Counting to Pentecost

“on the morrow after the sabbath” Lev.23:11,15 It is contested now and in the past (like most everything found in scripture) on whether the ‘first of the firstfruits’ (Lv.23:10-11, 17, Ex.23:19, 34:26) were waved by the priest (beginning the countdown to Pentecost) on the 16th, the day after the first of the two sabbaths or holy convocations of the feast of unleavened bread, or the 22nd, after the last holy convocation (Lv.23:6-8). Or was “the morrow after the sabbath” a reference to the weekly sabbath which would always fall on one of the days of unleavened bread. For example, if the 1st day of unleavened bread fell on the 16th then the 17th would begin the countdown to Pentecost:

Or if the weekly sabbath could fall on the 2nd holy convocation of unleavened bread then the 24th would start the fifty day count:

As usual God has concealed the truth in such a place that we need to search it out and network it with other passages of scripture. The question is what sabbath is referenced as “the morrow after the sabbath”- the first or the last sabbath in the feast of unleavened bread or the weekly sabbath? The context becomes critical to pay close attention to. Consider the passage: Lev.23:1 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. 4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (This was the first of the firstfruits brought to the house of God- Ex.23:19, 34:26) Although a sabbath is a holy convocation in which no servile work was to be done, God reminds us of the weekly sabbath first here in v3. He calls it “the sabbath” stating clearly “the seventh day is the sabbath of rest”. He proceeds to refrain for the moment from identifying the first and last days of unleavened bread as sabbaths by name calling them instead ‘holy convocations’ (compare 23:24,32,39). This subtle distinction leaves you in context with the sabbath of v11 being the weekly sabbath. It is further made distinct in v15 “ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete”. The only sabbaths in the count to Pentecost were weekly sabbaths. We see this subtle connection between the weekly sabbath and Pentecost here as well: “Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest…” Ex.34:21-2 The weekly sabbath was still to be kept during harvest; to begin counting after the weekly sabbath was a reminder Israel to observe it even during harvest. As it occurred with the offering of the body of Jesus on the 14th that is the day the Passover was killed (exactly the day God showed to Israel Ex.12:6, Lv.23:5,Lk.22:7), the weekly sabbath (the 16th also when the manna ceased- Josh.5:11) followed the 1st holy convocation of the 7 days feast of unleavened bread (Friday the 15th). Christ was the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor.15:20,23) on “the morrow after the sabbath” or Sunday the 17th as the day declared it. He was the first of the firstfruits on the first day of the week, declaring the omnipotence of God in history having given these days to the Jews some 1500 years prior.

Thus Christ’s resurrection on the first day of the week started the countdown to Pentecost which itself was the first day of the week.