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What about the Jewish holy days?

 Submitted: 1/1/2006
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Question: Since Jesus fulfilled the law, is it now a 'slap in His face' to participate in a Passover observance or a weekly Sabbath meal? Jesus is the Bread from heaven and the Light of the world; but during a Sabbath meal, lit candles and challah--to a Jewish person--would not be thought to be so. Pentecost to us is the law written on our hearts; but to a Jewish person Shavu'ot is not the Living Word, but the Torah given on tablets of stone. Are those things that have been fulfilled an offense to the Fulfiller if participated in now, or possibly an inroad to witnessing? On another note, were the activities of Acts 2:42 while 'continuing steadfastly' Sabbath activities (prayer, singing/worship, eating/fellowship, teaching and up-close relationships/discipling) equal to home fellowship groups as we would now call it and a 'command' that the Church after Pentecost continued in until Nicean clergy/laity Nicolaitanism set in? (Not to mean limiting gatherings to Saturday, which would be a perversion.) Thank you for offering biblical clarity regarding these questions and statements!
Answer: We are not certain whether the Lord would consider the observance of the Jewish holy days as a slap in the face. We think it more likely that He would feel sadness for those Jewish people who continue to live in these fulfilled shadows in ignorance. Sometimes Christians engage in a Passover sedar or a Sabbath meal as a means for learning the deeper significance of these things, and we do not think that this would be a problem to the Lord. What may be an offense to Him is those apostolic people who, having been enlightned to the reality, persist in returning to the shadows and then condemning other brethren who refuse to follow them in their vanity. The present-day apostolic Sabbath-keepers usually exude an air of superiority, believing that they have found superior light when in fact they are the ones standing in the greater darkness.

We would not characterize the activities of Acts 2:42 as 'commands' but rather 'foundational principles.' We believe that Act 2 constitutes a blueprint for New Testament spiritual life and that all believers today should be continuing steadfasting in the activities of this verse. We see verse 42 as being just as important as verse 38. Verse 38 is the gate and verse 42 is the way.

We are not certain as to when these activities ceased to be a normative part of the Christian experience. It probably was around the time of Nicea but may have persisted for several more centuries, in some quarters at least.


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