Feast of Tabernacles
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee.
He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his
death. But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, and Jesus'
brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers
can see your miracles! ... Jesus replied, "Now is not the right time for
me to go, but you can go anytime. ... You go on. I'm not going to this
festival, because my time has not yet come." After saying these things,
Jesus remained in Galilee. But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus
also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. ... Then, midway
through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The
people were surprised when they heard him. "How does he know so much when
he hasn't been trained?" they asked. So Jesus told them, "My message
is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will
of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. ... On
the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the
crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me
may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will
flow from his heart.'" (When he said "living water," he was
speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But
the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his
glory.) When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, "Surely
this man is the Prophet we've been expecting." Others said, "He is
the Messiah." Still others said, "But he can't be! Will the Messiah
come from Galilee? For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be
born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was
born." So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested,
but no one laid a hand on him. John
7:1-3, 6, 8-10, 14-17, 37-44
 |
| Prayer request in Jerusalem, Israel |
The next Jewish feast is the Feast of
Booths or Tabernacles. Jesus celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot. I
can imagine that He was invited to share meals with various Jews in Jerusalem
as they had built their family sukkot shelter and ate their meals there. This
Festival was one that Jewish men were required to go to the Temple in
Jerusalem—so there Jesus was even though this scripture passage tells us that
He didn’t want to go there. He obediently went to the Temple and used that as
an opportunity to teach.
He could certainly teach us a few things
about Jewish holidays and customs. The instructions for this particular Feast
were given to Moses by God, as recorded in Leviticus.
"Remember that this seven-day festival
to the LORD--the Festival of Shelters--begins on the fifteenth day of the
appointed month, after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The
first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest. On
the first day gather branches from magnificent trees--palm fronds, boughs from
leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy
before the LORD your God for seven days. You must observe this festival to the
LORD for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be
observed in the appointed month from generation to generation. For seven days
you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live
in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made
their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I
am the LORD your God." –
Leviticus
23:39-43
The Israelites then
and now needed to be reminded of God’s rescue of them from slavery. It’s a good
reminder for Christians, too. We are rescued from the slavery of sin just as
much as the Jews were saved from oppression in Egypt. God continues to rescue
them and us. It is a little chilly here now, with the low temperatures the last
couple of days below freezing, so it wouldn’t be much fun camping out in the
yard or on the deck with tree branches covering us. The idea is not to just
live outside in little shelters, but to remember what the Lord has done for us.
Celebrate with joy.
Prayer ~ Lord, I long to obey your
commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. Psalm 119:40
Daily
Bible Reading: Luke 11
© 2019 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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