Feast of the Sheaf of Firstfruits: Jesus as the Sheaf
Feasts of Israel Series: Part 10
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 23:9–11, NKJV).
While Israel was capable of celebrating Passover and even the Feast of Unleavened Bread during their wilderness wandering, it would be forty years before they observed the rest of the feasts God described.
That’s because, while they remained in the desert, Israel was missing an important component to the celebration—a harvest. While Passover was initiated in Egypt, God arranged the timing to coincide with what would become the start of the barley harvest. Once they had something to offer, Israel presented God with the first and best of their ripening crop in the Feast of the Sheaf of Firstfruits. Only then could anyone else partake of the grain.
If God found His portion acceptable, He would bless the rest of the harvest. Working on much the same principle as with the tithe, if the firstfruit was deemed holy, so was the whole crop (Romans 11:16). In this case, God’s share appeared in the form of a sheaf—a clump of stalks tied together in a bundle–which they waved up and down and back and forth before the Lord.
While God was certainly interested in blessing the fruit of their fields, the ritual was a foreshadowing of an even more important harvest God had His eyes on—one reaped from a field of human lives.
To see that this ingathering would be rich and full, God needed to see a sheaf of the first and best of mankind lifted up before Him. If an acceptable firstfruit was found, the whole crop of people gathered in with Him would be accepted as well.
Better than Barley
God proved His choice for this purpose in the timing of this feast one fateful year.
Passover was always celebrated as a special Sabbath (or day of rest) no matter what day of the week it fell on. As soon as the next Friday rolled around, the people would celebrate a regular Sabbath, as they did every week. The day after that Sabbath was the Feast of the Sheaf of Firstfuits.
According to the calculations of Dr. Richard Booker1 and Kevin J. Conner2, the year Jesus was crucified, the weekly Sabbath fell two days after Passover. The third day after Passover that year was the Feast of the Sheaf of Firstfruits. The same morning the priests prepared the barley sheaf for waving, the disciples discovered Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
Up and down went the sheaf in the temple. To heaven and back went the body of Christ. Left and right swung the bundle of barley. To and fro walked the risen Christ in the earth. “Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits. . . . But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20–23 NKJV).
Of this we can be sure: because He was accepted so can we be, if we let Him represent us at the cross. Are you in His field? He only needs a “yes” from you to plant your roots with His. Share in His blessing and take Him as your Sheaf.
Footnotes
Terry is a writer and speaker who loves gathering clues about God from His Word and creation. She wants to help God’s people grow in wonder, appreciation and understanding of Him. She loves finding fresh ways to approach Scripture so we all expand our ability to both apply and share what we’ve learned.