Firstfruits 16 Nisan vs easter

 

The Day of Firstfruits... The day following the first day of Unleavened Bread is called Yom HaBikkurim (יום הביכורים), "the Day of Firstfruits," or Reshit Ha'Katzir (ראשית הקציר) the "first of the harvest."  In ancient times, on this day a sheaf (omer) of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony to mark the start of the counting of the omer, thereby initiating the forty nine day countdown to the jubilee harvest festival of Shavuot:

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf (omer) of the first (reshit)of your harvest (katzir) to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD.' (Lev. 23:9-12)   In other words, on this day the priest would wave a sheaf (omer) of green barley of the new harvest before the LORD (north, south, east, then west) as a symbolic gesture of dedicating it to Him. A male lamb was then sacrificed as a burnt offering to the LORD (olah) along with a minchah (unleavened bread mixed with oil) and wine (Lev. 23:13). Only after the wave offering was performed, could the crop could begin to be used (Lev. 23:14).  It is altogether remarkable that on this day a defect-free male lamb was to be offered along with bread and wine - the very symbols Yeshua used to recall His sacrifice...

When was the Wave Sheaf Offering Made?

There is some controversy about precisely when the wave offering (called tenufat HaOmer) was performed, since the phrase "the day after the Sabbath" can refer to either: Sunday (or Yom Rishon). This was the interpretation of the (corrupt) Sadducees. The Wave Offering would occur on the first Sunday after the regular weekly Sabbath. Note: Some have argued that since the Sadducees controlled the Second Temple worship schedule, the Wave Offering would have occurred on the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath. However, if this were so, it would not help make the case that the Resurrection of Yeshua occurred at this time, since the gospels state that Yeshua was raised before the women discovered Him missing from the tomb early on Sunday morning (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). In other words, the time of the resurrection of Yeshua and the time of the Wave Offering were not coincidental, since the wave offering occurred later in the day.   The day following the "High" Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (a "High" Sabbath is a day of shabbaton (rest) that may occur on any day of the week besides the weekly Sabbath day of Saturday). This is the position of the Pharisees and Orthodox Judaism. The wave offering would occur on Nisan 16, the day following the High Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread (Josh. 5:11).

Chronology of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Yeshua

Here is a tentative chronology of the key events surrounding Yeshua's death, burial and resurrection.  Yeshua was crucified on Nisan 14 (a Thursday), exactly when the Passover Lambs were being offered at the Temple, and He rose from the dead three days and nights later, on the night of Nisan 17 (i.e., before sunrise on Sunday): Nisan 14 evening - Yeshua's early Seder (Wed. night) Nisan 14 daytime - "Preparation day" (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42) for Passover. Yeshua died Thursday afternoon at the same time that the korban Pesach(Passover Lamb) was prepared (sacrificed) at the Temple and was buried before sundown. Nisan 15 evening - The High Sabbath of Passover begins (the actual Seder night) Nisan 15 daytime - The High Sabbath of Passover (Friday before sundown) Nisan 16 evening - The Weekly Sabbath begins (Friday after sundown) Nisan 16 daytime - Weekly Sabbath, waving of the omer (Saturday) Nisan 17 evening - Yeshua was resurrected some time before sunrise on Sunday. Nisan 17 daytime - Women bring spices to the tomb early in the morning. Disciples encounter risen Messiah.   To understand this reckoning, you must remember that a Jewish day starts at sundown and ends at twilight the following day. If Yeshua was on the cross on Nisan 14 (during the time of sacrifice of korban Pesach at the Temple) and was raised after three days and nights, we then would have the following:

How to Read this Chart First it is vital to understand that the Jewish day begins at sundown and ends at twilight the following day... The chart above therefore indicates the following chronology: Yeshua was crucified and buried on Nisan 14, a Thursday afternoon (i.e., 1/2 day). This was also the "Preparation Day" for the Sabbath of Passover that would begin after sundown that same day. He was in the tomb Nisan 15 (from sundown until twilight Fri. = 1 day)  and He was in the tomb Nisan 16 (from sundown until twilight Sat. = 1 day)  and He was also in the tomb on Nisan 17 (i.e., after sundown Sat. = 1/2 day)  BUT He later rose from the dead that day Nisan 17 (i.e., before sunrise Sun. morning)    If you add these up you will get 1/2 + 1 + 1 + 1/2 = 3 days and nights (Matt. 12:40). He therefore was crucified on Thursday, Nisan 14 (before sundown) and was resurrected on Sunday, Nisan 17 (before sunrise) on the third day (Luke 24:45-46). The disciples then encountered the risen Lord on Nisan 17, a Sunday morning (Matt. 28:1-10).  It is also important to understand that there are more Sabbaths in the Jewish year than there are "seventh days" on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Passover and the other holidays are regarded as Sabbaths, and therefore in Mark's gospel the women are said to have come to the tomb after the Sabbaths (i.e., σαββάτων, a plural noun) which indicates that both Passover (Nisan 15) and the following day (i.e., Nisan 16, the seventh day of the week) were regarded as Sabbath days (see the Greek text for Mark 16:2).   חַי־יְהוָה וּבָרוּךְ צוּרִי וְיָרוּם אֱלוֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי chai-Adonai · oo'va·rookh · tzoo·ree ve·ya·room · E·lo·hei · yeesh·ee   "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,  and exalted is the God of my salvation!" (Psalm 18:46) Hebrew Study Card   Hebrew Lesson: Psalm 18:46 Hebrew reading: