Let Us Feast

I intended to post this on Good Friday, but my time was otherwise occupied. Easter is a fitting day to post this as well, though.

America has many holidays. The bank closes on days such as Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, and Valentine's Day. These are usually just an excuse for corny ads and a day off of school, however. Few consider the origins of the holiday or observe the holiday in any major way. Catholics celebrate many days of the year for their religious significance. But as American Protestant Christians, we do not have many holidays that we actually celebrate. Palm Sunday is usually just an occasion for special music at church. Good Friday is sometimes ignored entirely, though it commemorates one of the most important events in history. And many events the Catholics observe, Protestants ignore.



What's the point of bringing this up? Well, I thought of it because of some unique circumstances this year. Easter is unusually early, so Passover, which usually falls close to Easter, is now a month later. But another Jewish holiday falls on the same day as Good Friday--Purim. Purim is the celebration of the events of the book of Esther--the preservation of the Jews under the Persian Empire.

Christians rarely celebrate Purim. Neither do many celebrate Passover, though both these feasts commemorate Old Testament events, which are of course included in our Bible as well as the Jewish one. Even Hanukkah, a holiday many think is simply a pagan version of Christmas, is an event that affected Christians--if the Jews had not been preserved through the events of Passover, Purim, and Hanukkah, Jesus would not have been born and we would still be in our sins. The salvation of the Jewish race was vital to the salvation of Gentiles, so we should celebrate as well.

We as Christians tend to think of Judaism as ritualistic and legalistic. But especially in the feasts, Jews have an advantage. A Gentile nonbeliever would not be as prepared as a Jewish nonbeliever to hear the gospel--because much of it Jews already know. Jesus is clearly seen in the feasts of Israel--and we have much to learn from Jewish Christians in this respect.



Besides giving us a picture of Christ, I believe celebrating Jewish feasts would greatly benefit our Christian culture. We have so few true religious holidays--Thanksgiving does not even have roots in the Bible, and is nearly as commercialized as Christmas. Easter is often simply forgotten aside from wearing pastel colors one Sunday.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays because it is always so joyous. Christmas is a peaceful time--I enjoy it the most in the evening with Christmas lights and singing soft carols. But Easter is a time for enthusiasm! Singing "Christ Arose" or "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" always puts an excited smile on my face. Holidays should always be time of rejoicing--and Jewish holidays are no different.

We tend to think of somber holidays like the Day of Atonement when we think of Jewish feasts. But think of the Feast of Tabernacles--an enjoyable time of camping in self-made tents outside while celebrating God's provision. Purim is a happy feast--cheering at mentions of Mordecai and booing at Haman's name.

Purim includes one interesting tradition I discovered this year. Celebrants dress up in costumes like Esther, Mordecai, or simply random costumes like mimes or cowboys. This has to do with the theme of mistaken identity which permeates the book of Esther. Xerxes was unaware of Esther's identity as a Jew. Haman thought the king wanted to honor him instead of Mordecai. And one presence is hidden throughout the book. The name of God is never mentioned in the book--but He is clearly behind the scenes dictating every event. This hidden identity is celebrating through the use of costumes. Everyone likes dressing up--and celebrating Purim is a way to enjoy this activity without supporting Halloween.


The point? I think American Christians have too few holidays where God is truly celebrated. God wants us to be full of joy. We should celebrate Him constantly, but frequent holidays remind us of this too. The Old Testament is as much a part of our faith as the New, so there is no reason not to celebrate Old Testament feasts. We would have more occasion for appropriate and godly celebration, and more importantly, we would be often reminded of the great things God has done.