The Third Feast of The LORD Jesus Christ
FIRSTFRUITS (Rai’sheeyth) רֵאשִׁית
THE THIRD DAY …
The Lord’s Feast of Firstfruits is the third Feast Day in a row. We continue to eat Unleavened Bread, walking Holy with our Lord. But whereas we Feasted on Lamb for Passover, and then fresh Lamb again on Unleavened Bread, we Feast on Salmon and a Honeycomb on The Third Day, according to The Scriptures…
[Luke 24:33-46 KJV] 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord IS Risen indeed, and HATH appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things [were done] in The Way, and how He was known of them in breaking of Bread. 36 And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My Hands and My Feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me HAVE. 40 And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them [His] Hands and [His] Feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And He took [it], and did eat before them. 44 And He said unto them, These [are] The Words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in The Law of Moses, and [in] The Prophets, and [in] The Psalms, concerning Me. 45 Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand The Scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to Suffer, and to Rise from the dead The Third Day:
The Bitter Herbs …
The bitterness of watching The One we called Messiah being brutally beaten, mocked, hung, suffocated slowly and drowned torturously in His Own internal bodily fluids continues for His Apostles throughout the whole 8 days of Passover and Unleavened Bread. Take the fresh horseradish. Chew it thoroughly, but don’t swallow it yet. Let the juices run down your throat and keep chewing. FEEL the bitterness in your nose, in your lungs, in your eyes, heart, mind & spirit. It wants you to give up, but keep chewing and don’t you quit. This feeling is as the utter depth of SORROW Jesus felt as He drank gall. This is as the depth of Sorrow and hot anger the Apostles felt after watching GOD suffer and die.
NOT A WORD is revealed about that final Passover meal. Did they eat The Lamb? Yes. Yes, they ate The Lamb, as Flame says. And they also cried. They wept bitterly! Their noses burned with hot anger, their eyes showered down hot tears like Summer rain, their hearts burned within them as if they would burst because of their sorrow and bitterness. How do we know? The bitter herbs tell us so.
They were still caught up in the heat of bitterness on Resurrection Day, which is Today, The Lord’s Feast of Firstfruits. How do we know? The Bible tells us so…
[Zechariah 12:10 KJV] And I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] Firstborn.
[Mark 16:1-10 KJV] [1] And when The Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and Anoint Him. [2] And very early in the morning the First [Day] of the week, they came unto the Sepulchre at the rising of the sun. [3] And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the Sepulchre? [4] And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. [5] And entering into the Sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. [6] And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, WHICH WAS Crucified: HE IS Risen; HE IS NOT here: behold the place where they laid Him. [7] But go your way, tell His Disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as he said unto you. [8] And they went out quickly, and fled from the Sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any [man]; for they were afraid. [9] Now when [Jesus] WAS Risen early the First [Day] of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils. [10] [And] she went and told them that had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
Keep chewing you Disciples of His, as your eyes, nose & heart betray you. Blame it on the horseradish. Surely it’s the bitter herbs. But don’t you quit.
Jesus Christ IS The Firstborn of God The Father, Crucified on the Cross and Buried in the Sepulcher the day before Passover; and Resurrected three days later as The Firstfruits of the dead unto God, and we all, the entire Congregation of mankind, pierced Him (Exodus 12:6; [Hadassah] 3:12-13).
In the throes of bitterness, Disciples of His, who have been with Him, hum a hymn. It will soothe the bitterness, like hummus soothes the spiciness of bitter herbs. Try it and see.
Hummus ….
[Matthew 26:30 KJV] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.
There is wisdom in it.
[Acts 16:23-26 KJV] [23] And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: [24] Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. [25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. [26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
There is power in it.
[Ephesians 5:15-19 KJV] [15] See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [17] Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what The Will of The Lord [is]. [18] And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with The Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to The Lord;
There is joy in it.
[Colossians 3:12-16 KJV] [12] Put on therefore, as the Elect of God, Holy and Beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; [13] Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. [14] And above all these things [put on] Charity, which is the bond of Perfectness. [15] And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16] Let The Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with Grace in your hearts to The Lord.
There is Comfort and Perfect Peace in it.
Hummus
Honeycomb…
All of a sudden, on the morning of The Lord’s Feast of Firstfruits, right in the midst of the bitterness, to His Disciples appears The Sweetness.
[Luke 24:12-43 KJV] [12] Then arose Peter, and ran unto The Sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. [13] And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs. [14] And they talked together of all these things which had happened. [15] And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. [16] But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. [17] And He said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? [18] And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? [19] And He said unto them, What things? And they said unto Him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, WHICH WAS a Prophet Mighty in Deed and Word before God and all the people: [20] And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have Crucified Him. [21] But we trusted that it had been HE WHICH should have Redeemed Israel: and beside all this, To Day is The Third Day since these things were done. [22] Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at The Sepulchre; [23] And when they found not His Body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that HE WAS Alive. [24] And certain of them which were with us went to The Sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but Him they saw not. [25] Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: [26] Ought not Christ to have Suffered these things, and to enter into His Glory? [27] And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all The Scriptures the things concerning Himself. [28] And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as though He would have gone further. [29] But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and The Day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them. [30] And it came to pass, as He sat at Meat with them, He took Bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them. [31] And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight. [32] And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by The Way, and while He opened to us The Scriptures? [33] And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found The Eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, [34] Saying, The Lord IS Risen indeed, and HATH Appeared to Simon. [35] And they told what things [were done] in The Way, and how he was known of them in breaking of Bread. [36] And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. [37] But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. [38] And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? [39] Behold My Hands and My Feet, that IT IS I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. [40] And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them [His] Hands and [His] Feet. [41] And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? [42] And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. [43] And He took [it], and did eat before them.
Honeycomb
Right in the horseradish-like HEAT of the Apostles’ sorrow, anger, hardheartedness and bitterness, The SWEETNESS of The Risen Jesus Christ Himself appears unto them on The Day of His Resurrection, as The FIRSTFRUITS of The Dead unto God The Father (1 Corinthians 15:20)! From this time forward, His relationship with His Apostles would be different. Whereas He walks with them DAILY, for three and 1/2 years, straight; now He only appears to them tactically, at times when they expect Him not. Initially, before The Holy Spirit Baptizes them at The Lord’s Feast of Pentecost, they sit or toil in bitterness when HE IS NOT with them. Then, THE SWEETNESS each time He appears again and fellowships with them.
During The Lord’s Feast of Firstfruits, we eat the bitter horseradish AND the sweet honeycomb for the remainder of the days of The Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread, up to and through the Final Feast Day, five days after Firstfruits. Thereby, we join with the Eleven Apostles in EXPERIENCING the Communion with Jesus Christ.
[Mark 16:14 KJV] Afterward He appeared unto The Eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after HE WAS Risen.
BITTERNESS is the product of unbelief and hardness of heart. But every time He appears to them during the forty days after His Resurrection at Firstfruits, their bitterness gives way to The SWEETNESS of the visible, tangible PROOF that Jesus Christ IS Alive!
[Acts 1:1-3 KJV] [1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, [2] Until the day in which HE WAS taken up, after that He through The Holy Ghost had given Commandments unto the Apostles whom HE HAD Chosen: [3] To whom also He shewed Himself Alive after His Passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to The Kingdom of God:
Jesus appears to His Apostles a second time on the 25th of the 1st Biblical Hebrew Month, 9 days after His Resurrection on His Feast of Firstfruits. Notice that Thomas is absent when He appears the first time, and doubts their honest report because he has been in the throes of his own personal BITTERNESS:
[John 20:24-31 KJV] [24] But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] The other Disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen The Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His Hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His Side, I will not believe. [26] And after eight days again His Disciples were within, and Thomas with them: [then] came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace [be] unto you. [27] Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My Hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust [it] into My Side: and be not faithless, but Believing. [28] And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. [29] Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed. [30] And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His Disciples, which are not written in this Book: [31] But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus IS The Christ, The Son of God; and that believing ye might have Life through His Name.
And the following is the 3rd time Jesus appears to His Apostles after His Resurrection on Firstfruits. Notice that it begins in BITTERNESS, as they have no idea what to do with themselves as they wait around for Jesus to appear; so they default to what they have always done:
[John 21:1-3 KJV] [1] After these things Jesus shewed Himself again to the Disciples at the Sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed He [Himself]. [2] There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other of His Disciples. [3] Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a Fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a Ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
Isn’t this just like us? When that for which we wait expectantly does not occur within OUR timeframe, don’t we manipulate the situation by taking matters into our own hands? But it ends in SWEETNESS, as Jesus cooks for them and eats with them fish for which they didn’t even labor:
Roasted Clean Fish…
[John 21:4-14 KJV] [4] But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the Disciples knew not that it was Jesus. [5] Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered Him, No. [6] And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the Ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the Multitude of Fishes. [7] Therefore that Disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, IT IS The Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that IT WAS The Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. [8] And the other Disciples came in a little Ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with Fishes. [9] As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and Fish laid thereon, and bread. [10] Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the Fish which ye have now caught. [11] Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great Fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. [12] Jesus saith unto them, Come [and] Dine. And none of the Disciples durst ask Him, Who ART Thou? knowing that IT WAS The Lord. [13] Jesus then cometh, and taketh Bread, and giveth them, and Fish likewise. [14] This is now the third time that Jesus shewed Himself to His Disciples, after that HE WAS Risen from the Dead.
How PERFECTLY seasoned, roasted, and satisfying must THAT Fish have been, having been not caught but CREATED and especially PREPARED by GOD OUR CREATOR, HIMSELF and how SWEET must have been those 7 Apostle’s Communion with Him!
Kosher Wine
