Connecting the Old and New

Acts 1:1-11
This week we celebrate Pentecost (fiftieth). Perhaps we can consider why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Firstly, what we call ‘Pentecost’ flows from the Old Testament, the Hebrew “shavuot” meaning seven weeks, and has its basis in agriculture. According to the command given in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, the Israelites were to bring the first sheaves of barley harvest (the beginning of the harvest season) to the place of worship and wave them before the Lord. Moving ahead to the fiftieth day, the celebration of Pentecost or shavuot “Feast of Weeks” marked the end of the wheat harvest. The Israelites were to bring two loaves of leavened bread baked from newly harvested wheat and wave them before the Lord. The rabbi’s called shavuot or Pentecost, the closing of Passover. Although the instructions about this festival were given at Mount Sinai, the Israelites had to wait to celebrate it. It was not to occur until the Israelites had reached their goal, their fulfilment, that is being established, the promised land. But ‘Shavuot’ would also become a remembrance of the giving of the Law (God’s covenant ) at Mt Sinai.

There is a link between the fifty-day period when the people left Egypt (Passover) till the time the people were given the Law at Sinai and the fifty-day period between the Passover resurrection of our Lord and the giving of the Holy spirit. In a similar way, during this time there was a wait while God taught his people, and Jesus appearing to the disciples and teaching them. A time of waiting for the Jewish nation to form with the first covenant, and a time for the church to form through the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, and the New Covenant. Both being accepted with great joy. Now instead of offering up to God the first fruits, God now offers the first fruits of the Spirit , the fruit down from heaven to the people on earth. (Romans 8, Ephesians 1). This is a promise of the full payment which is to come at the resurrection on the last day. The Jews gave God the first fruits of harvest to signify that everything belongs to Him. God gives us the first fruits of the Spirit showing that we belong to Him.

Pastor Darryl

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash