As the Lunar New Year festivities draw to a close my mind is led back to the book of John, which I mentioned some time ago on this very blog.
I still cannot claim to fully understand the Jewish lunisolar calendar with its shorter lunar year, compensatory 19 year Metonic cycle and extra month thrown in every two or three years. But I do know that John referenced many festivals in his gospel.
One mentioned is the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’. And, as John so often does, there is a direct parallel drawn between this feast and the words in John 1:14(a) which are “And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us”. This festival originated in Moses’ time and was commanded by God as a commemoration of liberation from Egypt (Leviticus 23:40-43). So it is fitting that John would introduce us to Jesus as he comes to dwell among us.
Another festival highlighted in the Book of John is that of Passover. This commemoration too originates in Moses’ time. This festival reminds the Israelites of the tenth, and worst, plague of Egypt in which all of the first born died unless a sacrificial lamb had been slaughtered and its blood put upon the doorpost to ensure God’s protection.
It becomes clear through reading John that Jesus himself becomes the sacrificial lamb to save us from death.
Again you can read into this so deeply and draw parallels between the bread associated with the passover and Jesus being the bread from heaven.
Nowadays we don’t always follow these old festivals but as Easter draws near (if you don’t believe me just check out the seasonal section of the supermarket!) it is a good to remember the real significance of festivals that roll around year on year.
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor 5:7 NKJV)
