 Now when you understand that 1 Corinthians was written right at the Passover season, right at the beginning of the season of first fruits, you can see why Paul falls into the use of the term so naturally. But it's more than that. At the end of the Sabbath, after Christ died, a little band of men made their way down to a spot near the Temple Mount where several sheaves of first ripe barley had been selected.