Why The Biblical Holidays are for All Believers

"The Bible holidays are just for the Jews."

"God only gave those instructions to Jews."

"Oh so you're Jewish now?" 

Maybe phrases like these have kept you from celebrating the Biblical holidays. Many Bible believers have been lead to think that because they are not Jewish then certain commandments and celebrations don't apply to them. But this is not something that Scripture teaches! In this post we are going to talk about why the Biblical holidays are pertinent to all believers, regardless of their bloodline.

When the bulk of the instructions about the Creator's set apart times were given, it was leading up to and following the Israelites being freed from slavery and leaving Egypt. At that point, all twelve tribes were united under the name of Israel. All the tribes were present in Egypt, and then the wilderness. Therefore, the instructions were given to all the tribes. Not just the people of Judah.

Let's not miss that that there were people among them who were not natural born Israelites. Exodus 12:38 tells us that a "mixed multitude" went with them. This verse is smack in the middle of the details of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The instructions about the Biblical holidays (and other things) apply to anyone in YHWH's family.

"The same law applies to the native-born and to the foreigner among you." -Exodus 12:49

This passage of Scripture expressly tells us that Biblical law and YHWH's set apart times are applicable, even if we aren't 'native-born.' It's profound that the Bible makes this statement. Whether or not you think or can prove that Abraham and Sarah are your great-great-great-whatever grandparents, you are still expected to keep the Biblical feasts!

We should also be aware that the words Jew, Jewish, and Judaism really don't appear in the Old Testament, and certainly not in the first five books of Scripture where the instructions for the Biblical holidays are given. This is added clarity that YHWH did not intend for his feasts to be limited to this people group.

I would also expect that a great many of us who don't realize it actually have physical ties to the ancient Israelites. YHWH promised Abraham and Sarah that in their children "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18), and the House of Israel was scattered among the nations. Because of this it seems likely that people from around the world have stemmed from the Israelites. Since most of us can't trace our family lineage back for more than a few hundred years, we won't know with certainty until the Creator makes that clear.

I think many people hear of the Biblical holidays and connect them with Judaism, simply because in recent history they have mostly been kept by Jewish people. It is very admirable that many Jews have kept these times set apart. But they do not have a monopoly on Scripture, and they are not the only people YHWH instructed to celebrate the feasts. Whether or not you are Jewish, if you follow and serve YHWH then you are called to meet with him at his set apart times and celebrate the Biblical holidays.

More on this topic:
The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays
Reasons Why Believers Should Keep the Feasts
Why I Started Celebrating the Biblical Holidays

Why Christians Should Quit Easter and Start Celebrating the Biblical Holidays

This is why Christians should quit Easter and start celebrating the Biblical holidays instead.

Easter happens around the same time of year as the Biblical holidays of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.

While the Bible tells us to celebrate certain set apart times, we are never told to participate in the customs of Easter!

To be clear, giving up Easter does NOT mean we don't celebrate the resurrection of the Messiah or that we're not thankful for that!

But rather, embracing the Biblical set apart times of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits means celebrating the Messiah's resurrection for eight days, instead of one.

Embracing the Biblical holidays means you celebrate the Messiah's resurrection when and how the Bible says to.

The Messiah is referred to as the lamb throughout the New Testament because of what the lamb stood for at Passover. Keeping Passover gives us better understanding of the who the Messiah is and why YHWH chose to call him the lamb.

In Exodus the blood of the lamb spared the Israelites from death. Because the lamb was killed, they were not.

The Messiah was killed on Passover and resurrected on First Fruits - neither event happened on Easter.

The Biblical holidays are a wealth of historic and prophetic significance. Taking part in them helps us to grow closer to the Creator and understand Scripture better.

The Messiah said, "Blessed are those who hear the word of YHWH and put it into practice." -Luke 11:28

Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive my honor and praise.

Related posts:
Differences Between Passover and Easter
Five Things Every Believer Should Know about Easter
Why Believers Should Keep Passover

Celebrating the First and Last Days of Unleavened Bread

There is so much excitement and joy about Passover, that the Feast of Unleavened Bread often gets overlooked because of that. I wanted to share some ideas for group celebrations of this set apart time, because Scripture tells us to assemble together for the first and last days of this seven-day feast. Whether you are joining with your family, friends, small group, or congregation any of these activities would work well to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

How to celebrate Unleavened Bread with your congregation, group, or Bible study:

-Get together for leftovers from Passover. The day after Passover is the first day of Unleavened Bread, and it's also a Sabbath. Avoid cooking or spending the day preparing more food by serving up leftovers from your Passover meal. Yes, Scripture tells us not to let the leftovers from sacrificial lamb remain until the next day, but it doesn't tell us we can't have leftover salads, etc. (Also because of the Messiah, we should not be sacrificing animals!) If your menu is similar to this one, the salads, hummus, dips, and veggies all keep well as leftovers.

-Make omer counters. The counting of the omer starts on First Fruits, which typically lands during Unleavened Bread. Have everyone bring supplies to make their own omer counter. There are many different ways you could do this, but a few ideas are: scratch off omer counter, DIY flair omer counter, or this omer counter from Torah Sisters. Even having kids make paper chains would work well!

-Movie night. Have a movie night at your congregation or at home with friends. Watch The Ten Commandments or another film of the Exodus story, or other faith-based movie. Popcorn is unleavened and would be an appropriate snack to serve.

-Worship night. There's never a bad time to worship YHWH, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is no exception. Join with your congregation or Bible study for a time of worship together. It would be special to have live music, and if you're a singer or musician, this would be a great time to use your talent. Or stream some great recorded worship songs that you enjoy. Take time at some point in the evening to pray together as well.

-Read Scripture. Why not get together for a Bible study focused on a topic like bread or leavening or something else related to this time? You could also take turns reading aloud the Exodus story or the details of the Messiah's resurrection. If there are kids in your group, they could be directed to perform a skit of a pertinent Bible story. For younger kids, consider doing a puppet show or incorporating fun visual examples into the Bible stories you tell.

-Have an unleavened potluck meal. If you make homemade unleavened bread, it is nice and soft, and you can serve it with regular sandwich toppings. Unleavened sandwiches and soup or salads would be a group-friendly meal where most of the work could easily be done ahead of time.

I hope you are able to join with others to celebrate YHWH's set apart time of Unleavened Bread. If it's just you or your family, these ideas can still be applied to enjoy this time! Take time to worship, rest, celebrate, and have fun during Matzah Week!

More ideas for celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
My Matzah Week - What Celebrating Unleavened Bread Looks Like
12 Ways to Celebrate Unleavened Bread
The Beginner's Guide to the Feast of Unleavened Bread 

The Beginner's Guide to the Feast of Unleavened Bread

You can take part in and celebrate the Creator's set apart time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread...even if you never have before! The Biblical holidays were given to all believers, and they are a joy to take part in. Here's how to get started.

What you need to know about the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

-It is seven days long and starts immediately after Passover.

-The first and last days are considered Sabbaths and we are not to work on them.

-During this time we are not to eat regular leavened bread or have it in our homes.

-The Hebrew word for unleavened bread is matzah, and these terms are used interchangeably. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also called Matzah Week or the Feast of Matzah.

-You can have flour, etc. in your home as long as you are not leavening it. I don't get rid of my flour because I use it throughout the week of Unleavened Bread to make unleavened bread. Of course, it would not be appropriate to make leavened bread with it.

-It is a time for feasting, rejoicing, worship, and celebration.

Spiritual significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

-Matzah Week is when the Israelites hit the road when they fled Egyptian slavery. That YHWH freed his people from slavery is worth remembering and celebrating! During the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus, his people were in that in between place of leaving Egypt, yet not yet entering into the fullness of his promises.

-The bread they ate was unleavened because YHWH changed their circumstances so quickly that they didn't even have time to let their bread rise. No matter how hopeless a situation in our lives may seem, our God can turn that around.

-The Messiah rose from the dead during Unleavened Bread!

-The principle of leaven is very powerful. If you've made bread using sourdough starter or yeast then you know the small amount of this changes the end product significantly! While it can be easy to think that little things in our life don't matter, they can make a huge difference for good or bad. 

-Leaven is typically seen as sin in the Bible. Like sin, leaven shows up in more places than we would expect and we are called to make an effort to avoid it. During this Feast we are to examine ourselves and our lives extra closely and get rid of anything spiritually leavened.

-Unleavened bread is seen as a symbol of the Messiah's physical body. He was sinless (unleavened), and the piercings and dark spots that appear on both homemade and boxed matzah are fitting symbols of him being beaten and bruised for us. Don't forget that Yahusha described himself as the "bread of life." (John 6:35)

How to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

-Take a look through your pantry and freezer and take note of what you have that is leavened. This includes things like sandwich bread and frozen pizzas, and also fermented wheat products including soy sauce and beer. Think about storing these things on a certain shelf or area of the pantry so that you can use up anything leavened before the set apart time starts. If you don't have time to use it all then share your bounty with friends, or a food pantry. Burn or throw away the last bits of leavened bread if necessary. 

-As you go through the process of removing leaven from your home, consider how we are called to examine our hearts and actions for spiritual "leaven." Pray and ask YHWH if there is something he would like to clear out of your life as you are cleaning your cupboards of leaven. These questions are a good guide to spiritual preparation for this time.

-Get a recipe to make your own unleavened bread, or order or purchase boxed matzah bread. Boxed matzah is similar to a large cracker, whereas homemade matzah is soft, comparable to naan bread. This is my recipe made with einkorn flour, but you could substitute all purpose or whole wheat flour.

-Think about incorporating matzah into at least one meal a day throughout the week. It's appropriate to eat unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread! There are many ways to enjoy matzah. Eat it with sandwich toppings, alongside a bowl of soup or curry, make matzah pizzas, or turn it into matzah toffee! See this post for other ideas for serving unleavened bread.

-Take at least the first and last days of Unleavened Bread off from work, errands, and household chores. If possible, consider taking more time off from work to spend with your family or to make this holiday more special to you. Taking a day trip somewhere during the week can make it fun and memorable - I visited the Ark Encounter during Matzah Week a few years ago!

-Take joy in worshiping YHWH, and studying the Bible. Attend services at a congregation if possible, and watch children's Bible story videos - if you don't have kids do it for fun! 

-Not everything you do has to be 'spiritual' - make the week fun with things you enjoy. Go somewhere beautiful for a hike, play games or do a puzzle with family, make a craft or an omer counter, invite friends over for dinner, make special foods, and take time to relax.

There is some learning curve when you start to observe a new holiday, so give yourself grace about that. It takes time to get used to celebrating the times of the Creator and next year it will seem more natural and be even more fun! The Living God is honored by your efforts to take part in his set apart times!

Other posts about celebrating this holiday:
12 Ways to Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread
My Matzah Week - What Celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread Looks Like
Recipes for the Feast of Unleavened Bread