Spring feast
Firstfruits
Bikkurim
16th of Nisan (during the Feast of Unleavened Bread)
The first resurrection proves the rest are coming.
You shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. (Leviticus 23:10)
A farmer who brings his firstfruits is making a statement of faith: the rest of the harvest is still coming. He offers the first sheaf as a pledge. The whole field is implied in that first bundle.
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Jesus rose from the dead as the firstfruits of the resurrection — three days and three nights after his burial, at the end of the Sabbath, just as he said. He is the firstfruits. His resurrection is the pledge that ours is coming.
Each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:23)
If Jesus is the firstfruits, we are the rest of the harvest. His resurrection is not a one-time miracle. It is the beginning of a wave that will culminate when he returns for all who belong to him.
You’ve seen the shadow,
the fulfillment, and the promise.
Now read the complete guide to Firstfruits — history, meaning, practice, and what it still reveals about Jesus.
Read the full guide ↓What Is This?
Firstfruits was a harvest celebration. When Israel came into the promised land, the very first grain of the new harvest was to be brought to God before anyone ate anything. The farmer would take a bundle of grain and wave it before God as an offering. It was an act of trust and thankfulness. It said: "God, everything comes from you. Before I eat from this harvest, I give the first of it back to you."
This first bundle of grain was called the firstfruits. It was a promise and a preview. If the first grain was good, the rest of the harvest would come too. The firstfruits was not the whole harvest. It was a sign that the whole harvest was on its way.
Jesus rose from the dead on the day of Firstfruits. This was not a coincidence.
Practice
How will you observe Firstfruits?
Walk through it step by step — for families or on your own.
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 23:9-14
- Exodus 23:19
- Romans 8:23
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
- James 1:18
- Revelation 14:4
The Shadow: What Firstfruits Pictures
A farmer who brings in his firstfruits is making a statement of faith. The rest of the harvest has not come in yet. The field is still full of grain that has not been picked. But the farmer takes the first bundle and waves it before God as if the whole harvest has already arrived.
It is a picture of hope. It says: "This first part is here. The rest is coming. I trust the God who started this harvest to finish it."
That is exactly what Jesus rising from the dead means for us.
Jesus rising from the dead is the firstfruits. His resurrection is the first bundle waved before God. The rest of the harvest, all the people who will be raised from the dead when he returns, has not come in yet. But the firstfruits is proof. The harvest is real. It is coming.
Every farmer who waved that bundle of grain was acting out the future resurrection without knowing it.
First Coming: How Jesus Fulfilled Firstfruits
Jesus rose from the dead as the firstfruits of the resurrection.
Paul puts it plainly: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is not just someone who happened to rise from the dead. He is the firstfruits. He is the first bundle waved before God as the guarantee that the full resurrection harvest is coming.
Death could not hold him. He was buried before the high sabbath (the first day of Unleavened Bread — a special rest day regardless of what day of the week it fell on). He remained in the tomb three days and three nights, exactly as he promised (Matthew 12:40), and rose at the end of the weekly Sabbath. The timing is not a coincidence. The God who planned every detail of Passover also planned every detail of the resurrection.
Second Coming: What Firstfruits Still Points To
If Jesus is the firstfruits, we are the rest of the harvest.
Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. "In Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ." The harvest continues when Jesus returns. Every person who has trusted in him will be raised from the dead, just like he was.
The body that goes into the ground is not the end. It is a seed. The seed goes into the earth and a plant comes up. Paul uses this picture in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. What goes in is weak and mortal. What comes up is powerful and imperishable.
The firstfruits proved the harvest. The resurrection of Jesus proves ours. Because he came out of the grave, we will too.
What This Means for the Church
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything about how the church lives.
It means death is not the end. It means our future is guaranteed. It means the worst thing that can happen to a believer in Jesus is not actually the worst thing. Suffering, loss, and death are real. But they are not final.
The church also carries the Spirit as a firstfruits down payment. Paul writes that "we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). The Spirit living in us right now is a preview of what is coming. He is the firstfruits of our full inheritance. The best is still ahead.
James also says God's people are "a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James 1:18). The church is the first part of God's new creation. The whole renewed world is coming. We are just the beginning.
Scripture vs. Tradition
| What it is | Description |
|---|---|
| Scripture says | The firstfruits of the harvest belong to God |
| Scripture says | Jesus rose from the dead as the firstfruits of the resurrection |
| Scripture says | All who belong to Christ will be raised when he returns |
| Scripture says | The Holy Spirit is a firstfruits deposit of our full inheritance |
| Helpful practice | Giving to God first on this day |
| Helpful practice | Celebrating the resurrection with joy and intention |
| Optional tradition | Planting something as a picture of death and resurrection |
| Optional tradition | A meal centered on spring harvest foods |
| Extra-biblical | Any specific ceremony not found in the New Testament |
Reflection and Prayer
Questions to think about:
- If Jesus was raised from the dead, and I am going to be raised too, how should I live differently because of that?
- Am I giving God the first of what I have? Time, money, attention? Or does he get what is left over?
- What is something I am afraid of that the resurrection of Jesus should make me less afraid of?
- The Holy Spirit living in me is a firstfruits. A preview. A guarantee. What does that do to my hope?
Prayer: Jesus, you are alive. You came out of the grave and death could not hold you. Thank you that your resurrection is the promise of mine. I am part of the harvest that is still coming. The Spirit you gave me is the down payment on everything that is ahead. Help me to live like someone who knows the grave is not the end. Help my family to celebrate what you did on Firstfruits day not just once a year but every day. You are the firstfruits. The rest of the harvest is coming. Amen.
How to Observe Firstfruits
Walk me through it —
Key Scriptures
- Leviticus 23:9-14
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
- Romans 8:23
- James 1:18
Connected Feasts