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Why we Celebrate the Commanded Feasts of God
By Rev. Cheryl S. Birch
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The purpose of this article is to explain what it means to be Messianic Jews and Gentiles who celebrate the commanded feasts of God
together as “one new man” in Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
What does it mean to be a Messianic Jew? That is easy to answer. When a Jewish person accepts Yeshua as Messiah (Jesus as
Savior) they become spiritually complete and are then fully part of the body of Christ. Because they have accepted Jesus as Messiah
they are called Messianic.
What is a Messianic Gentile? This is a person who is not Jewish, who has accepted Jesus as Savior, and has come to understand the
Jewish root of their faith. They also have understanding that Jesus is Messiah to both Jew and Gentile.
The idea of a Messianic Gentile is rather foreign to western thinking so let me share a scriptural foundation and what God did in my life
as an example.
In 1991 the Lord called me as a Gentile Christian to keep the feast of Passover called Pesach (Pay-sock) in Hebrew. My trusted
spiritual advisor attended an event and learned that everyone Jew and Gentile should keep the feasts. This was a very new concept for
me and I decided to go to scripture to prove out that the Passover feast should be kept. I read the book of Exodus and discovered the
Lord commanded Passover.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that
is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians;
and he sees the blood on the lintel and the on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to com into
your house to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and yours sons forever. Exodus 12:22-28
The word “forever” popped off the page and peaked my curiosity. The Holy Spirit then took me on a wonderful journey through the Bible,
both Old and New Testament. When I was done I was convinced that keeping the Passover feast was indeed a command of God
forever for all of His people, both Jew and Gentile believers.
My Journey began with the Book of Leviticus in Chapter 23. This book records the commandment of the Lord that His people keep
specified days of worship and feasts to honor and remember what He has done for them. God established Shabbat (the Sabbath),
Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) Rosh Hashanah (The feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (The
Feast of Tabernacles). As you read Leviticus 23 you will see that after each commanded event is established the Lord says that it is to
be kept forever for all generations.
That convinced me that Jews indeed needed to keep the feasts even to this day. But, I wondered, did Jesus celebrate Passover?
Absolutely! He was without sin. Therefore, He was obedient to God, His Father, and kept all the feasts, including Pesach, as
commanded in Exodus and Leviticus. In fact, the last event Jesus participated in with His disciples was the Last Supper, which was a
Pesach Seder.
When I read that Jesus celebrated the Passover with His family as a child (Luke 2:41) and with His disciples during His ministry on
earth that was enough proof for me. Whatever He did, I wanted to find out more about.
With open heart, as I read the Bible, I found even more! In Romans 11:16-18 it says we, the Gentile believers in Yeshua, are wild
branches grafted into the Olive Tree. The Olive Tree is Israel. We became grafted in through the shed blood of Jesus. It also says that
Abraham is the father of both Jew and Gentile believers. Abraham is the father of nations. We are part of the seed of Abraham and as
adopted sons and daughters may partake of all the same blessings as the Jews. The feasts are a blessing to God’s children.
Lastly and most profoundly, the Holy Spirit illuminated to me 1 Corinthians 5:6-7. In this verse Paul is writing to Gentile believers in
Corinth.
Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may
be a new lump since you truly are unleavened. For indeed the Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I Corinthians 5:6-7
Upon reading that scripture all doubt vanished. Indeed, both Jew and Gentile believers are called by God to celebrate the feast of
Passover! I have celebrated every year since.
After that study, I began to research the biblical truth about the other feasts as well. It became a passion to learn more about my Savior
by studying the feast. To my delight, I found out that every feast was kept by Jesus and that He has or will fulfill them all prophetically. In
the process of time, I also found out that I am of Jewish heritage from my father's side of the family. Seems that deep in my heart the
Lord planted a longing in me to connect not only to the Jewish root of my faith as a gentile, but also to Jewish root of my own family.
This passion has turned into a study of each feast and day of rest commanded by God. You can read about Shabbat the commanded
7th day of rest at our Why we Worship on Fridays page. Links to my studies on the other feasts will be posted here as I am blessed by
the Lord to have the opportunity to edit them for the web.
In the mean time, if you have any specific questions about the feasts, please email me at Cheryl@cherylbirchministries.com.
Shalom!
Rev. Cheryl Birch
together as “one new man” in Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
What does it mean to be a Messianic Jew? That is easy to answer. When a Jewish person accepts Yeshua as Messiah (Jesus as
Savior) they become spiritually complete and are then fully part of the body of Christ. Because they have accepted Jesus as Messiah
they are called Messianic.
What is a Messianic Gentile? This is a person who is not Jewish, who has accepted Jesus as Savior, and has come to understand the
Jewish root of their faith. They also have understanding that Jesus is Messiah to both Jew and Gentile.
The idea of a Messianic Gentile is rather foreign to western thinking so let me share a scriptural foundation and what God did in my life
as an example.
In 1991 the Lord called me as a Gentile Christian to keep the feast of Passover called Pesach (Pay-sock) in Hebrew. My trusted
spiritual advisor attended an event and learned that everyone Jew and Gentile should keep the feasts. This was a very new concept for
me and I decided to go to scripture to prove out that the Passover feast should be kept. I read the book of Exodus and discovered the
Lord commanded Passover.
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that
is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians;
and he sees the blood on the lintel and the on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to com into
your house to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and yours sons forever. Exodus 12:22-28
The word “forever” popped off the page and peaked my curiosity. The Holy Spirit then took me on a wonderful journey through the Bible,
both Old and New Testament. When I was done I was convinced that keeping the Passover feast was indeed a command of God
forever for all of His people, both Jew and Gentile believers.
My Journey began with the Book of Leviticus in Chapter 23. This book records the commandment of the Lord that His people keep
specified days of worship and feasts to honor and remember what He has done for them. God established Shabbat (the Sabbath),
Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) Rosh Hashanah (The feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (The
Feast of Tabernacles). As you read Leviticus 23 you will see that after each commanded event is established the Lord says that it is to
be kept forever for all generations.
That convinced me that Jews indeed needed to keep the feasts even to this day. But, I wondered, did Jesus celebrate Passover?
Absolutely! He was without sin. Therefore, He was obedient to God, His Father, and kept all the feasts, including Pesach, as
commanded in Exodus and Leviticus. In fact, the last event Jesus participated in with His disciples was the Last Supper, which was a
Pesach Seder.
When I read that Jesus celebrated the Passover with His family as a child (Luke 2:41) and with His disciples during His ministry on
earth that was enough proof for me. Whatever He did, I wanted to find out more about.
With open heart, as I read the Bible, I found even more! In Romans 11:16-18 it says we, the Gentile believers in Yeshua, are wild
branches grafted into the Olive Tree. The Olive Tree is Israel. We became grafted in through the shed blood of Jesus. It also says that
Abraham is the father of both Jew and Gentile believers. Abraham is the father of nations. We are part of the seed of Abraham and as
adopted sons and daughters may partake of all the same blessings as the Jews. The feasts are a blessing to God’s children.
Lastly and most profoundly, the Holy Spirit illuminated to me 1 Corinthians 5:6-7. In this verse Paul is writing to Gentile believers in
Corinth.
Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may
be a new lump since you truly are unleavened. For indeed the Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I Corinthians 5:6-7
Upon reading that scripture all doubt vanished. Indeed, both Jew and Gentile believers are called by God to celebrate the feast of
Passover! I have celebrated every year since.
After that study, I began to research the biblical truth about the other feasts as well. It became a passion to learn more about my Savior
by studying the feast. To my delight, I found out that every feast was kept by Jesus and that He has or will fulfill them all prophetically. In
the process of time, I also found out that I am of Jewish heritage from my father's side of the family. Seems that deep in my heart the
Lord planted a longing in me to connect not only to the Jewish root of my faith as a gentile, but also to Jewish root of my own family.
This passion has turned into a study of each feast and day of rest commanded by God. You can read about Shabbat the commanded
7th day of rest at our Why we Worship on Fridays page. Links to my studies on the other feasts will be posted here as I am blessed by
the Lord to have the opportunity to edit them for the web.
In the mean time, if you have any specific questions about the feasts, please email me at Cheryl@cherylbirchministries.com.
Shalom!
Rev. Cheryl Birch
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