CFM: March 27–April 2
Videos and Podcasts
Video/ Podcast | Lesson Extension | Additional Materials |
Scripture Central | | |
Follow Him | ||
Line Upon Line | ||
Teaching with Power | | |
Don't Miss This | | |
CFM New Testament | ||
Unshaken | | |
The Interpreter Foundation | ||
Teaching Helps with John Hilton | | |
Talk of Him | | |
Ponderfun | ||
Talking Scripture |
Resources and Insights about this Week's Lesson
In today's Relief Society lesson, Stephani gave a beautiful lesson on learning to receive revelation. She had a video she did not have time to share, so I told her I would add a link to that video HERE. This was not only a profound addition to her already amazing lesson but perfectly ties into the materials we are studying with our CFM lesson this week. Elder F Enzio Busche offers powerful insights that can help us all to get our lives in tune with the Savior, so we can better learn to Hear Him, and understand the lessons and revelation he so graciously and abundantly offers.
John Chapter 5 begins by saying that Christ was in Jerusalem to observe one of the Jewish Festivals. While we do not know what Festival he was there observing, it is worth taking some time to examine the significance of the Traditional Festivals to provide some cultural context for this introduction; this can help one better understand their significance in the Life of the Savior.
The Jewish Festivals (Feasts), also known as the Jewish Holidays (Holy Days), and Appointed Feasts, are a series of annual celebrations and observances that are outlined in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 16, INT). There are seven main Israelite Festivals that were observed anciently, which include:
Passover (Pesach, Pascha): This festival commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery in Egypt. (Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb)
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah, Azymos): This festival is closely linked with Passover and involves eating unleavened bread for seven days.
Feast of Firstfruits (Bikkurim, Aparche): This festival celebrates the first fruits of the harvest and is often associated with the giving of the Torah. It is celebrated on the first Sabbath after the Passover. So, when Christ was Resurrected, it was on Bikkurim, "he being the firstfruits of them that slept." (1 Corinthians 15:20 INT)
Feast of Weeks (Shavuot, Pentecost) concludes the Counting of the Omer, 7 x 7 weeks after Passover): This festival is also known as Pentecost (the 50th day), and it marks the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. According to the timing and context of the scriptural records, it was likely during this festival that Jesus appeared to the Nephites at the temple in Bountiful, where they would have been gathered to observe Shavuot, according to the Law of Moses, which the Book of Mormon clearly states they observed. This would have been during the same time that the early followers of Christ in Jerusalem received the Holy Ghost and an outpouring of his gifts. (Understanding Pentecost and the Feast of Weeks)
Feast of Trumpets/ Jubilee (Yom Teruach, also called Rosh Hashanah, "Head of the Year, or New Year," μνημόσυνον σαλπίγγων): This festival is marked by the blowing of the Shofar, and it represents the beginning of the Jewish New Year in a celebration of the High Holy Days, which included Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah). It is interesting to note that it was during the period of the High Holy Days that Joseph Smith received the Golden Plates from the Angel Moroni, who is frequently depicted as one who is sounding a trumpet. (Understanding Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, Know Why)
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, Katallagey): This is the holiest day of the Jewish year and foreshadows the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This day highlights gospel principles associated with sacrifice, repentance, fasting, and sacred offerings in an effort to become one with God. (Understanding the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur)
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, Skenopegia): This festival commemorates the Jewish people's journey through the desert and involves living in temporary booths (sukkot) for seven days. (Understanding Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot)
These feast days were organized into three sections, indicated by three pilgrimages to the Temple, where the Prophet and leaders would instruct the Israelites. Passover, Unleavened Bread, and the Firstfruits were all Spring Festivals. At the conclusion of Passover, seven weeks were counted, and Pentecost occurred on the 50th day, in early summer. The Fall Festivals, or High Holy Days, included the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. These Holy Days were symbolically represented on the Menorah.
The Festival of Purim (the Persian word for גּוֹרָל/ κλῆρος "Lots") and Hanukkah "Dedication" (חֲנֻכָּה/ἐγκαίνια) were added later, following the Babylonian Exile, which is part of the reason why menorahs today frequently have 9 branches instead of the 7 that existed during the First Temple Period. Purim celebrates the story of Esther, and Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple. The Sabbath is also considered a feast day, but it is one that is celebrated every 7 days instead of annually, like the others listed above.
With few omitted exceptions, the New Testament identifies that Christ and his disciples observed these Jewish festivals; they were Jewish, after all. The three pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot were periods when Christ and his followers would frequently travel and gather. These were ideal times for the Savior to teach, and he did.
John's gospel, in particular, highlights the observation of several festivals, including Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). Many of Jesus' Discourses and Miracles correspond with the feast days, and Christ frequently used symbolic aspects associated with religious traditions to teach significant gospel principles. Several of the Festivals are also directly related to significant events, such as the Last Supper, Resurrection, and Day of Pentecost.
Passover was a significant event in the life (and sacrifice) of Jesus Christ. In John 6:4, it is mentioned that the Passover was near. The events that follow, including the feeding of the five thousand and the Bread of Life Sermon, take place around the time of Passover.
During the Bread of Life Sermon, Jesus identifies himself as the "bread of life" that has come down from heaven, and whoever eats this bread will have eternal life (John 6:48-51). This teaching emphasizes the spiritual significance of the Passover, which commemorates the Jews' liberation from slavery in Egypt and the passing over of their firstborn sons during the final plague. It is also reminiscent of God himself miraculously providing Manna to the Israelites in the wilderness.
Thus, Jesus' Bread of Life Sermon can be seen as a fulfillment and expansion of the Passover theme, demonstrating how he offers a new kind of liberation and salvation to those who believe in him.
It was during a later Passover Seder that Jesus instituted the Sacrament during the Last Supper. This symbolic meal, which included the breaking of bread and sharing of wine (water), symbolically represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed as a sacrificial offering on behalf of the body or children of Christ. This symbolic ordinance continues to be central to the worship of many Christian Faiths, even today.
The Feast of Tabernacles was another major festival that Christ observed. Also known as Sukkot, this holiday commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. During this time, they lived in temporary shelters or booths (tents), known as sukkot, to protect themselves from the elements.
In the New Testament, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned in the Gospel of John, where Jesus attends the festival and makes a significant statement about himself: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). This statement was made during the festival's celebration of the lighting of the four golden lampstands in the Temple, which illuminated the entire courtyard. This was traditionally part of the Hakhel gathering. The light symbolized God's guidance and presence during the Israelites' time in the desert. Jesus, by referring to himself as the light of the world, was making a claim to be the embodiment of God's guidance and presence, the one who would lead people out of darkness and into the light of salvation.
The Feast of Tabernacles also involved a water ceremony where water was poured out on the altar in the Temple. This water ceremony symbolized the pouring out of God's spirit and his provision of physical and spiritual life. In John 7:37-38, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, " If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Jesus identified himself as the source of spiritual refreshment and fulfillment, which was symbolized by the water ceremony during the Feast of Tabernacles. These are a few of many examples where Christ used the feast days and symbols to teach important gospel principles and to reveal his identity as the Messiah.
The Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, is also mentioned in John's gospel (John 10:22 INT). In John 10:1-21, Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock and lays down his life for them. This passage is set in the context of a debate with the Pharisees, who are questioning Jesus' authority and challenging his claims to be the Messiah.
The events leading up to the celebration of Hanukkah also involve a struggle for religious and political authority. In the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucid Empire, which ruled over Judea, attempted to suppress Jewish religious practices and impose Hellenistic culture on the Jewish people. The Jewish priest Mattathias and his sons, known as the Maccabees, led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire and ultimately succeeded in reclaiming the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Maccabees are often seen as heroic figures who defended Jewish religious and cultural identity against the forces of assimilation and oppression. In this sense, they can be seen as shepherds who protected their flock from harm.
There are some scholars who suggest that Jesus may have had the events of Hanukkah in mind when he spoke about being the Good Shepherd. In this interpretation, Jesus is positioning himself as a shepherd who defends his flock against the forces of oppression and assimilation, much like the Maccabees did in their time. Christ used this festival to teach about his own identity, to proclaim himself as the "good shepherd" who would lay down his life for his sheep.
In summary, the Jewish Festivals outlined in the Bible were symbolic celebrations and observances that played an important role in the life of Christ and his disciples; and there are many significant lessons that can still be learned today. In the Old Testament, Jehovah used these festivals to teach his people how to recognize him. During his mortal ministry, Christ used these feast days as opportunities to reveal himself as the Messiah. In the Latter-Days, God sent the Angel Moroni to open a New Dispensation, a Rosh Hashanah, to prepare the world for his Second Coming.
While we do not currently celebrate the traditional festivals in the same way that they did anciently, we do observe the Spirit and purpose of the Holy Days. The Spring Festival of Pesach corresponds with our Spring General Conference. The festivals included in the High Holy Days (Yom Teruach, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot) correspond with our Fall General Conference, where we symbolically turn the doors of our tents to the Temple to hear from the Lord's appointed stewards as we all feast upon the Word of Christ.
As we prepare for General Conference this week, remember the great blessing and privilege that is ours. As children of Israel, who put our faith in Christ, we have an opportunity to draw closer to the Savior of the World as we participate in these sacred and ancient traditions. What an amazing privilege it is to learn from living prophets, to have so many Temples, and to receive the blessings of the covenant. These are blessings that might remind us all of the song, "I Stand All Amazed."
Major Topics & Events
Matthew
Major Events/ Doctrines | Location | Scripture Source | Cross-References | Videos |
Jesus attends a feast | Jerusalem | | ||
Healing on the Sabbath at Pool of Bethesda | Jerusalem | |||
*Discourse: Witness of the Father, Proclaims to be the Son of Man & Messiah, Teaches about Resurrection, Eternal Life, & Praises John | | |||
*Jesus' initial rejection in Nazareth | | Mark 6:1-6 | ||
*Jesus sends out Twelve by two | | Mark 6:7-13 | | |
Herod’s fear of Jesus | | | ||
John the Baptist’s death | Machaerus (Perea) | | | |
Passover: The Twelve return | Near Bethsaida | | ||
*Feeds five thousand men + women & children with 5 loaves & 2 fish | Sea of Galilee | |||
*Jesus walks on water (Peter) | | |||
*Healings | Mark 6:53-56 | Matt 9:18-22 Luke 8:16–18, Mark 4:21–25 | | |
Discourse: Bread of Life | Synagogue at Capernaum | |
* Overlaps the previous lesson
**Overlaps future lesson
Church Videos & Resources
Jesus Heals a Lame Man on the Sabbath (John 5:2-12)
The Feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21)
Jesus Walking on Water - Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt? (Matt 14:25-33)
I am the Bread of Life - Jesus Christ (John 6:25-71)
Scripture Central
The Bible Project
BYU’s RSC
Video Tours of the Holy Land
The Chosen Series
Additional Videos & Insights
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