Easter, what a glorious day – He is risen! I continuously marvel at the wonder, awe, and love that this day celebrates. Resurrection, freedom, new birth, and eternal life with my risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
This Easter I have pondered another aspect of the resurrection, one that we don't often consider. On resurrection day Jesus became the first fruits of God's harvest. Look with me at two passages dealing with first fruits, Leviticus 23:9-11 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-26.
1 Corinthians 15:20-26: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
This passage speaks of Jesus being the first fruits. What in the world does that mean? First fruits, is one of those biblical concepts that is foreign to our present day thinking. We are no longer primarily an agricultural society and for the most part we do not think about or understand the significance of first fruits. However, to the first century Jewish mind, first fruits were not only an important part of their existence but they were an important aspect of their worship – the first fruits offering was an annual part of the Passover.
Our English translation "first fruits" comes from a Greek word [apárchomai] which literally means the first and best portion of a crop that was not yet fully mature but would soon ripen for harvest. The first fruits were an indication to the grower of the type and amount of the harvest to come.
Each year the Hebrew farmer buried, or planted, seeds in the ground. As those seeds brought forth new grain, he would harvest some of the young grain, the best of the crop, and offer them as first fruits to God in thanksgiving; realizing that all of his harvest was actually God's. God accepted the offering of the first fruits as payment for the whole harvest. This ceremonial first fruits offering originated when the Hebrews ended their wilderness wanderings and entered the Promised Land. It was at that time they initially gave to the Lord the first fruits, the best, of what they harvested in their new homeland.
Leviticus 23:9-11: "The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath."
So to the Hebrew mind these first fruits were offered to the Lord in thanksgiving because they, as farmers, understood that their seeds having been buried, sprang up to new life on account of God's providence. They knew that ultimately all of the harvest belonged to and was controlled by Him.
In 1 Corinthians 15:20 we saw that Jesus became the "first fruits" of those who were dead. Now that we better understand the historical concept of first fruits, what is the significance of Jesus being the first fruits and how is that important to us? Paul says, in the Corinthian passage that Jesus became the first fruits when He was raised from the dead. The very fact of His resurrection from the grave and His victory over death, like the seed which sprouted after being planted, is God's guarantee of a future harvest of the same kind as Jesus, a harvest of those who belong to Him. As God accepted the first fruit offering for the whole harvest of the Hebrews, just so, the whole harvest of Christ's followers is accepted by God because of Jesus! When God raised Jesus as the first fruits from the dead, it was His assurance to us that we shall also be raised one day with a glorified body as part of that future harvest. What an awesome promise!
Another truth often overlooked in the first fruits comparison between the account in Leviticus and the events of that first Resurrection Day, is what some people would call a coincidence. However, it is really God's divinely working His plan throughout the ages showing us that nothing happens apart from Him. In Leviticus we are told that when the priests presented the first fruits to God – it was on the morning of the day after the Sabbath. Let's see . . . that must mean it was on Sunday morning! If the priests presented the offering of first fruits on Sunday, when did Christ defeat the grave and present Himself as the first fruits of all His harvest? It was the morning of the day after the Sabbath – Sunday; Resurrection Day! PTL! Coincidence? I don't think so! 1450 years before the birth of Christ, God pronounced the importance of Sunday when he commanded the Hebrews to offer their first fruits on the first day of the week. Therefore, Sunday is not only Resurrection Day and it is also First Fruits Day!
As we celebrate Christ's victory over the grave this Easter (Resurrection Day), let's remember too, that if we are His – born from above – we have God's assurance that we shall also be raised one day with a glorified body as part of that future harvest because that Resurrection Sunday some 2000 years ago is also the day Jesus was declared our first fruit!
On this Resurrection morning as we think about all that Jesus did for us let's praise and thank Him for –
Ø He is the first fruits, the first installment of a crop which anticipates and guarantees the ultimate offering of the whole crop! He is the first fruits of all who believe in Him!
Ø Because Christ is our first fruits, not only those who are dead in Christ have a guarantee of their own resurrection with a glorified body, but also we who are living and still waiting His coming can look forward with hope and anticipation to a glorified body like His!
Ø Prayer -- Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice as our first fruits. We look so forward to that day when we will be harvested into your eternal glory there to worship you, praise you, and live with you for all eternity!
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