Messianic Significance of Feast of Weeks
(also called Pentecost or Shavuot)

Pentecost not only memorializes the first giving of the law written on tablets of stone, but it also memorializes, on the same day many years later, the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), when the law of God is written in the heart of the believer. As it states in Jeremiah 31:33, But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Before His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit.
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (Acts 1:4).

The Day the Holy Spirit was Given to Believers

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4).

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) commemorates this day on which the Holy Spirit was given to the believers (Acts 2). On that day three thousand souls were saved. It is the birthday of the church, when the Holy Spirit came to unite the believers in one body. All believers are baptized into the same body with Christ the head of the church.

From Luke’s account in Acts 2 you see the marvelous timing of God. Thousands of Jews had journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. The Teacher's Commentary explains:

The Feast of Pentecost was one of the three annual Old Testament celebrations during which the men of Israel came to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. It was a time when Jews from around the world gathered in their ancient homeland and offered sacrifice to the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

Pentecost was a harvest festival, coming at the time of the grain harvest, just 50 days after Passover. Each year the firstfruits of the harvest were offered with joy and thanksgiving, accompanied by the recitation of Deuteronomy 26:3–10 by the worshiper.

Pentecost was clearly God’s choice time for the initiation of Jesus’ followers into their great adventure. Just 50 days before, Jesus Himself had been crucified—and raised again. Now, as an indication of the great harvest of everlasting life that Jesus’ death had won, the 120 believers were about to be touched by the Spirit of God. They were to be the first of a vast multitude, the first of millions upon millions who would follow them into a unique relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that the Spirit’s coming into believers was unmistakably marked. A mighty wind seemed to rush through the room where the 120 gathered; flames of fire flickered over each head; and as the Spirit filled them, individuals began to speak in languages they did not know.
This drew a great crowd of the men who had come to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival. Each person heard the disciples speaking in the language of the land where he was presently living. “How is it,” wondered the visitors, “that each of us hears them in his own native language? … We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:8, 11) Perplexed and amazed, they asked each other, “What does this mean?” (v. 12)

All too often that same question is asked today—without listening to Peter’s response to those first questioners. All too often the answer given is designed to argue for or against the existence of what has been called “the gift of tongues” in our day. Whatever our opinion might be as to whether God still gives believers this gift, the important point underlined by Pentecost is that now, at last, the Holy Spirit is given!

And this was Peter’s response to those who demanded an explanation of the disciples: “This is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel:

“In the last days,” God says,
“I will pour out My Spirit on all people.”
Acts 2:16–17

That great gift which God had reserved till the last days was being poured out freely now. All were to know the touch of the Spirit of God; both daughters and sons would be empowered by Him. Most significant of all, in that day on which the Spirit of God would flow out to touch and fill God’s own, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (v. 21).

The Two Loaves of Bread

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit transpired on the very day that the Jews were offering the two wave loaves to God representing their reliance on Him. The two wave loaves with leaven offered to God may represent that Jews and Gentiles, both sinners (leaven in their lives), are able to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit through the Messiah. Promises made earlier by John the Baptist (Luke 3:16) and the risen Messiah (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8) are now fulfilled on Shavuot (Pentecost): on that day, the Holy Spirit did indeed come upon the apostles and empowered them to witness of the Messiah. The first century church was mainly Jewish. The last century church will be mainly Gentile. This explains Paul’s statement that the blessings of God were “to the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

The two loaves may also represent two witnesses. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses (Heb. 10:28). The law of Moses is associated with two witnesses. Shavuot is associated with the law and the two loaves (witnesses).

Jesus said, To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. Witnesses were always connected with the law, through the Bible; likewise the two loaves and the law are associated with Pentecost. Jesus said that they would become witnesses after they were baptized with the Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 1:3-9).

The two loaves were huge. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD (Lev. 23:17): An ephah is a measure of Egyptian origin and contained ten omers (an omer is about two quarts, so it would be approximately four quarts of flour). Four quarts of four cups each is about sixteen cups of fine flour. This would make the loaves approximately 12" x 21" x 3".

The followers of the Messiah obtained a mission through the dramatic descent of the Holy Spirit. From the moment of birth, this community—the early church—intended itself not a new religion but rather an awakening movement within Judaism. The church members continued to observe the Jewish laws and worshipped regularly in the Temple. What distinguished them from other Jews was their conviction that Jesus as the promised Messiah would reappear to restore the kingdom of Israel (Guinness 1988).

Richards, L. 1987. The teacher's commentary. Includes index. (Ac 5:1). Victor Books: Wheaton, Ill.