we who have the first fruits of the Spirit...
This feast began three days after Passover on the 16th of Nisan. It represented a confession of faith that God would bless with the full harvest at the end of harvest. The farmer would select the best and ripest grain, usually barley, from his field and, tying the sheave together to protect the kernels of grain, would cut it and take it to the temple for an offering. At the Temple the priests would beat it with a rod to remove the grain kernels which were then heated over an open flame and winnowed in the wind to remove the chaff. An omer (about 5 pints) of grain was mixed with 3/4 pint of olive oil and a small amount of frankincense. After waving it before the Lord, it was then offered as a burnt offering before the Lord.
This feast marked the beginning of the fifty day countdown to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). It was on this day that Jesus was first declared to be the Messiah as He was dedicated by his parents in the Temple. Simeon took the Child in his arms and blessed God: "For my eyes have seen Your salvation" (Luke 2.30). The second witness was Anna the prophetess, who declared His Messiah ship "to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2.38). He became the fulfillment of this feast as He rose from the grave after three days on the Feast of First fruits.
The imagery of the First fruits is used often in the New Testament. It was like a guarantee, a down payment, of what was coming later. Paul writes, "but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the redemption of our body." ( Romans 8.23). When the Holy Spirit came 50 days after this Feast of First Fruits, it was to be like an earnest of things to come. How sad that many Christians today do not even enjoy the "earnest" of this Feast. But, I declare to you today, your down payment is already given. Do as the Bible directs; "Ask and you shall receive!"