The three saddest words in Scripture?

Perhaps the three saddest words in Scripture, reflecting the thoughts of two downcast and despondent disciples about the one they believed was going to redeem Israel, are “we had hoped” (Luke 24:21).

But these disciples were not alone in their gloom and despair. All who had known Jesus and believed in him had been gripped by hope that this “prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19) would indeed bring about the restoration of Israel at this time. It had been a mighty hope - the biggest of all. But now it was gone, in the past. “We had hoped”.

Mary and the other women who visited the tomb with spices earlier that morning – they had hoped. Peter, John and the other disciples, hiding in a home somewhere in Jerusalem – they had hoped.

The early morning news that the body was no longer in the tomb had done nothing to raise their hopes. Just more confusion, shock, amazement and tears.

But all that was about to change. One word started a chain reaction that birthed a new hope and caused it to burst into life: “Mary” (John 20:16).

Hearing her name spoken by her risen Rabboni transformed Mary from a broken mourner into an excited messenger: “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).

Hearing her name spoken by her risen Rabboni transformed Mary from a broken mourner into an excited messenger.

Similar experiences followed. Eyes were opened and hearts burned (Luke 24:31-32). Minds began to grasp the reality of what the scriptures had prophesied (Luke 24:45). Joy and worship replaced doubt, despair and fear.

But one question remained: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). After all, that had been their great hope. Surely this was now back on the agenda?

Jesus’ reply is illuminating. He does not deny this will happen, but clarifies that it is not going to be ‘at this time’; rather, at some future time known only to the Father. Meanwhile, here is a bigger hope to work towards: the salvation and restoration of all. A hope that will go to the ends of the earth.

Was this why the disciples’ hopes had been so devastatingly dashed? So they could be replaced by something even more glorious?

Have you known what it is like to have your hopes destroyed, reduced to nothing? Perhaps God has allowed this so that he can replace them with even bigger ones. Ones that will go further than those you had previously cherished.

When you are tempted to say “I had hoped”, then go to the empty tomb. Pour out your grief and despair, and maybe through your tears you will hear from the risen Lord, perhaps just one word, perhaps just your name. But that can be enough for a brighter hope to arise, for a new journey to begin.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Messiah Pattern’ by Peter Sammons (CPI, 2017, revised edition released 2019). 

With Shavuot on the horizon, we turn once again to the biblical significance of the Jewish feasts.

Peter Sammons has written several books to date, but his latest is the first to be published by his new outlet, Christian Publications International (CPI). Its subtitle, The Biblical Feasts and How They Reveal Jesus, gives a good indication of the author’s overall intention and the particular emphasis that this book brings to the general theme of God’s appointed times (moedim).

Sammons presents the biblical Feasts within their covenantal setting which is a helpful, even essential, context for unpacking them in terms of God’s overall salvation plan, and which makes them both more understandable and applicable to Gentile believers in Yeshua (Jesus).

Enlargement Theology?

The book is in two sections. Part One sets the scene in which the author argues that God has frequently used patterns to express his plans and purposes, and that the cycle of the Feasts is one of the main patterns that God has woven deeply into his dealings with mankind.

The second chapter, Covenant Promises, is an excellent survey of the ‘Covenant stream’ that has emerged over time. The author explains the covenants in terms of ‘enlargement theology’ - a phrase designed to combat the error of ‘replacement theology’. God has been building a people over history, increasing their number and never discarding any who attach themselves to him through faith in his covenant promises.

The author explains the covenants in terms of ‘enlargement theology’ - a phrase designed to combat the error of ‘replacement theology’.

Also in this first section is a chapter explaining how God’s calendar differs from the one we have come to use with its own traditional festivals, and how his ‘times and seasons’ provide a better setting for understanding the whole span of the life and work of Christ, from birth to return. He also includes a preliminary chapter on Passover (before considering it as one of the cycle of seven) in order to emphasise its special importance as the starting point for the salvation story. The truths of the Exodus account are a much-needed, even necessary, model for our own experience of sin, slavery and redemption.

By the time this section closes (about one third of the book) we have a very good idea of where the author is taking us, and have also been introduced to several diagrams which are a regular feature of his teaching style.

Profound Reflection

Part Two has eight chapters, one for each of the Feasts plus a very important final chapter on what this should now all mean for us. Under the overall title of The Moedim – The Jesus Pattern, each of the seven main chapters is headed by the name of the Feast and its significance within the work of Christ. For instance, Passover (Crucified), Unleavened Bread (Buried), First Fruits (Resurrection), and so on.

There is also a common structure to each chapter. After opening with a significant passage of Scripture, the subsections are Meaning, Prophetic Fulfilment, Present Jewish Observance, Re: Jesus, and Commentary. The author is employing a pattern of his own!

The chapter on First Fruits was particularly enlightening as this is often overlooked or misunderstood, its meaning blurred by being subsumed into Passover, as indeed has also happened with Unleavened Bread (Burial). The author provides a lot of detail on each Feast, bringing out the richness of each so that even for someone familiar with how the Feasts operate within God’s plan there will be something new to learn and appreciate.

There is a sense of profound reflection, a deeper well to draw upon, if we will only pause and drink. There is so much to absorb from these chapters that as well as reading the book all the way through it would be worthwhile re-reading its various sections during the course of a year as each feast comes round.

There is a sense of profound reflection, a deeper well to draw upon, if we will only pause and drink.

What Now?

The final chapter is a key one, and powerful too. It asks the important question ‘Do we comply today?’ basically challenging a negative attitude of ‘So what?’ or answering the more positive ‘What now?’

The author is very much against those who grab such revelation as the Feasts offer and misuse it, especially those who tell other Christians that they must observe these Feasts or that without them their faith is lightweight or less meaningful. He is concerned that the increasingly popular Hebrew Roots movement could easily be led astray by such claims, and confusion could follow. To avoid this, the link of each with Jesus is necessary to provide the correct focus and application (incidentally, the author prefers the term Hebrew ‘Root’, not ‘Roots’, as this stresses the single root which is Jesus himself).

From early on in the book Sammons has been at pains to stress that we are not to become bound up with “observance” of religious ceremonies, and certainly not judge others on that basis. Internal renewal in Messiah Jesus is the aim, to which end he asks: “why not observe and mark this biblical Moedim cycle which is so focused on the life, death, resurrection and completed ministry of Messiah Jesus?” (p44).

The Feasts as a Gift from God

At the end Sammons raises a very significant point. As many churches today are becoming increasingly distant from biblical Christianity, true believers are finding it impossible to remain within their structures. They “find themselves ‘frozen out’ if not actively thrown out of many such institutional churches as their hierarchies refuse to tolerate dissent” (p130).

The solution, or at least part of it, the author claims, is to embrace the moedim as a gift from God in which we will find the full Gospel and a means of revering and honouring the one who has redeemed us.

In the moedim we find the full Gospel and a means of revering and honouring the one who has redeemed us.

The book concludes with some useful appendices, including one on why seven is an appropriate number for the whole cycle as it represents completion, and another containing a table of the covenants and key scriptures. Overall this is not a lightweight book. It requires determination and diligence. But it is well set out and makes a very worthwhile contribution to the literature on the biblical Feasts.

A revised second edition of 'The Messiah Pattern' was released in 2019, containing new material, available from the publisher for £16 + P&P.

The message of Easter/Passover is the solution to the corruption of our time.

At Easter/Passover every year, for the past four years I have looked anxiously at the bare branches of the beautiful ash tree in our garden to see if the Ash Dieback Disease has struck. Once again, this year the first signs of life are showing which confirm that it has escaped the dreaded disease.

I know it sounds silly, but I’ve actually prayed over that tree and asked the God of Creation to protect it from the corrupting disease that is borne on the wind in our region of the country. Each year I thank God for the new life that I see in this ancient tree that is part of the natural heritage of Britain. And each year I thank God for the little enactment of ‘Passover’ in my garden - that the disease has passed over my home.

In the same way as Jeremiah got a message from the almond tree that he saw near his home (Jer 1:11), I see this ash tree as representing the spiritual heritage of the nation, under attack from secular humanist forces that aim to spread corruption and to destroy its Judaeo-Christian foundations.

Jeremiah got a message of warning that the nation of Israel was facing grave danger from corruption within and from armed attack that would come from outside. Only God could save the nation from the onslaught of the mighty Babylonian army but God would not save a nation that was filled with unrighteousness and corruption – a nation that deliberately turned its back upon his word.

Corruption Within, Threats Without

In the same way, God is warning us today of the dangers we face from the growing threats of terrorism in the world and the very real dangers of World War III on the horizon. If God did not save his chosen people Israel because of the unrighteousness in the nation, what makes us think that we are safe?

If God did not save his chosen people Israel because of the unrighteousness in the nation, what makes us think that we are safe?

We too are a nation that has turned its back upon God and there is a vast amount of corruption within our borders – even the Bank of England has been (allegedly) implicated this week in the corruption in the banking industry and fixing the LIBOR interest rates.

Promise of Being Created Anew

But Easter has a message of good news and new life and hope for the worst of sinners, which includes people like you and me. We may not be guilty of fixing interest rates, but we are all in need of what only Jesus can do for us – renewing our corrupt human nature.

Paul said that if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) – our sins are forgiven and we actually become a new person. This is the message of Good Friday!

But that’s only part of the Easter message. In the world of nature, death and resurrection are built into the very DNA of Creation. Jesus said that a seed has to fall into the ground and actually die before it releases new life. This is why he died for us and then rose from the dead so that through his resurrection, the power to live a new life is actually given to us.

Message of Life, Hope and Joy!

Charles Gardner has written movingly in this issue of Prophecy Today UK about the death of PC Keith Palmer, who was killed by a terrorist while he was protecting our Parliament. It was right that the nation recognised the bravery of this man who died a hero. But it is even more important that as a nation we recognise the death of Jesus who died a Saviour and who is longing to bless us and our nation with new life.

Death and the hope of resurrection are built into the very DNA of Creation.

The message of Easter does not end with Good Friday. It is not a message of death, but an offer of new life. It is a message of hope and joy! Many Christians believe that Brexit offers an opportunity for Britain to be free from the morally and spiritually corrupting forces of the European Union. But in order to walk in true freedom – individually and corporately – we need the spiritual new life and power of the Risen Christ, which is the message of Easter Day. It is available to each of us – it is our joy for today and our hope for the future!

A personal testimony. Chris Foster shares about how she met with God while celebrating Passover for the first time.

I had an amazing encounter with God recently, which I wanted to share!

I was in church one Sunday, listening to the sermon. The preacher said that in the Book of Leviticus there are a number of feasts listed, which Jesus celebrated, and that significant things about His life, death and resurrection occurred at those times (Lev 23).

She said, although those times are translated ‘Feasts’ or ‘Festivals’ in our Bibles, the Hebrew actually means ‘God’s appointed times’, and that God has ordained ‘appointed times’ throughout the year when he ESPECIALLY wants to meet with his people!

As the preacher was saying that, something stirred in my spirit - I wanted to explore this some more.

God’s Appointed Times

A few days later, I had a book put into my hand, The Messianic Church Arising: Restoring the Church to Our Covenant Roots! by Robert D Heidler.¹ It’s a book about the biblical Feasts, written for modern-day charismatic Christians.

The book says this:

From my studies in seminary, I knew the Bible devoted a lot of space to a series of feasts, but I had never taken the time to study them. I had always assumed these feasts were just for the Old Testament era, and had no relevance for Christians today. For the first time in my life, I began to seriously study the feasts. I WAS AMAZED at what I found! As I began to study the feasts, I discovered that…they were not just holidays or Jewish rituals. God called them His “appointed times”. In a very real sense, these feasts are “appointments” with God: times set by God to meet with His people…

As I studied the feasts, I was surprised to find that these appointed times were not just for the Old Testament era! God’s Word repeatedly tells us that these appointed times are eternal, “for all generations”, and cannot be changed. (p100)

The Hebrew Feasts actually translate ‘God’s appointed times’ – times throughout the year when he ESPECIALLY wants to meet with his people!

Now some might say, ‘We have the Holy Spirit inside us, to be with us ALWAYS, so why would we need Appointed Times now?’ And I would say: yes, He is ALWAYS with us, whatever we’re going through. Psalm 23 tells us that even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, HE IS WITH US!

But I would put it like this – I have been married for almost 43 years, and my husband is around a lot of the time. But we also enjoy special times, when we escape the demands of life, dress up a bit and go out for a meal or something, and we sit and talk and talk – and that’s special! I thought, maybe these ‘appointed times’ are like that!

Getting Rid of Hidden Leaven

While musing over this, I suddenly realised that one of the appointed times, Passover, was just a couple of weeks away. I thought: I’m going to be aware of this date.

In Heidler’s book, it says that one can make preparations for Passover by cleaning your house and getting rid of any ‘leaven’ (symbolic of sin), showing that you want to get rid of sin in your life. Leaven is yeast, used in bread-making, but as I don’t make bread, I didn’t think there was any yeast in the house, except in the bread we were eating at that time!

However, I realised that yeast is a type of mould and, as I stood in our bathroom, I spotted some mould getting into corners of the room where there had been condensation, so I cleaned that out. Then it seemed right to start a thoroughly good spring-clean. As I was vacuuming under the bed, I realised that I was cleaning places that are hidden from view to most people, and that this was about saying to God “I want to get rid of any hidden sin in my life”.

Passover involves getting rid of all leaven (sin) – even that which is hidden.

Being Met by God

The book says that before Passover it’s also good to go round your house, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything ungodly and anything else which, though not overtly ungodly, may be a distraction to you in your worship of God. So I went round my house praying and asking Him to show me those things. There were a couple of things He pointed out to me, so I got rid of them. Finally, it was suggested that you go round each room in the house, and pray a blessing on each room, and on the things that happen there.

So as Passover approached, I started praying round the house, to pray a blessing on each room. As I did so, within a minute or two of starting praying, suddenly there was a sort of WHOOSH, and an overwhelming sense of the presence of God THERE and WITHIN ME, showing me what to pray, and getting me to pray about things in my life that I had NEVER thought to pray about before!

For the rest of that day and in the ensuing days, throughout the time of Passover, I felt an almost unprecedented sense of God’s presence and blessing upon my life! I had several big answers to prayer, and I felt God’s Strong Presence and anointing on me as I was able to minister to people I encountered. The things that I had never thought to pray about before – yes, they were answered in miraculous ways too!

Throughout the time of Passover, I felt an unprecedented sense of God’s presence and blessing upon my life.

Wow! It was special! And the good news is, these ‘appointed times’ occur at other times of the year too! I’m looking forward to remembering these times more regularly, waiting on God and letting my life be more enriched as I celebrate those times in the future with Him!

References

1 Click here to read our review.

Welsh Christians honour blood of the martyrs.

A group of British Christians are planning to honour the memory of 1,200 believers who paid with their lives for refusing to stop celebrating the Passover.

A special Passover celebration will be held at Bangor-on-Dee in North Wales on Monday (10 April) as a memorial to all who have died in obedience to the Lord and as a sign that there are still those who refuse to bow the knee to any other god.

The event is being organised by the Father’s House congregation at Shotton, Deeside.

Ancient Communities of the Faithful

Like their Jewish forbears of the early Church, Christians in the British Isles continued to celebrate the biblical feasts until bishops from Rome – under orders from the emperors of the time – demanded they switch the Sabbath to Sunday and Passover to Easter, both in honour of pagan gods.

Christians under the influence of St Patrick and St Columba had long continued the tradition of marking the appointed Feasts as outlined in Leviticus 23, all of which point to Yeshua (Jesus, the Messiah), especially in the case of Passover which was clearly seen as fulfilled by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, who plainly stated that he had not come to abolish the Law (Old Testament commands) but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17).

Christians under the influence of St Patrick and St Columba had long continued the tradition of marking the appointed Feasts outlined in Leviticus 23.

But from 644 AD onwards, after the Christian community established by St Columba on the Scottish island of Iona were duped into changing the days and names of the Feasts, a new era had begun apparently designed to distance Christianity from its Hebraic roots.

And in 722 Rome tried to enforce this new practice on believers in Wales, but were met with stiff resistance as the Welsh Christians refused to comply. This led to the slaughter of 1,200 believers in one day at the village of Bangor on the banks of the River Dee.

Restoring True Worship

Father’s House leader Mike Fryer said the enforced changes were “rooted in the anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism of the newly-appointed bishops of the Empire, put in place by the emperors themselves”.

It had started in 321 AD with Constantine ordering worship of the ‘Unconquerable Sun’ on Sunday and exchanging Passover for celebration of the fertility goddess Oestre.

But the unadulterated message of the Gospel survived this spiritual onslaught and spread to faithful believers elsewhere including the British Isles, where they discreetly continued to keep the Feasts for the next 500 years.

From 644 AD onwards, a new era began designed to distance Christianity from its Hebraic roots.

“Every credible historian and theologian accepts there was a strong anti-Semitic motive behind these mass murders and it is agreed that these motives were also the seeds of both the Inquisitions and the Holocaust,” said Mike.

“Indeed Christendom has been anti-Semitic throughout its history. I have been teaching this aspect of the history of the early church in the British Isles for 15 years and our congregation has been celebrating Shabbat, Passover and all the biblical feasts.”

He said he had been inspired by the example of King Hezekiah who, by restoring true worship and the keeping of Passover, brought great blessing on Israel.

If you wish to know more, or would like to attend the celebration, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Appointed Times: Jesus in the Feasts of Israel’ (DVD, 2013, Day of Discovery).

There are many books available to help us understand the importance of the Feasts of Israel not only to Jews but also to Christians seeking to incorporate these ‘Appointed Times’ into their walk of faith. But here is a DVD that will act as an excellent introduction to anyone wondering if this is really something they want to investigate further.

It is also a very useful resource for home study groups and will provide openings for further discussion and teaching.

Four Main Sections

The DVD is divided into four sections, each of 25 minutes. Part 1 is an overview entitled Rest, Remembrance and Renewal, and the following three parts cover Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles in turn.

What makes the DVD very watchable is that we are taken to the Holy Land itself and watch three presenters (Michael Rydelnik, Avner Boskey, Michael Brown) in conversation with each other, sharing what they know and understand both from the Scriptures and their own experiences.

The visual production is of a high quality in all the various settings and locations, and the interaction between the three presenters maintains our interest, even though we know it is largely staged for our benefit!

A highly recommended resource that can be used over and over again.

Prophetic Significance

The value of the teaching in the DVD has many aspects. Not only does it investigate the importance of the Spring and Fall Feasts to Israel and describe the historical, agricultural and sacrificial aspects of these holy days, it also reveals their prophetic significance.

Most importantly, we see how these Appointed Times reveal Jesus as Messiah and the focal point of God’s redemptive plan, and learn how they are fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. In addition, we are shown how the Fall Feasts point to the promise of his return.

A highly recommended resource that can be used over and over again.

The Appointed Times (100 minutes) is available from Discovery House for £9.50 + P&P, where you can also watch a trailer. The DVD includes closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Schools are queuing to hear the message of Easter creatively told in an interactive, child-friendly way.

Some 10,000 primary pupils in the South Yorkshire town of Doncaster – statistically at the bottom of the church attendance league table at just 2% – have been discovering the amazing story of the death and resurrection of Jesus over the past seven years.

Christians around the country have been taken by surprise at the openness to the Gospel now found in the teaching establishments of this northern metropolitan borough – geographically the largest outside London but with a population of only 300,000.

Eye-Catching Atmosphere

For the eighth successive year a project known as the ‘Easter Journey’ is being offered to Key Stage 2 pupils of the town, with Tuxford in north Nottinghamshire also now benefitting.

A total of 1,300 pupils from eight schools will experience the unique journey this year, taking them through five stages of the Easter story – Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Cross and the Resurrection – each told by volunteers (some in costume) in different classrooms specially set up with appropriate props and backdrops, creating a peaceful, eye-catching atmosphere in which the children are encouraged to interact with the story and think about what they are hearing.

Over the last seven years, some 10,000 primary pupils in Doncaster have been discovering the amazing story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

At the Last Supper, for example, the children are asked to gather round a long table laden with jars of water and ‘wine’ along with bowls of grapes and pitta bread, candles and serviettes – and even a money-bag (for Judas). We explain something of the significance of the feast of Passover and, with the help of a bowl and towel, enact the servant nature of Jesus in washing the disciples’ feet, though due to practicalities and time constraints we usually invite just one pupil to have his or her hands washed instead!

Wide-Eyed and Excited Pupils, Enthusiastic Staff

Often spell-bound by what they see and hear as they are transported to the Holy Land at the time of Jesus, the pupils leave the 75-minute experience wide-eyed and excited while matching enthusiasm from staff means there is always a waiting list of schools wanting to host the event.

Because there are simply not enough volunteers to meet the need – “the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” – a rota ensures that those missing out get priority the following year or instead have the chance of hosting a ‘Christmas Journey’, which is restricted to Key Stage 1 pupils.

Backed by the Doncaster Schools Worker Trust, supported by a number of local churches and in associating with Scripture Union, the project is headed up by Linda Gardner, who has been teaching Christianity in the town’s primary schools for over 20 years through RE lessons, Bible classes and assemblies. With the addition of a secondary school worker, Dan Budhi, and a host of teams taking assemblies using the Open the Book (Lion’s Storyteller Bible) method, the Trust is currently supporting over 50 of the town’s schools.

The pupils leave the 75-minute experience wide-eyed and excited and there is always a waiting list of schools wanting to host the event.

Spreading the Gospel

The Easter and Christmas journeys follow the success of a project celebrating the Pilgrim Fathers when coach-loads of pupils enjoyed a day of discovery in the nearby village of Scrooby, where the founding fathers of the United States first gathered 400 years ago before being hounded out of the country for their passionate faith.

Along with all the other regular school visits throughout the year, the journeys allow the Trust not only to help schools meet their curriculum requirements on religious education and outside visitors, but also to carry out the Great Commission in spreading the Gospel.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts’ by Richard Booker (Destiny Image, 2009).

This is another excellent book on Jesus and the Jewish Feasts. Clearly written and well set out, the aim is to enable Christians to discover the significance of these Feasts within their own individual walk with God. As such it is conceived as a personal study resource with practical guidelines at each stage.

The author recognises that in recent times God has been doing a new thing, “breaking down the walls of hatred and misunderstanding that have divided the Jews and Christians” (p8). He believes that celebrating Jesus in the Feasts has many benefits which include a fuller comprehension of God’s plan of redemption and a renewed passion for Jesus. He explains that when Christians celebrate Jesus in the Feasts they are not putting themselves under the Law or trying to be Jews, they are “simply expressing their desire to return to the biblical roots of the faith” (p10).

Personal Challenges

The Feasts are designed to be visual aids, pictures of deeper spiritual truths, and once we see them as God’s special Feasts (appointed times), rather than merely ‘Jewish’ Feasts, then those deeper truths start to emerge.

Chapter One outlines the biblical Jewish calendar which is the correct setting for the seven Feasts in their seasons. Chapters Two to Eight then take each Feast in turn, from Passover (the longest chapter) to Tabernacles. The structure of each chapter is the same: Historical Background, How Jesus Fulfilled the Feast, and Personal Application.

The Feasts are visual aids – pictures of deeper spiritual truths.

The intention of the book becomes clear at the end of each chapter where there is a Personal Study Review which checks your understanding of each Feast and also issues a specific challenge. The reader is asked to describe the seasonal aspect of the Feast in question and to say how Jesus fulfilled this Feast. The review also asks how the Feast as revealed in Jesus applies to our lives today, and concludes with the exhortation to ask God to give you a personal encounter with Jesus as the spiritual reality of this Feast.

Highly Recommended

The next two chapters cover Purim and Hanukkah, which although not part of the mo’edim or appointed Feasts, are significant national holidays and are well worth including in a book of this kind. The structure of these chapters has to change slightly as Jesus did not fulfil these, so as well as the Historical Background and Personal Application as before, there is a section on Purim (or Hanukkah) in the New Testament.

The final chapter acts as a summary of the main purpose of the book by stressing again how Christians can celebrate Jesus in the Feasts. The author realises that people need guidelines and ideas to get them started and so offers many useful suggestions. Within this chapter there is also a section on ‘counting the Omer’, with a Scripture reading plan to cover these 50 days between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost).

The author offers people useful suggestions and ideas to get started celebrating Jesus in the Feasts.

The author has clearly gone on his own personal journey through the Feasts and is excited about sharing it with others. His book is highly recommended and well worth putting alongside others on this topic.

Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts: Discovering their Significance to You as a Christian (224 pp) is available in a newer expanded edition (2016) from Amazon for £12.99 (£7.12 on Kindle). Older versions also available.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Feasts of the Lord’ by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal (Thomas Nelson, 1997).

Kicking off our coverage of recommended resources for Passover season, Paul Luckraft reviews an older classic on the Jewish Feasts.

There are many excellent books to choose from that teach us about the Feasts but this one stands out in so many ways. When a friend first showed me this book it immediately grabbed my attention. I gratefully accepted the offer to borrow it and within a couple of days I had bought a copy for myself. It is brilliantly and beautifully produced, and is not only a great read but a perfect reference book to return to time and again.

The book is written jointly by a Messianic believer (Marvin Rosenthal) and an ordained minister (Kevin Howard) whose insight into Jewish culture and the Hebrew language is the result of his involvement in the Jewish community and his frequent trips to Israel.

The book aims to keep both Jewish and Christian readers in mind, and is greatly enhanced by over 150 full-colour charts and photographs, which is one reason it stands apart from many other books on this topic. For instance, there is a double page spread of a Passover table, with all the items annotated and described. A separate page gives a close-up of a magnificent Seder plate.

Fascinating Material

The opening section of the book acts as an introduction, containing an overview firstly of the Spring Feasts and then of the Fall Feasts, both written by Marvin Rosenthal. The introduction concludes with information about Jewish time, the year and the calendar, written by Kevin Howard who is also the author of the rest of the book.

The book is written jointly by a Messianic believer and an ordained minister.

In the second section each of the seven Feasts of Leviticus 23 is taken in turn and in each case the format is the same – description, fulfilment, application. Here the book scores highly again. As well as learning about the ancient biblical observance we come to understand how each Feast is observed in more modern times and also, most importantly, its fulfilment in Jesus and what it can mean for Christians today.

The final section is taken up with additional observances, something that other books often omit. The four chapters are on Tisha B’Av (the fast of the fifth month), Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication), Purim (Feast of Lots) and the Jubilee Year. Here there is plenty of fascinating material which is likely to provide something new for every reader.

A Book to Enjoy and Treasure!

Overall, the explanations are clear and very full. Each page is a delight. There is plenty of background information of historical and cultural interest as well as all the necessary scriptural details. This is book to enjoy and to treasure.

To cap it off there is an excellent index with hundreds of entries spreading over 14 pages, enabling you to find all you need quickly and easily as well as realising that hidden in the book are things you didn’t know about. The index itself becomes a starting point for exploration!

Each page is a delight.

There is also a five-page index of Scripture references, a single page bibliography and a chart showing the dates of the Jewish feasts until 2020.

Although I also greatly value other books on the feasts this is one I would recommend wholeheartedly, both to newcomers to the topic and to those with existing knowledge and experience of what the feasts can mean to us all.

The Feasts of the Lord (224 pages) is available from ICM Books Direct for £14.49 or on Amazon.

'Why is this night different from all other nights?'

This is the question the youngest child in every Jewish home asks in song at Passover, as families gather to celebrate this ancient festival commanded by God in perpetuity: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance" (Ex 12:14).

Jewish history and identity are rooted in this unique festival. Remembering God's deliverance of his enslaved people has been the glue holding the Jewish community together for centuries, enabling them to survive exile and persecution (click here for a longer study of Passover).

Yeshua (Jesus) used the setting of Passover (in the synoptic gospels) to announce the new covenant in his blood. Christian identity is therefore also rooted in this festival. Many churches now hold Passover celebrations, but it can be hard for Jewish people to understand why Christians want to celebrate Passover. Most perceive it as a celebration exclusively of Jewish freedom. Some are pleased by Christians' desire to mark this festival, while others are wary.

It is still primarily a festival of Jewish freedom. However, it is foundational to the identity of believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile. Exodus tells us that, "There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children", but also that "Many other people went up with them" (Ex 12:37-38). These would have been Egyptians. So Gentiles (non-Jews) were part of the Exodus.

Passover is primarily a festival of Jewish freedom – however, it is foundational to the identity of believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile.

The story has not changed. Gentiles still join the Jewish Exodus - through faith in Messiah. The blood of lambs is no longer daubed on homes, but the blood of the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29) is a sign carried in the hearts of believers in Yeshua. It is his blood that sets us free because "Messiah is our Passover Lamb" (2 Cor 5:7).

Gentiles do not replace Israel in the story; they join with Israel because the Messiah "is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph 2:14).

Why is This God Different From All Other gods?

Passover reveals the character of the God of Israel. Christians think of God's defining characteristic as being love. In the New Testament, John declares that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8). Yet the word 'love' does not appear often in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. That is because another word is being used, which is hesed, meaning loving-kindness or mercy expressed in covenant faithfulness. The nearest New Testament equivalent is charis, meaning grace.

At Passover, the Lord demonstrated his unique redemptive power and faithful character. Miriam celebrates God's goodness in song: "In your unfailing love (hesed) you will lead the people you have redeemed" (Ex 15:13).

In the new (or renewed) covenant announced in Jeremiah, the Lord declared, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness" (hesed) (Jer 31:3).

We often talk about an angry God who must be appeased, but a capricious, angry deity is more in keeping with pagan ideas of God. The Lord's defining characteristic is hesed, loving-kindness expressed in covenant faithfulness. When we break his covenant, the Lord is righteously angry at sin, not angry with us, because we are loved, but angry at sin's power in us to hurt, defile and destroy ourselves and others. He must judge sin in us. However, he is not a God of justice one day and a God of love the next. He is both at once: justice and love co-existing without conflict.

Our God is not a God of justice one day and a God of love the next. He is both at once: justice and love co-existing without conflict.

His justifiably righteous anger at sin and his perfect justice are preceded by his love. So his love precedes justice and his justice proceeds from love. In other words, he must judge because he loves. How can he love and not judge on sin and injustice? How can he let those he loves be sinned against and not burn with justifiable anger? So he executes perfect justice in and from hesed, covenantal love and faithfulness. As we remember the events of Passover, let us remember in awestruck wonder the loving-kindness and sacrificial faithfulness that took our Messiah to the Cross to be our Passover Lamb.