The 'Feast of Unleavened Bread,' which commenced in the Paschal night itself and lasted
for seven days, derived its name from the Mazzoth, or unleavened cakes, which were
the only bread allowed during that week. This is called in Scripture 'the bread of
affliction' (Deut 16:3), as is commonly supposed, because its insipid and disagreeable
taste symbolised the hardship and affliction of Egypt. But this explanation must be
erroneous. It would convert one of the most joyous festivals into an annual season of
mourning. The idea intended to be conveyed by the Scriptural term is quite different. For,
just as we should ever remember the death of our Saviour in connection with His
resurrection, so were Israel always to remember their bondage in connection with their
deliverance. Besides, the bread of the Paschal night was not that of affliction because it
was unleavened; it was unleavened because it had been that of affliction. For it had been
Israel's 'affliction,' and a mark of their bondage and subjection to the Egyptians, to be
driven forth in such 'haste' (Deut 16:3; Exo 12:33,39) as not even to have time for
leavening their bread. Hence also the prophet, when predicting another and far more
glorious deliverance, represents Israel, in contrast to the past, as too holy to seek
enrichment by the possessions, and as too secure to be driven forth in haste by the fear
of those who had held them captives:
The Passover, therefore, was not so much the remembrance of Israel's bondage as of
Israel's deliverance from that bondage, and the bread which had originally been that of
affliction, because that of haste, now became, as it were, the bread of a new state of
existence. None of Egypt's leaven was to pervade it; nay, all the old leaven, which served
as the symbol of corruption and of death, was to be wholly banished from their homes. They
were to be 'a new lump,' as they were 'unleavened' (1 Cor 5:7). Thus what had originally
been the necessity of one day, became the ordinance of a feast, bearing the sacred number
of seven days. As the cross has become to us the tree of life; as death hath been
abolished by death, and captivity been led captive by the voluntary servitude (Psa 40:6,7)
of the Lord of glory, so to Israel the badge of former affliction became the symbol of a
new and joyous life, in which they were to devote themselves and all that they had unto
the Lord.
The First Day of the Feast
The same truth is fully symbolised in the sacrifices of this feast, and especially in
the presentation of the first ripe sheaf on the second day of the Passover. The first day
of 'unleavened bread,' or the 15th of Nisan, was a 'holy convocation,' when neither
servile nor needless work was to be done, that only being allowed which was necessary for
the joyous observance of the festival. After the regular morning sacrifice the public
offerings were brought. These consisted, on each of the seven days of the festive week, of
two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs for a burnt-offering, with their appropriate
meat-offerings; and of 'one goat for a sin-offering, to make an atonement for you' (Num
28:19-24). After these public sacrifices (for the whole congregation), the private
offerings of each individual were brought, commonly on the first day of the feast (the
15th of Nisan), but if this had been neglected, on any of the other days. These sacrifices
were a burnt-offering, of the value of at least one meah of silver * (= 1/3 denar,
or about 2 1/2 d.); then, the 15th day Chagigah (literally, festivity), of the value of at
least two meahs of silver (= 5d.); and lastly, the so-called 'sacrifices of joyousness'
(Deut 27:7), in which every one was left at liberty to offer, according to 'the blessing
which the Lord had given' to each (Deut 16:17).
* In this, as in many other particulars, the teaching of Shammai
differed from that of Hillel. We have followed Hillel, whose authority is generally
recognised.
Both the Chagigah and the 'offerings of joyousness' were 'peace-offerings.' They
required imposition of hands, sprinkling of blood, burning of the inside fat and kidneys
on the altar, and the proper setting aside of what went to the priest, viz. the breast as
a wave- and the right shoulder as a heave-offering (Lev 3:1-5; 7:29-34); the difference,
as we have seen, being, that the wave-offering belonged originally to Jehovah, who gave His
portion to the priests, while the heave-offering came to them directly from the people.
The rest was used by the offerers in their festive meals (but only during two days and one
night from the time of sacrifice). Tradition allowed the poor, who might have many to
share at their board, to spend even less than one meah on their burnt-offerings, if they
added what had been saved to their peace-offerings. Things devoted to God, such as tithes,
firstlings, etc., might be used for this purpose, and it was even lawful for priests to
offer what had come to them as priestly dues (Mishnah, Chag. i. 3, 4). In short, it
was not to be a heavy yoke of bondage, but a joyous festival. But on one point the law was
quite explicit— Chagigah might not be offered by any person who had contracted
Levitical defilement (Pes. vi. 3). It was on this ground that, when the Jews led
'Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment,' they themselves went not into the
judgment-hall, lest they should be defiled, but that they might 'eat the Passover' (John
18:28). And this brings us once more to the history of the last real Passover.
The Day of Our Lord's Betrayal
'It was early' on the 15th day of Nisan when the Lord was delivered into the hands of
the Gentiles. In the previous night He and His disciples had partaken of the Paschal
Supper. The betrayer alone was too busy with his plans to finish the meal. He had, so to
speak, separated from the fellowship of Israel before he excommunicated himself from that
of Christ. While the Paschal services in the 'guest-chamber' were prolonged by the
teaching and the intercession of the Master, and when the concluding rites of that night
merged in the institution of the Lord's Supper, Judas was completing, with the chief
priests and elders, the betrayal of Jesus, and received the 'reward of iniquity' (Acts
1:18). Either the impetuosity of the traitor, or, more probably, the thought that such an
opportunity might never come to them again, decided the elders, who, till then, had
intended to delay the capture of Jesus till after the Feast, for 'fear of the multitude.'
It was necessary to put aside, not only considerations of truth and of conscience, but to
violate almost every fundamental principle of their own judicial administration. In such a
cause, however, the end would sanctify any means.
The Arrest of Our Lord
Some of their number hastily gathered the Temple guard under its captains. A detachment
of Roman soldiers under an officer * would readily be granted from the neighbouring
fortress, Antonia, when the avowed object was to secure a dangerous leader of rebellion
and to prevent the possibility of a popular tumult in his favour.
* We derive our account from all the four Gospels. The language of St.
John (18:3,12) leaves no doubt that a detachment of Roman soldiers accompanied such of the
elders and priests as went out with the Temple guard to take Jesus. Thee was no need to
apply for Pilate's permission (as Lange supposes) before securing the aid of the soldiers.
A number of trusty fanatics from the populace accompanied 'the band.' They were all
armed with clubs and swords, 'as against a murderer'; and though the dazzling light of a
full moon shone on the scene, they carried torches and lamps, in case He or His followers
should hide in the recesses of the garden or escape observation. But far other than they
had expected awaited them in 'the garden.' He whom they had come to take prisoner by
violent means first overcame, and then willingly surrendered to them, only stipulating for
the freedom of His followers. They led Him back into the city, to the Palace of the High
Priest, on the slope of Mount Zion, almost opposite to the Temple. What passed there need
not be further described, except to say, that, in their treatment of Jesus, the Sanhedrim
violated not only the law of God, but grossly outraged every ordinance of their own
traditions. *
* We cannot here enter on the evidence; the fact is generally admitted
even by Jewish writers.
Possibly the consciousness of this, almost as much as political motives, may have
influenced them in handing over the matter to Pilate. The mere fact that they possessed
not the power of capital punishment would scarcely have restrained them from killing
Jesus, as they afterwards stoned Stephen, and would have murdered Paul but for the
intervention of the Roman garrison from Fort Antonia. On the other hand, if it was, at the
same time, their object to secure a public condemnation and execution, and to awaken the
susceptibilities of the civil power against the movement which Christ had initiated, it
was necessary to carry the case to Pilate. And so in that grey morning light of the first
day of unleavened bread the saddest and strangest scene in Jewish history was enacted. The
chief priests and elders, and the most fanatical of the people were gathered in Fort
Antonia. From where they stood outside the Praetorium they would, in all probability, have
a full view of the Temple buildings, just below the rocky fort; they could see the morning
sacrifice offered, and the column of sacrificial smoke and of incense rise from the great
altar towards heaven. At any rate, even if they had not seen the multitude that thronged
the sacred buildings, they could hear the Levites' song and the blasts of the priests'
trumpets. and now the ordinary morning service was over, and the festive sacrifices were
offered. It only remained to bring the private burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice the
Chagigah, * which they must offer undefiled, if they were to bring it at all, or to share
in the festive meal that would afterwards ensue.
* The evidence that the expression in John 18:28, 'They went not into
the judgment-hall...that they might eat the Passover,' refers not to the Paschal
lamb, but to the Chagigah, is exceedingly strong, in fact, such as to have even convinced
an eminent but impartial Jewish writer (Saalschutz, Mos. Recht, p. 414). It does
seem strange that it should be either unknown to, or ignored by, 'Christian' writers.
And so the strangest contradiction was enacted. They who had not hesitated to break
every law of God's and of their own making, would not enter the Praetorium, lest they
should be defiled and prevented from the Chagigah! Surely, the logic of inconsistency
could go no further in punctiliously observing the letter and violating the spirit of the
law.
The Sheaf of Firstfruits
A little later on in the evening of that same day, just as it was growing dark, a noisy
throng followed delegates from the Sanhedrim outside the city and across the brook Kedron.
It was a very different procession, and for a very different purpose, from the small band
of mourners which, just about the same time, carried the body of the dead Saviour from the
cross to the rock-hewn tomb wherein no man had yet been laid. While the one turned into
'the garden' (John 20:15), perhaps to one side, the other emerged, amidst loud
demonstrations, in a field across Kedron, which had been marked out for the purpose. They
were to be engaged in a service most important to them. It was probably to this
circumstance that Joseph of Arimathea owed their non-interference with his request for the
body of Jesus, and Nicodemus and the women, that they could go undisturbed about the last
sad offices of loving mourners. The law had it, 'Ye shall bring a sheaf [literally the
omer] of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest; and he shall wave the omer
before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall
wave it' (Lev 23:10,11). This Passover-sheaf, or rather omer, was to be accompanied by a
burnt-offering of a 'he lamb, without blemish, of the first year,' with its appropriate
meat- and drink-offering, and after it had been brought, but not till then, fresh barley
might be used and sold in the land. Now, this Passover-sheaf was reaped in public the
evening before it was offered, and it was to witness this ceremony that the crowd gathered
around 'the elders,' who took care that all was done according to traditionary ordinance.
'The Morrow After the Sabbath'
The expression, 'the morrow after the Sabbath' (Lev 23:11), has sometimes been
misunderstood as implying that the presentation of the so-called 'first sheaf' was to be
always made on the day following the weekly Sabbath of the Passover-week. This view,
adopted by the 'Boethusians' and the Sadducees in the time of Christ, and by the Karaite
Jews and certain modern interpreters, rests on a misinterpretation of the word 'Sabbath'
(Lev 23:24,32,39). As in analogous allusions to other feasts in the same chapter, it means
not the weekly Sabbath, but the day of the festival. The testimony of Josephus (Antiq.
iii. 10, 5, 6), or Philo (Op. ii. 294), and of Jewish tradition, leaves no room to
doubt that in this instance we are to understand by the 'Sabbath' the 15th of Nisan, on
whatever day of the week it might fall. Already, on the 14th of Nisan, the spot whence the
first sheaf was to be reaped had been marked out by delegates from the Sanhedrim, by tying
together in bundles, while still standing, the barley that was to be cut down. Though, for
obvious reasons, it was customary to choose for this purpose the sheltered Ashes-valley
across Kedron, there was no restriction on that point, provided the barley had grown in an
ordinary field— course in Palestine itself— not in garden or orchard land, and that
the soil had not been manured nor yet artificially watered (Mishnah, Menach. viii.
1, 2). *
* The field was to be ploughed in the autumn, and sowed seventy days
before the Passover.
When the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived, that is, on the evening of the 15th of
Nisan (even though it were a Sabbath *), just as the sun went down, three men, each with a
sickle and basket, formally set to work.
* There was a controversy on this point between the Pharisees and the
Sadducees. The article in Kitto's Cycl. erroneously names the afternoon of the 16th
of Nisan as that on which the sheaf was cut. It was really done after sunset on the 15th,
which was the beginning of the 16th of Nisan.
But in order clearly to bring out all that was distinctive in the ceremony, they first
asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions: 'Has the sun gone down?'
'With this sickle?' 'Into this basket?' 'On this Sabbath (or first Passover-day)?'—,
lastly, 'Shall I reap?' Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down
barley to the amount of one ephah, or ten omers, or three seahs, which is equal to about
three pecks and three pints of our English measure. The ears were brought into the Court
of the Temple, and thrashed out with canes or stalks, so as not to injure the corn; then
'parched' on a pan perforated with holes, so that each grain might be touched by the fire,
and finally exposed to the wind. The corn thus prepared was ground in a barley-mill, which
left the hulls whole. According to some, the flour was always successfully passed through
thirteen sieves, each closer than the other. The statement of a rival authority, however,
seems more rational— it was only done till the flour was sufficiently fine (Men.
vi. 6, 7), which was ascertained by one of the 'Gizbarim' (treasurers) plunging his hands
into it, the sifting process being continued so long as any of the flour adhered to the
hands (Men. viii. 2). Though one ephah, or ten omers, of barley was cut down, only
one omer of flour, or about 5 1 pints of our measure, was offered in the Temple on the
second Paschal, or 16th day of Nisan. The rest of the flour might be redeemed, and used
for any purpose. The omer of flour was mixed with a 'log,' or very nearly three-fourths of
a pint of oil, and a handful * of frankincense put upon it, then waved before the Lord,
and a handful taken out and burned on the altar.
* The term is difficult to define. The Mishnah (Men. ii.
2) says, 'He stretcheth the fingers over the flat of the hand.' I suppose, bending them
inwards.
The remainder belonged to the priest. This was what is popularly, though not very
correctly, called 'the presentation of the first or wave-sheaf' on the second day of the
Passover-feast, of the 16th of Nisan.
Pentecost
The 'Feast of Unleavened Bread' may be said not to have quite passed till fifty-days
after its commencement, when it merged in that of Pentecost, or 'of Weeks.' According to
unanimous Jewish tradition, which was universally received at the time of Christ, the day
of Pentecost was the anniversary of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, which the Feast
of Weeks was intended to commemorate. Thus, as the dedication of the harvest, commencing
with the presentation of the first omer on the Passover, was completed in the
thank-offering of the two wave-loaves at Pentecost, so the memorial of Israel's
deliverance appropriately terminated in that of the giving of the Law— as, making the
highest application of it, the Passover sacrifice of the Lord Jesus may be said to have
been completed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Jewish tradition has it, that on the 2nd of the third month, or Sivan, Moses had ascended
the Mount (Exo 19:1-3), that he communicated with the people on the 3rd (Exo 19:7),
reascended the Mount on the 4th (Exo 19:8), and that then the people sanctified themselves
on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of Sivan, on which latter day the ten commandments were actually
given them (Exo 19:10-16). *
* Owing to the peculiarity of the Jewish calendar, Pentecost did not
always take place exactly on the 6th Sivan. Care was taken that it should not occur on a
Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. (Reland. p. 430.)
Accordingly the days before Pentecost were always reckoned as the first, second, third,
etc., since the presentation of the omer. Thus Maimonides beautifully observes: 'Just as
one who is expecting the most faithful of his friends is wont to count the days and hours
to his arrival, so we also count from the omer of the day of our Exodus from Egypt to that
of the giving of the law, which was the object of our Exodus, as it is said: "I bare
you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto Myself." And because this great
manifestation did not last more than one day, therefore we annually commemorate it only
one day.'
Full seven weeks after the Paschal day, counting from the presentation of the omer on
the 16th of Nisan, or exactly on the fiftieth day (Lev 23:15,16), was the Feast of Weeks,
or Pentecost, 'a holy convocation,' in which 'no servile work' was to be done (Lev 23:21;
Num 28:26), when 'all males' were to 'appear before Jehovah' in His sanctuary (Exo
23:14-17), and the appointed sacrifices and offerings to be brought. The names, 'Feast of
Weeks' (Exo 34:22; Deut 16:10,16; 2 Chron 8:13) and 'Feast of the Fiftieth Day,' or 'Day
of Pentecost' (Jos. Jew. Wars, ii. e, 1; Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor 16:8), bear
reference to this interval from the Passover. Its character is expressed by the terms
'feast of harvest' (Exo 23:16) and 'day of firstfruits' (Num 28:26), while Jewish
tradition designates it as 'Chag ha Azereth,' or simply 'Azereth' (the 'feast of the
conclusion,' or simply 'conclusion'), and the 'Season of the giving our our Law.'
The festive sacrifices for the day of Pentecost were, according to Numbers 28:26-31,
'two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year' for a burnt-offering,
along with their appropriate meat-offerings; and 'one kid of the goats' for a
sin-offering— these, of course, irrespective of the usual morning sacrifice. But what
gave to the feast its distinctive peculiarity was the presentation of the two loaves, and
the sacrifices which accompanied them. Though the attendance of worshippers at the Temple
may not have been so large as at the Passover, yet tens of thousands crowded to it (Jos. Antiq.
xiv. 13, 4; xvii. 10, 2). From the narrative in Acts 2 we also infer that perhaps, more
than at any of the other great festivals, Jews from distant countries came to Jerusalem,
possibly from the greater facilities for travelling which the season afforded. On the day
before Pentecost the pilgrim bands entered the Holy City, which just then lay in the full
glory of early summer. Most of the harvest all over the country had already been reaped, *
and a period of rest and enjoyment seemed before them.
* The completion of the wheat harvest throughout the land is
computed by the Rabbis at about a month later. See Relandus, Antiq. p. 428.
As the stars shone out in the deep blue sky with the brilliancy peculiar to an Eastern
clime, the blasts of the priests' trumpets, announcing the commencement of the feast,
sounded from the Temple mount through the delicious stillness of the summer night. Already
in the first watch the great altar was cleansed, and immediately after midnight the Temple
gates were thrown open. For before the morning sacrifice all burnt- and peace-offerings
which the people proposed to bring at the feast had to be examined by the officiating
priesthood. Great as their number was, it must have been a busy time, till the
announcement that the morning glow extended to Hebron put an end to all such preparations,
by giving the signal for the regular morning sacrifice. After that the festive offerings
prescribed in Numbers 28:26-30 were brought—, the sin-offering, with proper
imposition of hands, confession of sin, and sprinkling of blood; and similarly the
burnt-offerings, with their meat-offerings. The Levites were now chanting the 'Hallel' to
the accompanying music of a single flute, which began and ended the song, so as to give it
a sort of soft sweetness. The round, ringing treble of selected voices from the children
of Levites, who stood below their fathers, gave richness and melody to the hymn, while the
people either repeated or responded, as on the evening of the Passover sacrifice.
The Two Wave-loaves
Then came the peculiar offering of the day— of the two wave-loaves, with their
accompanying sacrifices. These consisted of seven lambs of the first year, without
blemish, one young bullock, and two rams for a burnt-offering, with their appropriate
meat-offerings; and then 'one kid of the goats for a sin-offering, and two lambs of the
first year for a sacrifice of peace-offerings' (Lev 23:19). *
* This offering, accompanying the wave-loaves, has by some been
confounded with the festive sacrifices of the day, as enumerated in Numbers 28:27. But the
two are manifestly quite distinct.
As the omer for the 16th of Nisan was of barley, being the first ripe corn in the land,
so the 'two wave-loaves' were prepared from wheat grown in the best district of the
country— conditions similar to those already noticed about the Passover-sheaf.
Similarly, three seahs, or about three pecks and three pints of wheat, were cut
down, brought to the Temple, thrashed like other meat-offerings, ground, and passed
through twelve sieves. *
* In the case of the first omer it had been thirteen sieves; but both
specifications may be regarded as Rabbinical fancifulness.
From the flour thus obtained two omers (or double the quantity of that at the Passover)
were used for 'the two loaves'; the rest might be redeemed and used for any purpose. Care
was taken that the flour for each loaf should be taken separately from one and a half
seah, that it should be separately kneaded with lukewarm water (like all thank-offerings),
and separately baked— latter in the Temple itself. The loaves were made the evening
preceding the festival; or, if that fell on the Sabbath, two evenings before. In shape
they were long and flat, and turned up, either at the edges or at the corners. According
to the Mishnah, each loaf was four handbreadths wide, seven long, and four fingers
high, and as it contained one omer of flour (5 1 pints, or rather less than four pounds'
weight), the dough would weigh about five pounds and three-quarters, yielding, say, five
pounds and a quarter of bread, or ten and a half for the two 'wave-loaves.' *
* These numbers are sufficiently accurate for general computation. By
actual experiment I find that a pint of flour weighs about three-quarters of a pound and
two ounces, and that 3 3/4 lbs. of flour, with half a teacup of barm and an ounce of salt,
yield 5 3/4 pounds of dough and 5 1/4 lbs. of bread.
The Wave-loaves Were Leavened
Contrary to the common rule of the Sanctuary, these loaves were leavened, which, as the
Mishnah, informs us (Men. v. 1), was the case in all thank-offerings. The
common explanation— the wave-loaves were leavened because they represented the
ordinary food of the people— partially accounts for this. No doubt these wave-loaves
expressed the Old Testament acknowledgment of the truth which our Lord embodied in the
prayer, 'Give us this day our daily bread.' But this is not all. Let it be remembered that
these two loaves, with the two lambs that formed part of the same wave-offering, were the
only public peace- and thank-offerings of Israel; that they were accompanied by burnt- and
sin-offerings; and that, unlike ordinary peace-offerings, they were considered as 'most
holy.' Hence they were leavened, because Israel's public thank-offerings, even the most
holy, are leavened by imperfectness and sin, and they need a sin-offering. This idea of a
public thank-offering was further borne out by all the services of the day. First, the two
lambs were 'waved' while yet alive; that is, before being made ready for use. Then, after
their sacrifice, the breast and shoulder, or principal parts of each, were laid beside the
two loaves, and 'waved' (generally towards the east) forwards and back wards, and up and
down. *
* The Rabbinical statement is, that the whole offering was to be waved
together by a priest; but that if each loaf, with one breast and shoulder of lamb, was
waved separately, it was valid. From the weight of the mass, this must have been the
common practice.
After burning the fat, the flesh belonged, not to the offerers, but to the priests. As
in the case of the most holy sacrifices, the sacrificial meal was to take place within the
Temple itself, nor was any part of it to be kept beyond midnight. One of the wave-loaves
and of the lambs went to the high-priest; the other belonged to all the officiating
priesthood. Lastly, after the ceremony of the wave-loaves, the people brought their own
freewill-offerings, each as the Lord had prospered him— afternoon and evening being
spent in the festive meal, to which the stranger, the poor, and the Levite were bidden as
the Lord's welcome guests. On account of the number of such sacrifices, the Feast of Weeks
was generally protracted for the greater part of a week; and this the more readily that
the offering of firstfruits also began at this time. Lastly, as the bringing of the omer
at the Passover marked the period when new corn might be used in the land, so the
presentation of the wave-loaves that when new flour might be brought for meat-offerings in
the Sanctuary.
The Later Significance of Pentecost
If Jewish tradition connected the 'Feast of Firstfruits' with the 'Mount that might be
touched,' and the 'voice of words which they that heard entreated that the word should not
be spoken to them any more,' we have in this respect also 'come unto Mount Zion,' and to
the better things of the New Covenant. To us the Day of Pentecost is, indeed, the 'feast
of firstfruits,' and that of the giving of the better law, 'written not in tables of
stone, but on the fleshy tables of the heart,' 'with the Spirit of the living God.' For,
as the worshippers were in the Temple, probably just as they were offering the wave-lambs
and the wave-bread, the multitude heard that 'sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing
wind,' which drew them to the house where the apostles were gathered, there to hear 'every
man in his own language' 'the wonderful works of God.' And on that Pentecost day, from the
harvest of firstfruits, not less than three thousand souls added to the Church were
presented as a wave-offering to the Lord. The cloven tongues of fire and the apostolic
gifts of that day of firstfruits have, indeed, long since disappeared. But the mighty
rushing sound of the Presence and Power of the Holy Ghost has gone forth into all the
world.
