Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost is the Festival of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  The word “Pentecost” itself has in it the prefix “pente,” which means five, or fifty.  You get it in the words “pentagon” (a five-sided figure), “Pentateuch,” (the first five books of the Bible), etc. 

The Jewish people observed the festival of Pentecost 50 days after the festival of the Passover.  This is how the festival of “Pentecost” get’s its name.  In the Jewish religion, the festival of Passover was celebrated in remembrance of Moses leading the child-ren of Israel out of the land of Egypt.  The LORD “passed over” the land, killing the firstborn of all those who did not sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their dwelling, hence the name “Pass-over.”  Fifty days after the Passover, they celebrated Pentecost, which was a harvest festival.  Sometimes it was called the “Festival of Weeks” since they were to count “seven-seven’s” (seven weeks, each of which is comprised of seven days) from the last day of the Passover to the first day of Pentecost...total - 50 days, counting the first day and the last day.  It was also known as the “Festival of the Firstfruits,” because this was the time of the year in ancient Palestine that the wheat began to ripen.  At this festival the people were to present an offering of the first part of their harvest to the LORD.  See Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:10; etc.

Our LORD was crucified on the Jewish festival of the Passover.  It is no accident that “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”