Israel lived in temporary tents or “tabernacles” to remember how God was with them and provided for them during their wilderness journey (Leviticus 23:42–43). In John 1:14, we read that Jesus “made his dwelling” or “tabernacled” among us by taking on human flesh. This was not temporary—he remains human forever and remains “with us” forever (Matthew 28:20). Jesus attended the Festival of Ingathering (also called the Feast of Tabernacles) in John 7. There we read:
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of Living Water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus continues to provide for us. Just as God gave his people water while they dwelt in temporary tents in the desert, Jesus now provides us with Living Water. John identifies this Living Water with the Spirit, who now “dwells” among us (1 Corinthians 6:19).
3. Festivals and Me
So, what’s the application for us? Put simply, celebrate and remember Jesus and what he’s done. The festivals in the Old Testament were designed to help the Israelites celebrate and remember what God had done for them, but they also pointed forward to Jesus. We no longer celebrate the festivals —they were only ever meant to be temporary. But it still makes sense that we celebrate and remember what God has done through Jesus.
In Luke 22, Jesus and his disciples share a Passover meal at the Festival of Unleavened Bread. In verse 19, we read:
He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the following verse, he gives a cup of wine to his disciples and tells them to drink this in remembrance of him as well. Jesus’ disciples no longer need the Festival of Unleavened Bread—the one to which it pointed has now come, Jesus, the Bread of Life.
However, there’s still a need to remember what he’s done. He says, “do this in remembrance of me”. Do what? Take the bread, give thanks, break it, and share it. Similarly, we take the wine, give thanks, and share it. Why? To help us remember who Jesus is and what he’s done.
Jesus gave this bread and wine as a meal to help his disciples remember who he is until he returns. He intended for Christians to continue to share in this meal for generations to come.
Earlier, we talked about how celebrations help us remember things. That’s why Jesus gave us this meal, which we call “the Lord’s Supper” (others call it “Communion” or the “Eucharist”).
However, while this is a great way to remember who Jesus is and what he’s done, it isn’t the only way. We can celebrate and remember as we:
Read the Bible
Memorise Scripture
Pray to God
Meet with other Christians at Church and other gatherings
Attend significant services (e.g., baptisms, weddings, funerals, Christmas and Easter services)
In the Old Testament, the festivals were like the tectonic plates engraved into their yearly calendars. And these were just the temporary placeholders, the “shadows” pointing to the reality. How much more should we have things etched into our calendars that help us remember Jesus, the greater reality to which the festivals pointed? It only makes sense that we make these kinds of practices central to who we are as we remember what he’s done. These should be the tectonic plates of our annual (and weekly) calendars.
