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What Holy Days did Jesus Christ keep? Obviously He did NOT keep Easter or Christmas, because there is no mention of these holidays in the Bible.

The apostle Peter said: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21.)

If we are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and follow the example that He left us, then let’s ask the question "What Holy Days Did Jesus Christ Keep?"

Let’s begin in Luke 2:41-42: Jesus’ "parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast."

Notice that it was Jesus’ custom to keep the Feast of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread even as a young child.

John 5:1 "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."

This passage in the fifth chapter of John does not specifically say which festival that Jesus went up to Jerusalem to observe. Some think that it was Passover but when you examine the substance and topics of this festival it appears that it was probably the fall festivals including: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. These festivals are known as the judgment feasts. See John 5:22-24 for a reference to judgment.

In the fall of the year we see Jesus keeping the Feast of Tabernacles.

John 7:2 " Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand." .... {10} "But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret." .... {14} "Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. "

This is called the Jew’s feast of tabernacles because the Jews were the only people at that time keeping God’s Holy Days. Jesus kept the Feast of Tabernacles and He taught at the feast.

John 7:37 says: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.""

The Feast of Tabernacles is seven days long and it is followed by a separate feast on the eighth day which is the last great day of the feast (Leviticus 23:33-39.)

(Request our free article: ‘New Testament Holy Days’ for more information on the apostles keeping God’s Holy Days in the New Testament.)

The apostle John gives a detailed record of Jesus’ public ministry based around God’s Holy Days, the annual "high day" Sabbath Festivals. For years people have known that the only way to prove the length of Jesus’ ministry is to go to the Gospel of John and count the number of Passovers. You can not do this in the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark or Luke. It is amazing to realize that God inspired the apostle John to record his testimony of Jesus’ public ministry around God’s Feast Days. These feast days are important to God for He calls them His feasts: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts"" (Leviticus 23:2.)

We find Jesus keeping God’s Holy Days, not Easter, Lent, Christmas, Halloween, New Years Day or Sunday.

All of God’s Holy Days are listed in Leviticus 23 which also includes the Sabbath as one of God’s Holy Days.

We have seen and proved that Jesus set an example for us to follow by keeping God’s Holy days. The apostle John stated: "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6.)

Why shouldn’t we keep the same Holy Days that Jesus kept?

God’s seven annual Holy Days, His Festivals, His appointed times are Christological. Christology is the theological interpretation of the person and work of Christ.

Let’s see how God’s Holy Days are Christological.

Historically Passover was a time in which lambs were killed and it was kept in remembrance of the Lord's passing over the houses of the Israelites (Exodus 12:13) when the first born of all the Egyptians died.

The slain lamb, without blemish, represented Jesus Christ. As the children of Israel had to come under the blood of this slain lamb, we too have to come under the blood of Jesus Christ for salvation. Many places in the Bible

mention Christ as a lamb. When John saw Jesus approaching him he said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29.) Also Peter says in 1st Peter 1:18-19, "You were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Jesus Christ is our Passover as the apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 5:7: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."

We can definitely see the Christology of Jesus Christ in the Passover.

The Days of Unleavened Bread are part of the Passover season and contain two annual Sabbath convocations (Leviticus 23:4-8.) The first holy convocation is the first Day of Unleavened Bread and this was when the ancient Israelites came out Egypt. Coming out of Egypt spiritually pictures coming out of sin. When a Christian comes out of sin it is called repentance.

We see the Christology in this in that the gospel that Jesus Christ proclaimed included repentance. Mark recorded that: "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, {15} and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15.)

The second holy convocation is the last Day of Unleavened Bread and this was when God led the ancient Israelites through the waters of the Red Sea. This was a type of baptism.

We see the Christology in this in that we are baptized into the death of Christ. The apostle Paul declared in Romans 6: "Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? {4} Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Pentecost is the third Holy Day of God’s seven annual festivals (Leviticus 23:15-22, Acts 2).

The Jews of today have a historical tradition that on this annual Holy Day, God Almighty gave them the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai.

Christologically Jesus was born to be a king (John 18:37) and He will rule as King of Kings in the millennial Kingdom of God (Revelation 19:16.) He as King will rule by God’s Law.

Pentecost also pictures the birth of the New Testament Church in which the disciples received God’s Holy Spirit.

The Christology here is that we must have the Spirit of Christ in us or we are not His. Notice what Paul said in Romans 8: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. {10} And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. {11} But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

The Feast of Trumpets is the fourth annual Sabbath of God’s Holy Days. (Leviticus 23:23-25, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.) This Holy Day is a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, or shouting for joy. One of the dominant uses of blowing the trumpets or shophars in the Bible was to declare an alarm of war.

The Christology in the Feast of Trumpets is that it pictures the return of Jesus Christ at the seventh trump and He intervenes into world affairs and establishes the millennial Kingdom of God on earth.

"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15.) Jesus said in His Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24:30: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {31} "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

The fifth of God’s Holy Days is the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32.) This is when the High Priest confessed the sins of the community and entered into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle with the blood of the offering to make atonement for the people (Leviticus 16.)

The Christology of the Day of Atonement is that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. (Request our free article: ‘Jesus Christ is our High Priest’.)

The author of Hebrews explains in chapter 3 verse 1: "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus" ... "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession" (Hebrews 4:14) .... "Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20.)

The Feast of Tabernacles is the sixth festival of God (Leviticus 23:33-44, John 7) and it lasts for seven days. The first day of this festival is a Holy Convocation. Ancient Israel were to dwell in temporary booths. The unique thing about this festival is that you are commanded to rejoice: "Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice" (Deuteronomy 16:14-15.) This festival is also called the festival of ingathering (Exodus 23:16) which pictures the fall harvest - the great harvest of people for salvation will be in the millennium!

Christologically the Feast of Tabernacles pictures Jesus Christ reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) ruling the Kingdom of God during the thousand year millennium. This will be a time of world peace, prosperity, good health, good food and God’s way of life will be lived abundantly and salvation will be offered to all.

Following the Feast of Tabernacles is an eighth day festival which is the seventh Holy Day of God. This is the festival in which Jesus said "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."

(John 7:37.) This is a reference to salvation through Jesus Christ.

After the millennium there is a second resurrection (Revelation 20:5) and the dead are judged (Rev. 20:11-15) in the White Throne Judgment.

Christologically Jesus is the judge sitting on the White Throne. The great White Throne Judgment pictures the time when billions of people will be resurrected to mortal life and given their opportunity for salvation and Jesus Christ will judge them and those who repent and live God’s way of life, He will write their names in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:12.)

In conclusion: God’s seven annual Holy Days pictures God’s plan of salvation and they are Christological because Jesus Christ is the focus of each and every one of God’s Holy Days.