Generally speaking, the two feasts of Passover and Pentecost can be seen as the bookends of Jesus’ sacrifice. As the Gospels’ relate the story, Jesus was arrested and crucified at the time of the Passover (Mark 14).
Fifty days later—ten days after Jesus’ ascension—Peter stood in the Temple during the feast of Pentecost and proclaimed salvation through His name (Acts 2).
It’s possible that this was completely by accident. I think that’s unlikely though, considering Jesus rarely did anything without meaning (at least that the New Testament writers recorded). Jesus didn’t go to Jerusalem until it was time (John 7:1-9).
Moreover, Paul describes Jesus as our Passover lamb—a nod to what He is, as well as the time He was sacrificed.
If Passover has such a heavy spiritual meaning, then it stands to reason that Pentecost also has to serve some kind of symbolic purpose.
The two feasts (Passover and Pentecost) have a lot in common. They’re both “firstfruits” offerings (Leviticus 23:10-17). They both occur in spring, they both have to do with the harvest, and are both feast days that encouraged pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
They also both involve bread, with one major difference. During Passover, you get all the leaven out of the house (Exodus 12). At Pentecost, you bring all the leaven back in (Leviticus 23:17).
The reason for the difference is contained in the descriptions of the feasts themselves. Passover is a feast that involves a hasty exit. You ate it in a state of ready preparation, just like the Israelites did the night of the twelfth plague.
Pentecost, on the other hand, is a feast of celebration. You’re not leaving Egypt anymore—you’ve already made it to the promised land. It’s time to bring in God’s blessings!
To me, this mirrors the sacrifice of Jesus perfectly. The night that He was betrayed, everyone scattered. All of His Apostles went their own way, watching to see what would happen. They probably thought they were next on the hit list.
But during Pentecost, it was time to rejoice in the salvation that God had accomplished through His Son. It wasn’t about fear anymore, it was about celebration!
By the end of Peter’s sermon, three thousand people took him up on the offer to put Christ on through baptism. We live in a continual state of that celebration today, meditating on the blessings that He has given us through His salvation.
