The feast of Weeks is of particular interest this month as the festival takes place at this time each year. It is the festival of thanksgiving for the wheat harvest in Israel. Traditionally, it has also been recognized as the anniversary of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Biblically, it takes its name from the counting of seven Sabbaths or weeks from the feast of First Fruits or the day after the Sabbath of the week of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, it should always fall on the first day of the week or Sunday, 50 days after the Sabbath or seven full weeks from First Fruits (Leviticus 23:15―16). The feast is also known by its Greek name of Pentecost, meaning “fifty.”

Besides the lamb, bull, ram, and drink offerings that were customary for festivals, the Lord also prescribed the offering of two leavened loaves of bread (Leviticus 23:17). This was the only feast of the year in which leaven was offered before the Lord. No explanation is given in the Hebrew text as to the meaning of the two loaves, however, leaven was culturally considered a symbol for sin or corruption in ancient Israel. Leaven is a fermenting agent. Therefore, it was considered a type of corrupting influence. There are direct uses of this symbol in the Greek text of the Bible (Matthew 16:6, 12; 1 Corinthians 5:6―8), and indications of it in the Hebrew text (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 2:11).

The two leavened loaves were not offered in fire to the Lord as a sacrifice, which was forbidden (Leviticus 2:11―12), but waved before the Lord as an act of praise (Leviticus 23:17). Because of this unusual offering, many scholars of the Scriptures have seen in the two loaves a picture of two sinful peoples ― the Jews and the Gentiles, who while both being under sin (Romans 3:9), are both redeemed as a praise to the Lord by the single and ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah, which was pictured in the lamb offerings that were waved together with the loaves. No less a scholar and rabbi than the Apostle Paul himself, who was a protégé of the great, first-century CE rabbi, Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), appears to reference this great redemptive act in his letter to the Ephesians. Referring to the work of Jesus in respect to the Jews and the Gentiles, Paul wrote, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace.” The reference to the redemption of two peoples through the sacrifice of Christ is unmistakable.

That this is the meaning of Pentecost is further supported by the historical record of the day of Pentecost found in the book of Acts. On that day, the Spirit of God came upon the apostles in power, giving evidence of His work through the miraculous ability of the apostles to speak in the languages of the nations (Acts 2:1―4). This event marked the birth of the church, the very means God would use to carry the message of salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). It also indicated God’s desire to redeem and reconcile both Jews and Gentiles through Christ.

Learning about the feasts will not only help you better understand the history of Israel and the Bible, but it will also help you to better appreciate the centrality of Israel in the redemptive plan of God. Of course, the best way to learn about and experience the feasts of Israel is to be in Israel during the feasts. During Shavuot or the feast of Weeks, a visit to Jerusalem is a must. There you may visit the Upper Room near the Basilica of the Dormition, which marks the traditional site where the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost. There are also numerous events and celebrations throughout the country. For more information about travel to Israel, contact your nearest Israel Government Tourist Office.

Richard Liverance, ThM, DMin
Western Regional Marketing Director, USA
Israel Ministry of Tourism

The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Nature and Parks Authority recently unveiled evidence from 2,000 year ago of the battle of Jerusalem on the eve of the destruction of the Second Temple, at the City of David in the Jerusalem Walls National Park. Arrowheads and stone ballista balls were discovered on the main street that ascended from the city’s gates and the Pool of Siloam to the Temple, which was excavated in recent years with funding provided by the City of David Society (Elad). These finds tell the story of the last battle between the Roman forces and the Jewish rebels who had barricaded themselves in the city, a battle that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem. This battle is described by the historian Flavius Josephus: “On the following day the Romans, having routed the brigands from the town, set the whole on fire as far as Siloam” (Josephus, Wars, Book 6:363)

According to Nahshon Szanton and Moran Hagbi, the directors of the excavation on the stepped-street on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Josephus’ descriptions of the battle in the lower city come face-to-face for the first time with evidence that was revealed in the field in a clear and chilling manner. Stone ballista balls fired by catapults used to bombard Jerusalem during the Roman siege of the city, were discovered in the excavations. Arrowheads, used by the Jewish rebels in the hard-fought battles against the Roman legionnaires were found exactly as described by Josephus.”

So far, a section of the road c. 100 m long and 7.5 m wide, paved with large stone slabs as was customary in monumental construction throughout the Roman Empire, has been exposed in the excavations. The archeological excavations on the street utilize a combination of advanced and pioneering research methods, the results of which so far strengthen the understanding that Herod the Great was not solely responsible for the large construction projects of Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period. Recent research indicates that the street was built afterHerod’s reign, under the auspices of the Roman procurators of Jerusalem, and perhaps even during the tenure of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who is also known for having sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.

According to the excavation’s directors, Szanton and Hagbi, , “This conclusion in fact sheds new light on the history of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple Period, and reinforces recognition of the importance of the Roman procurators’ rule in shaping the character of Jerusalem”.

According to Dr. Yuval Baruch, the Jerusalem region archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, “We intend to uncover the entire length and width of the street within five years, and thereby complete the excavation of this unique site which had already drawn the attention of archaeologists from around the world about one hundred years ago. In fact, one can consider the current excavations in the City of David a natural continuation of the previous archaeological excavations of the site, which were begun in the past by European and American scholars. About four years ago archaeological excavations were renewed along the street, this time in order to expose its full length and width”. Baruch added, “When the excavations are completed, the remains of the street will be conserved and developed and made ready to receive the tens of thousands of visitors who will walk along it”.

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Marking 50 years since the Six Day War, the Israel Museum will display a collection of 100  photographs created in 1967 by Micha Bar-Am, one of Israel’s most prominent photographers.

This exhibition presents a unique and comprehensive visual record of Israeli society at the time, through the lens of influential Israeli photographer Micha Bar-Am.

For more information: https://www.imj.org.il/en/

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June 2017 Christian Events

Northeast Region

Southern Region

• 2017 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting – Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ – June 11- 14, 2017 
• Anglican Church in North America Provincial Assembly 2017 – Wheaton College, Chicago, IL – June 26-30, 2017

Midwest Region

• Church of the Nazarene General Assembly – Indianapolis, IN – June 21-30, 2017

Western Region

• Western Region will accompany Southern Region for SBC Annual Meeting

Canada Region

**For Questions and further details on any of the above, please contact your region’s office.