SCRIPTURE JOHN 7:1-47
the feast of tabernacles.
Jesus moved about within Galilee; but he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. So his disciples said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that others also may see the works you are doing….Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here…You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.”….
When the feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple area and began to teach. The Jews were amazed and said, “How does he know scripture without having studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me….Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no wrong in him…..
JESUS SPEAKS IN TEMPLE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities* have realized that he is the Messiah?…Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know…I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
Jesus said, “I will be with you only a little while longer, and then I will go to the one who sent me. You will look for me but not find [me], and where I am you cannot come.” So the Jews said to one another, “Where is he going that we will not find him? Surely he is not going to the dispersion* among the Greeks to teach the Greeks, is he?…
The Pharisees sent guards to arrest him. Some in the crowd who heard these words said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee, will he? So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. The guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this one.”….
FOOTNOTE
The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.
As one of the pilgrim feasts when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast.
REFLECTION
Jesus was no dummy. He realizes the threats against him, even how it will all play out but this was not the time to expose himself. He had more to accomplish in his public ministry including the institution of the Eucharist that He might be present to us in communion here on earth.
Did Jesus lie when He said He was not going up to the Feast? No, He was only saying He was not going up with His disciples and make a big splash. His hour had not yet come. Jesus would not let another teaching opportunity pass. Thus, went up in secret until it was time to make His word known.
Jesus confirms, my teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me….Jesus speaks with authority, even if all the listeners don’t understand that fact. Today, too, people reject the truth. Jesus does not speak on His own behalf but at the direction of the Father who sent Him. Jesus is the Word Incarnate…God’s word, even if people don’t accept it at their own peril.
Jesus again announces his impending exodus from this world. I will be with you only a little while longer, and then I will go to the one who sent me…an exodus similar to the one led by Moses, a deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Only Jesus’ exodus will lead us from slavery of sin and death.
This feast should also remind all Christians as well, that God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form