But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

Many people ask what was the point of “Holy Days” assigned by God in the Old Testament, well all of them point to Jesus Christ. Today we are going to take a look at the Feast of First Fruits and how Jesus fulfilled this day. Now of course this is not my idea, this was affirmed here by the Apostle Paul, as he states “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept”

The Jewish audience knew exactly what Paul was referring to when he stated Christ is the firstfruits of all that died. For us Gentiles to understand, we need to understand the Feast of First Fruits mentioned in Leviticus 23. It was observed on Nisan 16 which was 3 days after the Passover! Do you already see the prophetic connection? Passover is the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins, which the Church typically calls “Good Friday”. This of course was the fulfillment of the Passover, as Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God (John 1:29, Isaiah 53)

It’s not a surprise that on First Fruits, it was required of Israel to provide a spotless lamb (Lev. 23:12) We must also understand that First fruits was about an offering to God. As we know Jesus Christ was the atonement offering for our sins, Christ is the true First Fruits and was confirmed by his resurrection on the 3rd Day which was the feast of First Fruits

Deuteronomy Chapter 26 gives even more details about the Feast of First Fruits,  part of the celebration is to remember the Exodus and how delivered Israel from slavery, Jesus Christ again is the fulfillment as Christ has delivered us from the slavery of sin and death (Romans 6:20)

The feast is also a reminder how God delivered Israel to the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 26:9) Because of Christ , we are reconciled back to God , and part of the New Covenant to inherit God’s Kingdom including the New Heavens and Earth (Revelation 21) This is a foreshadow of our promise land and deliverance.

Israel had been celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for many years , Christ is our First Fruits, the fulfillment of all things, Amen!