This is the season of Shavu’ot - First Fruits. Lest its significance be lost, traditional Christian Churches use the Greek name - Pentecost. Different versions of Scripture may also translate it as the Feast of Weeks because Shavu’ot means "weeks." The seven weeks preceding are called "Counting the Omer" in Judaism, - the period between the first day of Passover (in Judaism) when the children of Jacob escaped Egypt, Resurrection Day* (in Christianity) and Shavu‘ot/Pentecost. "Counting the Omer" is observed similarly to Catholic Lent in that in the more orthodox quarters there are no weddings, parties, dancing or haircuts allowed (about the middle there is a day where these things are allowed). During this season the escaped tribes of Israel underwent a time of cleansing from their former lives of slavery, degradation, and exposure to Egypt’s paganism to become a holy nation, prepared for receipt of Torah. The privilege to interact with the Divine through the Word of God, in Jewish thinking, is regarded as essentially a wedding between the Nation of Israel and G-d. This idea is reflected in the choice of reading for the season.

There are five feasts in which specific books, called a Megillah or the plural Megillot, are read. On Purim Esther is read, on Pesach, Song of Songs, on Tish’a B’av, Lamentations, and on Sukkot, Ecclesiastes. On Shavu’ot the Book of Ruth is read - the love story and marriage of Ruth, a foreigner, to Bo’az the kinsman redeemer. It is about harvest time and about redemption. It is just so for believers in Yeshua, as well. Our own betrothal to our Kinsman Redeemer, our Go’el, the Word (our Torah) is reflected at this time. The Word came in the flesh to become our Redeemer.

Shavu’ot/Pentecost comes after our Lord Yeshua ascended back to heaven and sent the Ruach HaKodesh - the Holy Spirit - to us (Acts 2:1ff). Pentecost is when we celebrate the receipt of the Ruach HaKodesh. Mirrored for the disciples is the time of purification of Israel during the Counting of the Omer in their preparation for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. We see that at Pesach, the disciples were not the bold proclaimers of Messiah they became by Pentecost/Shavu’ot. Like the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, they too were forged into a holy nation (1Peter 2:9), ready to take on the obligations of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Yeshua is called the "First fruits" in 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23. In the Tanakh first fruit is the offering of the Omer, a measure of grain. In this case it is the first harvest of wheat. "Unless a grain of wheat that falls to the ground dies, it stays just a grain; but if it dies, it produces a big harvest (Jn 12:24)," Yeshua instructed us before doing exactly that - dying in anticipation of the Harvest to come. His harvest is us, those who have come to faith in Him. Romans 6:14 instructs us further: Through immersion into His death we were buried with Him; so that just as, through the glory of the Father, the Messiah was raised from the dead, likewise we too might live a new life. Even though death was not part of God’s perfect plan, He used it - triumphed over it. In the end death will defeated: 1 Corinthians 15:26 - The last enemy to be done away with will be death, as we see in Revelation 20:14: Then Death and Sh’ol were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the second death -- the lake of fire. So even death will die, finally.

1 Corinthians 15:23 tells us: "Messiah is the firstfruits; then those who belong to Messiah at His coming." So we are firstfruits as well - an offering which has also died and given a harvest. Romans 8:23 reminds us … but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwards as we continue waiting eagerly to be made sons -- that is, to have our whole bodies redeemed and set free. It is already within us, groaning towards the promised redemption of not only our spirits but our bodies in the final resurrection as well.

James 1:18 tells us …He gave birth to us through a Word that can be relied upon, in order that we should be a kind of firstfruits of all that He created. We are born through the Word. The Word, of course, is Messiah Yeshua. Who is our Torah. This brings us back to the receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai. During Shavu’ot the traditional food (for every feast there is a food tradition!) is dairy. There are several reasons given, but my favorite is that we are nourished by the milk of the Torah. Here we are given birth through the Word and are a kind of firstfruits. God has gone through a lot of trouble to make us reconciled with Him, that we may dwell in joy with Him.

When I started thinking on this subject, I was thinking in a very different direction, but the death of the father of a friend of mine happened as I was gathering my thoughts. Thankfully, he was a believer. This started me thinking about the connection between wheat dying, firstfruits and Shavu’ot. He died during his sleep, but on the day he was going to die, he experienced extreme pain, and Nancy, his daughter, called an ambulance. The paramedics tested him, but couldn’t find anything wrong. They wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused. One of the paramedics told him that if they didn’t he might die. Ed’s reply was, "Good! I pray every day that Jesus will take me home! I don‘t understand why I am still here." To make sure he was making a sound decision they asked a few more questions and made sure his mind was clear. One of them, who was kneeling beside him, and asked, "How long have you known our Lord?" "Several years," he replied and the paramedics packed up and left. That night, Ed went to that long await meeting with his Lord. His daughters, his son and most of his immediate family are believers. Together with them, those of us who knew Ed and are believers rejoice and sorrow not as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14). He died at this season of firstfruits - first offering of the Harvest - and we are reminded of the redemption from our Go’el, whose reconciling sacrifice and resurrection makes it possible for us to look with hope, rather than dread at the death of this dear brother.

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* I prefer the title "Resurrection Day" to Easter because Easter is the name of a pagan goddess - how does that honor Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah?