“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

I chuckle sometimes at people who think God is some kind of a cosmic killjoy or party-pooper.  Or that he sits in heaven like some grumpy old man just waiting for the perfect time to pounce on someone who’s having a good time and ruin his fun.  Shows how much — or more correctly, how utterly little — they know about God.  Psalm 16:11 says of the Lord, “…you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  Fullness of joy?  Eternal pleasures?  Sounds to me like God’s into having — and better yet, giving — a good time!  Sure, this may be limited to his “presence,” as in heaven, but even still, it tells us that the party-pooper characterization is completely idiotic.

I mention this because the joy in God’s character spills over into a similar and derivative example for us earth dwellers: holidays.  Every country has holidays, times to celebrate, remember, honor and rejoice.  That in itself should dispel the notion that God’s a party-buster (definitely not one of his names!).  If humans everywhere, even fallen human beings, enjoy a good time, and we all bear his image, what does that say about God’s character?  He likes celebrations, parties and holidays too!  Another proof: he created his own holidays.

The primary difference between most national holidays and God’s holidays is that his are of divine origin.  Even holidays such as our American Thanksgiving, Christmas and Resurrection (Easter), as good and God-centered as they are, weren’t commanded by God to follow.  But God created multiple holidays to celebrate for the Jews, without any prompting from them.  One of them was Firstfruits, a grain holiday, which was the third of seven holidays he instituted.  To kick off the celebration, people would bring the very first produce, grain and fruits, to the priest, who would bundle them together hold them over his head and wave them as an offering to the Lord.  Families would also bring a lamb that was sacrificed.  Once this was done, a celebration was on.

As a holiday, Firstfruits had three primary concepts underlying it.  Not to overlook the obvious, the first point about Firstfruits is that the first portion of the crop was the best.  Though planted at the same time, some plants ripen first and are usually the best quality.  Second, the best was to be dedicated to God.  Similarly, the firstborn son was also to be dedicated to God. “Firstborn” comes from the same Hebrew word as “firstfruits.”  Third, people brought their firstfruits by faith, expecting the rest of the harvest to follow.  They could keep that, God having received his share first.  The principle was similar to the tithe, keeping God’s portion — he could ask for 100%, but doesn’t — and man’s portion in proper perspective.

Interestingly, God called Israel “…the firstfruits of his harvest” (Jeremiah 2:3).  Let’s run that down.  Was Israel first to worship the Lord?  Yes.  Dedicated to God?  Absolutely.  Guaranteed the rest of the harvest?  That’s where Israel fell short.  The rest of the harvest was the nations of the world, the Gentiles, you and me.  Israel increasingly saw themselves not as God’s favored people but God’s favorite people.  And since he had his favorites already, why would he want any others?  They lost the vision of being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).  As priests they were to intercede for the nations so that some in each nation would join God’s people belonging to him.

To correct this off-course turn and insure that the rest of the harvest would come, Jesus died and rose again, “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” (or died as believers, 1 Corinthians 15:20).  Jesus was God’s only begotten Son, therefore the firstborn.  He was totally dedicated to God, far more than anyone else.  His labor guaranteed the rest of the harvest, beating death by taking its best shot.  His resurrection revitalized the process of drawing in the harvest.  Then James 1:18 tells us: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”  In other words, James’ Jewish Christian audience (1:1) was the first to accept, like Israel earlier, the mandate to bring the gospel “first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16), or joining Christ in his global harvesting.

Nationally the Jews rejected that message and mandate.  How about you?  Have you fallen away from that incredible call to reach the world, or will you join the celebration as you bring others with you?