This Summer I am going to occasionally discuss Jewish holidays; especially the ones that are connected with the life of Jesus . I want to start with one that actually falls in May, which is Pentecost. [Pentecost this year falls on May 24th 2026].

We learn about Pentecost in Leviticus 23:15-22. It is often called the Fest of Harvest, feast of weeks or sometimes called the day of weeks. It lasted for seven whole weeks, or fifty days; Sometimes called a week of Weeks. I know what everyone is thinking 7 times 7 equals 49. But there was added a 50th Day, or sometimes considered the 8th Day. That fifth day is sometimes called the Azareth. Pentecost in the Old Testament was a Harvest festival. This was the time of year that God had appointed for Harvest. Hence the references to the harvest in Leviticus 23:10 and 23:22. Pentecost also became a time of studying the Torah.

On the 50th day the Israelites brought two loaves of leavened wheat bread made with yeast as the “first-ripe produce” from the harvest.” Those loaves were presented together with a burnt offering made up of seven lambs, two rams and one bull. Also included were a sin offering with a male goat, and a peace offering with two male lambs. The seven lambs were connected with the complication of the seven weeks. A bull and the two rams were sacrificed because this was a national enactment. The male goat was sacrificed as a sin offering to make atonement for the congregation.

The 8th day is a day of new creation. And we can see how this 50th day is like the ultimate 8th day, since it was the end of 7 weeks. In the same way after the sacrifice of so many animals and offering of the grain the Israelites themselves must have felt like a new creation.

Now for Christians, Pentecost is the day where the Holy Spirit breathed on the disciples and they were given power from on High. The most important power they received was the ability to speak to other people in their own language. In Acts 2, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they must have felt like a new creation. What did they do as a new creation? They went out and started a new harvest. The planted the seed of God’s word throughout Jerusalem.

We today can continue to celebrate Pentecost and as we acknowledge there is still plenty of places, and plenty of people, to plant the seed of God’s word.

[Some of this newsletter used: Kleinig, John W. Leviticus. Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2003. Especially pages 500-505.]

We invite you to join us for worship on Pentecost!