See Part 2 of this series here.
I believe it’s important to acknowledge the context and history of things as we study them out, regardless of whether we agree with or like the ideologies of the time or not. As I mentioned in my first post, the main issue many people have with holidays is their roots in pagan idolatry. There are many verses detailing how we’re not supposed to worship our God, YHVH, in the ways of “the nations,” “the Canaanites,” or “the pagans.” To name a few:
“…But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.’ You must not worship YHVH your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things YHVH hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:28-32).
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
Keeping this in mind, I’ll continue to do a quick break down of each holiday with resources for a more in-depth look, followed by if or how my family currently observes each one.
Good Friday
Initially I thought of grouping this day with Easter, but the transition felt a touch jarring. The world just celebrated Good Friday and Yeshua’s (or Jesus’) paid the ultimate sacrifice on April 10, but frankly Good Friday never did make much sense to me, even growing up as a Baptist kid. I believe the first time I ever considered it was back when I was 8, which was prime arithmetic age, and the math of Friday to Sunday being 3 days and 3 nights struck me as odd, but as I was just a kid, I figured I just wasn’t counting correctly. The adults were more educated than I was at the time.
As my family began to celebrate Passover and the weekly sabbaths (as I broke down in the previous post of this series) my father did a sermon on it, and since then it’s made more sense. Frankly, I’m excited Passover landed where it did in the week this year, as it makes for the perfect example of time progressing.
As a precursor: in the biblical calendar, days begin at sundown and go through the next sundown, rather than 12AM midnight like our calendar does, as mentioned in Genesis 1, right at creation…
- Genesis 1:5: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
- Genesis 1:8: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.”
- Genesis 1:13: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.”
- Genesis 1:19: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.”
- Genesis 1:23: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.”
- Genesis 1:31: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”
Evening > Night > Morning > Afternoon > Repeat, or Night > Day > Repeat
And if you read my previous post, you’ll have seen the Unleavened Bread section, but just in case you missed it, I’ll touch on it right now:
“…’On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.’ These days (the 14th day and the 21st day) are sabbaths of rest, no matter what day of the week they land on. This year (as well as the year Yeshua died), those sabbaths will be on a Gregorian Wednesday evening through Thursday evening, which is atypical to the Gregorian Friday evening through Saturday evening of a regular sabbath. We’re told to do no work on these days, which would be things such as your job most chores (although we are told to care for our animals should we have any), we’re told in other passages not to buy or sell on a sabbath, as it creates work for others…”
The details of when a day starts and when the sabbaths are during the week Yeshua died are relevant and important here. According to Life, Hope & Truth, “The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had seen Him work miracles but still didn’t believe He was the Messiah (Matthew 12:23, 38). In fact, the Pharisees plotted “how they might destroy Him” (verse 14) and accused Him of working for Satan (verse 24)! So when they asked for another sign, Jesus said: ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’ (verses 39-40). Jesus referred to the great miracle from the book of Jonah. God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights before God told the fish to spit him out, alive, on the shore. And Christ let everyone know that He would be in the grave for the exact same length of time. He said the sign of Jonah would be the only sign He would give them. This important prophecy was very specific.
And Staley Family Ministries agrees, saying: “All we have to do is count backward from Sunday, right? Any five-year-old should be able to do this. Let’s give it a try with the Messiah dying on the traditional Good Friday.
“Note: Because biblical counting is inclusive, meaning that any part of a day counts as a full day, we will be using that method here.
“Friday: Day one
“Friday Night: Night one
“Saturday: Day two
“Saturday Night: Night two
“Sunday morning: Day three
“???
“Even if we give Sunday morning before the sun came up as day three, there is simply no way to get a third night, no matter how creative we get.”
The reality is that Yeshua is the Passover lamb, and Passover was on the fifth day of the week that year, based on math and logic. My dad would illustrate this on a white board, but let’s see if I can pull it off through text: the Passover lambs are sacrificed on the morning and afternoon before they’re eaten on the evening of Passover itself. The day following Passover is a sabbath, then is Friday when the women bought and prepared the embalming spices. The regular weekly sabbath is next, and Yeshua rises sometime before the women come sometime early the following morning, on the first day of the week, now known as a Sunday. To break it down further:
Lamb sacrifices at the temple, Yeshua dies and is quickly buried mid-day, making it less than 1 day (Wednesday afternoon, or late Nisan 13)
Night 1 and Day 1: Passover, which is a sabbath (Wednesday evening and Thursday, or Nisan 14)
Night 2 and Day 2: Spices purchased, preparation day for another sabbath (Thursday evening and Friday, or Nisan 15)
Night 3 and Day 3: Weekly sabbath (Friday evening and Saturday, or Nisan 16)
Yeshua rises sometime before women come, making it less than 1 more night (Saturday evening to before dawn on Sunday, or early Nisan 17)
(In case I should’ve illustrated on a white board, Life, Hope & Truth has a nifty chart.)
At any rate, my family does not celebrate Good Friday, but rather acknowledges the great sacrifice of our Messiah during our Passover seder, which you can read about in the previous post of this series (yes, I mentioned it again, I’m sorry. They’re just so closely linked due to the time of year. Lol)
Resources:
- Genesis 1 in the Bible
- Exodus 12 in the Bible
- Matthew 12 in the Bible
- Mark 15 in the Bible
- Holidays: a Quick Breakdown (Part 2) blog post by me, myself, and I here on this fine blog
- Sign of Jonah, Good Friday, Rise on Easter? blog post by LifeHopeAndTruth.com
- Did Jesus really die on a Friday? blog post StaleyFamilyMinistries.com
Easter / Pascha / Resurrection Sunday
Easter: the well-known holiday celebrating the resurrection of the biblical promised Messiah. Not unlike Saint Patrick’s Day and Passover, Easter is a day that started out celebrating the work of YHVH in the lives of those on Earth but was added to over the centuries with the traditions of the pagans.
My family doesn’t call this day “Easter,” but opts for Resurrection Sunday, since that’s what we are celebrating. We often read about the resurrection and play songs, either on piano or from a playlist, about Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Resources:
- History of Valentine’s Day blog post by History.com
First Fruits / Yom HaBikkurim
Resources:
- History of Valentine’s Day blog post by History.com
Pentecost / Shavuot
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My congregation gets together for worship, a short service, and a party afterwards. We have a talent show and hang out. REFERENCES
Resources:
- History of Valentine’s Day blog post by History.com
Independence Day / 4th of July
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My congregation gets together for worship, a short service, and a party afterwards. We have a talent show and hang out. REFERENCES
Resources:
- History of Valentine’s Day blog post by History.com
With that, I’m going to hit the “pause” button. Obviously, multiple holidays are missing from this post. My original plan was to make a single post with all 18 of my planned holidays contained within it, but after delving into it all, I quickly changed my mind. Keep an eye out for the rest of the holidays, including the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) and Christmas!
In the meantime, with the recent new moon and aviv barley in Jerusalem, my family and church congregation is heading into another holiday season, despite the coronavirus’ best attempts to kill the mood. I hope that you will consider joining us in our celebrations!
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