Growing up in the Catholic Church, my mom made it a point to ensure we went to Mass on Holy Days, which are different from the ones found in the New Testament.  So,when I grew up and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I sought to learn more about my Christian faith within Protestant denominations. Because I wasn’t sure where to go and didn’t really know much, I joined at least seven different Protestant denominations to see where I fit in. I realized that there were different days of observance depending on what denomination I was participating in.  But I still didn’t know the full context of what I was observing.

Fast forward about 25 years, and now I understand what the Biblical Feasts that Jesus celebrated are and why.  The biblical appointed times are given in the Torah, especially in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

In the Book of Acts 2:1-41, we read about the day of Pentecost, where they were all together in one place.  We read that there were men from faraway lands such asMesopotamia, Pontus, and Asia, as well as visitors from Rome.  Why would they all gather in Jerusalem on this specific day?

The Jewish community, after the Babylonian exile and the struggles with Greek and Roman conquests and displacement to foreign lands, continued to honor the Torah-appointed times as outlined in Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:9-10, and Leviticus 23:15-16.The Jewish people are told to count 50 days from the Sabbath after Passover and bring an offering to G-d in the Temple.  The counting lasts seven weeks,and on the 50^th day,the men must present themselves, bringing an offering.  In Greek, “pentekostees” means fifty, and it’s transliterated into English as Pentecost.  The Hebrew word “Shavuot” literally means “weeks,” a reference to its falling precisely seven weeks after the start of Passover. Jewish tradition associates Shavuot with the giving of the Torah.  Fifty days after the deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt at the foot of Mount Sinai,G-dgave theTorah.  Until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70CE, Jewish pilgrimages took place, with people going to Jerusalem every year.  Now, eventhough there is no Temple in Jerusalem, the Jewish community observes and celebratesthe giving of the Torah by gathering,staying up all night to study Torah, listening to the reading of the Ten Commandments, enjoying dairy foods, and participating in other festivities throughout the day.

For us as Christians, Acts 2 should not be read as an event disconnected from Israel’s history.  Pentecost was not a random day on G-d’s calendar.  It was Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, a biblically appointed time of great significance. On the same feast associated in Jewish tradition with the giving of the Torah, G-d poured out His Spirit and revealed the fulfillment of His promises through the Jewish Messiah. This does not erase the Jewish foundation of the feast; it reveals its fullness. Through Yeshua, the covenant promises given to Israel begin to extend outward, first to the Jewish people gathered from the nations, and then to the nations themselves.