The Feasts of John

By Dan Fleming

In John’s gospel, he describes the Feasts of the Lord in a subtle yet profound way. His gospel account reveals that Jesus taught the meanings of the Old Testament feasts as they were being celebrated. By this, we can see that John’s gospel is written in chronological order.

John also wove the theme of the Jewish wedding into his gospel to reveal that it is part of the meaning of the feasts. When we learn more about these revelations from John’s gospel, the rest of the New Testament is easier to understand because the Feasts of the Lord affect us both personally and prophetically.

Jesus literally fulfilled the first four feasts – Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Pentecost – over two thousand years ago. We can be assured that He will fulfill the remaining three feasts of Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles when He returns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664268135

Dan Fleming

Dan Fleming has been involved in teaching the Word of God for over thirty years. He has been active in Bible studies, Sunday School classes and the pulpit for most of those years. His simple and easy to understand style has been one of the reasons people are drawn to his teaching.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

IN THE BEGINNING

1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and

the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the

darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:1–5 KJV)

John begins his gospel with what I consider to be the most beautiful language ever written. This short passage spans centuries as John blends the beginning of creation into the days in which he lived. In these words are stored vast amounts of the knowledge and the wisdom of God. The very first words in John’s gospel are In the beginning, (John 1:1). These are also the first words of the book of Genesis. It is apparent that John was not comparing the Word to Jesus but saying that Jesus is the Word. The Word was with God, but at the same time, the Word was God from the beginning. We know John is writing about Jesus because he also says, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). This is the way John introduces Jesus to the reader and is only one of the mysteries of God addressed in John’s gospel.

The concept that Jesus is God, or that Jesus and God are separate, has been debated for centuries. They are separate yet inseparable, not one or the other but both. It is impossible to comprehend this truth from the natural; it must be spiritually discerned. Jesus sheds light on this subject several times in John’s gospel.

In the beginning, it was the Word that created all things by the will of the Father. It was Jesus who brought the will of the Father to Earth and performed it for all to see and hear, one Word and one body. Paul said it like this: For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).

John said in Him was life, and the light shined in the darkness (John 1:4–5). Jesus said, I am the light (John 8:12). He also said, I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). In these verses there are mysteries unfolding, which must be spiritually discerned. John doesn’t leave us to figure this out on our own. Jesus explains these mysteries later in John’s gospel, and He does so at the feast times. After we get a better understanding of what these feasts mean, the truths in God’s Word become clearer, and we can see that the entire Bible is focused on Jesus.

The major theme of this book will coincide with the three feast seasons, which contain seven separate feasts. These feast seasons are mentioned throughout John’s gospel for a reason, and in this first chapter, John prepares the reader for what is to come.

6 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light,

that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness

of that Light." (John 1:6–8 KJV)

In these verses, the apostle John was writing about John the Baptist, the one who came before Jesus to prepare the way for Him. John said that he was not the Light but that the one who was the Light would come shortly, and that He (Jesus) would be the one who people should believe in.

9 "That was the true Light, which lighteth

every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him,

and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them

gave he power to become the

sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor

of the will of the flesh, nor of

the will of man, but of God." (John 1:9–13 KJV)

Jesus came as the true Light of God. He walked the earth bringing a message to humanity that would shed light on the will of God. He came in the form of a Jewish man who fulfilled all the prophecies of the Messiah from the old covenant, and although many Jewish people did believe, the nation of Israel as a whole did not.

John’s first reference of the born-again experience is found in verse thirteen. God’s children are not born by blood, or flesh, or the will of man, but by God. God is a Spirit; therefore His children are born of the Spirit. This is the will of God. People of any race or nationality are children of God when they believe in the Son of God.

14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of

the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying,

This was he of whom I spake, He that

cometh after me is preferred

before me: for he was before me.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,

which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."

(John 1:14–18 KJV)

The Word, the Life and the Light of God was made flesh, and He lived with glory and grace among men. The mystery concerning who Jesus is begins to unfold when the apostle John describes Jesus as the only begotten of the Father. This phrase is only used to describe Jesus, for He is the only person ever born in this manner.

"And the angel answered and said unto

her, The Holy Ghost shall come

upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:

therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be

called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35 KJV)

Jesus was conceived by God when the Holy Ghost came upon Mary, and God’s power overshadowed her. Every human ever born has only one natural father and one natural mother. We could say that Jesus’s natural father is God Himself, and in the same way, Mary is His natural mother. God is a Spirit; therefore a virgin conceived and bore a child. Jesus was not conceived as we are, but He was born into this natural world as we are. The Word given by God to the prophets of old was made flesh and entered this world as a human being with a fleshly body.

Jesus is called the Son of God because God is His father, which is a true statement. He is also called the Son of man because He has a human mother, Mary, which is also true. At the same time, John the Baptist makes another point when he says that Jesus was before him. John was older than Jesus, so how was Jesus before John? It is because Jesus was the Word that was with God and was God in the very beginning of creation, and He was made flesh through Mary.

In the person of Jesus, there is the joining of the Spirit with flesh. In this fleshly body, God resided and displayed His grace and truth. God showed His power and glory as Jesus walked the earth teaching, preaching, and doing only those things that God can do. Can any person alive restore life to a dead person? Can we give sight to someone who has been born blind or make the deaf hear or the dumb speak? Only God can do these things. The born-again experience is a miracle, as well, for when the Spirit of God creates a new spirit within a person, He completely changes their life.

If we look at what Jesus said and did, we can see what God is like. We can see His ways and even His personality by looking at the grace and truth that He taught and lived. That is how Jesus declared the Father and His will. He lived it and proved it out in the earth from His birth to His death on the cross and beyond.

19 "And this is the record of John, when

the Jews sent priests and Levites

from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but

confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?

And he saith, I am not. Art thou that

prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou?

that we may give an answer to

them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

(John 1:19–23 KJV)

This is the first place in the gospels where God told the priests and the Levites what was taking place. God always lets people know what He is doing, but people will not always listen to Him. John the Baptist was fulfilling prophecy when he told them that he was not the Christ. By this, they should have known that Christ would be coming after him because he told them plainly and quoted the prophecy from Isaiah. If the priests had been properly doing their duties, they would have known the prophecies and would have been expecting the Messiah to come because of what Isaiah had written.

3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight

in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every

mountain and hill shall be

made low: and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the

LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 40:3–5 KJV)

John the Baptist was preparing the way for the Lord by the message he preached and then baptizing people unto repentance, which is the first step to the new birth. A person must first see their sinful state and repent in order to receive the message of Jesus. John the Baptist prepared his disciples, and many of them followed Jesus after He was revealed to them.

29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh

away the sin of the world.

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is

preferred before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to

Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32 And John bare record, saying, I saw

the Spirit descending from

heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to

baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou

shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him,

the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

(John 1: 29–34 KJV)

When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God, it was the first sign that the apostle John was referencing the feast seasons in his gospel. The Feast of Passover was held in remembrance of when the Hebrews were delivered from the bondage of Egypt. God commanded them to kill the Passover lamb and apply the blood to their doorposts. This would be a sign for the death angel to "pass over" their houses that night (Exodus 12:1–14). Lambs were to be offered every year after this to remember their deliverance out of bondage.

John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus by telling the people, after Jesus’s baptism, that He is God’s Lamb. The Jewish people should have known what the phrase Lamb of God meant from the instructions for the Passover.

John the Baptist also said that Jesus takes away the sin of the world. The day after the Passover was when the Hebrews left the bondage of Egypt. That is when they took unleavened bread with them into the wilderness (Exodus 12: 15–20). Jesus is not only the Passover Lamb of God, but He has taken our leaven (sin) and given to us His unleavened bread (righteousness). He has taken away the sin of the world, but we only receive the remission of sin when we believe what He has done. Paul said it like this: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

John the Baptist also identified Jesus as the one who would baptize with the Holy Ghost. This explains the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning God pouring out His Spirit upon His people.

28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my

spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall

prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the

handmaids in those days will I pour out

my spirit." (Joel 2:28–29 KJV)

God had already spoken through His prophets what would happen when the Messiah came. Now the Messiah was here, and many of the prophecies would be fulfilled through Jesus at the feast times, as we will see later.

35 "Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith,

Behold the Lamb of God!

37 And the two disciples heard him

speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them

following, and saith unto them,

What seek ye? They said unto him,

Rabbi, (which is to say, being

interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see.

They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode

with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed

him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s Brother.

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him,

We have found the Messias, which is,

being interpreted, the Christ.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And

when Jesus beheld him, he said,

Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou

shalt be called Cephas, which

is by interpretation, A stone." (John 1:35–42 KJV)

John the Baptist prepared his disciples to accept and follow Jesus; therefore most of his disciples would have followed Jesus during His ministry. Andrew was one of John the Baptist’s disciples who heard him describe Jesus as the Lamb of God. Andrew immediately followed Jesus because he believed what he had heard about Him. He spent only one day with Jesus before he brought his brother Simon to meet the Messiah. When Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus, Jesus gave him the name Cephas (Peter), which is interpreted, a stone.

Jesus began His earthly ministry after being baptized by John the Baptist. At that time, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and abode on Him. There are no written accounts of miracles or gifts of the Spirit until after Jesus’s baptism. Here, in the first chapter of John, we can see the gifts of the Spirit beginning to operate in Jesus’s ministry. In the second chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding in Cana.

43 "The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and

findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him,

We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the

prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can

there any good thing come

out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him,

Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus

answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee,

when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the

Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him,

Because I said unto thee, I saw thee

under the fig tree, believest thou? thou

shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily,

I say unto you, Hereafter ye

shall see heaven open, and the angels of

God ascending and descending

upon the Son of man." (John 1:43–51 KJV).

When Jesus began His ministry, He chose the disciples who would later become His apostles. It is obvious these men knew what the Old Testament taught because they knew there would be a Messiah who would come to Israel. They heard John the Baptist tell of the One who would come after him, and now they met Jesus whom John called the Lamb of God.

Many, if not all, of Jesus’s disciples, had been baptized unto repentance by John the Baptist and had witnessed his ministry. These men might not have been very religious, but they were honest in their belief, and Jesus knew that. Jesus is not looking for religious people. He is looking for honest believers such as Nathaniel, in whom was no guile.

When Jesus told Nathanael He saw him under the fig tree, He gave the disciples a glimpse of things to come. By the Spirit, Jesus knew what he had been doing under the fig tree. Could Nathanael have been praying, and if he was, could this have been his answered prayer? Jesus proved to Nathaniel who He was by displaying the gifts of the Spirit. Through this, Nathanael recognized Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel, and he quickly followed Jesus wholeheartedly.

CHAPTER 2

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA AND

THE FIRST PASSOVER

1 "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;

and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the

mother of Jesus saith unto him,

They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?

mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants,

Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." (John 2:1–5 KJV)

The miracle Jesus performed at the wedding at Cana is the beginning of another theme layered throughout the gospel of John. John made references to Jewish marriage traditions throughout his gospel because Jesus did things associated with the marriage customs and ceremonies. This theme is not only in the gospel of John, it appears throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and can also be seen in the feasts.

When Mary came to Jesus and told Him they had no wine, Jesus told her that His hour had not come. What was He talking about? I believe Jesus meant, this was not His wedding. The wedding when Jesus will be the groom has not taken place yet, but Jesus began preparing His bride, the church, when He walked the earth two thousand years ago. This wedding at Cana is at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry when He introduced Himself to His future bride, and the bride was only beginning to know the groom.

Jesus was not in charge of this celebration; He was only there as an invited guest. Mary knew that Jesus was the one who would have a solution for their problem, so she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. She knew who Jesus’s Father was, so she knew the authority and power of His words. She had obeyed God the Father concerning Jesus’s birth and had watched Jesus grow and mature. Now she would see God’s miracle working power again as Jesus began His earthly ministry.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, but she was also a believer and part of the bride of Christ. She knew that whatever she would ask of Jesus, if it were the will of the Father, Jesus would do it. She didn’t know what He would do, she merely asked His help.

6 "And there were set there six waterpots

of stone, after the manner

of the purifying of the Jews, containing

two or three firkins apiece.

7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water.

And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the

governor of the feast. And they bare it." (John 2: 6–8 KJV)

Apparently, the servants knew of Jesus and respected His authority and reputation because they obeyed His extraordinary instruction to fill the waterpots. Notice what John wrote about the waterpots. These pots held water for purifying. Simply put, this water was used to wash their hands before they began to eat or drink at the wedding party.

Jesus didn’t tell the servants everything at once. First, He told them to fill the pots with water. Then He told them to draw out water from the pots and take it to the governor of the feast. This would have been a leap of faith for a servant because they knew what the water had been used for. Now they were told to take it to the man in charge for him to drink. The authority of Jesus overshadowed the governor in the eyes of the servants because they obeyed Jesus without question.

9 "When the ruler of the feast had tasted

the water that was made wine,

and knew not whence it was: (but the

servants which drew the water knew;)

the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the

beginning doth set forth good wine;

and when men have well drunk, then that

which is worse: but thou hast

kept the good wine until now." (John 2:9–10 KJV)

When the ruler of the feast tasted the wine and immediately called for the bridegroom, it must have been a tense moment for the servants. They knew where the wine came from and could have lost their jobs by obeying Jesus’s commands. They must have been very relieved when the governor told the bridegroom that he had saved the best wine for last. Normally, the best wine was served first, and after the guests had finished it, the inferior wine was served.

This miracle, performed at a public function, was witnessed by Jesus’s disciples and everyone else in attendance. It was Jesus’s introduction to His future bride. The fact that the miracle of the water turning to wine happened at a wedding is personal to each of us because we, as believers, are the bride of Christ, and this miracle is representative of how we become part of the bride. We must first be cleansed of our sins in order to be joined with the groom, and according to John, this is the first miracle that Jesus performs.

According to the law, waterpots were used for cleansing, but water only cleanses the outside of a person. Jesus changed the water into wine, and wine represents an internal purifying agent. Jesus used this same example of wine to represent His blood at the last supper. Without the blood of Jesus, we could not be cleansed from our sin and be born again spiritually, which is an internal process. Just as the servants had to obey what Jesus told them, we must believe and obey also in order to receive this miracle in our own personal lives.

Prophetically, there would be a cleansing and purifying change from the previous age of the law to the age of grace that we enjoy. This change would be a transition from the carnal (fleshly) way of serving God to the spiritual. Jesus explained later that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth. God would accomplish this through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and just like the wine, the best is saved for last.

11 "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,

and manifested forth his glory; and his

disciples believed on him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother,

and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued

there not many days." (John 2:11–12 KJV)

The gospel of John is the only reference to this particular miracle or the wedding itself. It is the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, thus manifesting forth His glory for the first time. That glory came from the Father and worked through the Son, doing only those things that God could do. Obviously, John witnessed the glory