CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

The journey through Samaria proved to be uneventful, as Jesus had suggested. No one stopped them or inquired of them, and there were no requests for miracles. They did come upon a fellow traveler heading north who had a grim report about something the Procurator of Judea had recently done. The man told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices, a story Jesus had already heard in Bethany. Jesus asked his disciples, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam recently fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

This teaching frightened the traveler, but Jesus was not done. He told the man this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

” ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” The traveler was a Galilean, and he reflected on Jesus’ words and replied, “So you are saying that unless there is change in Judea, God will soon judge it, and its rulers, for surely the image of the vineyard refers to Judea.”

“You have answered well,” replied Jesus, “Go on your way, and shalom to you and your family.”

As usual the disciples were quiet as they continued on the road south, ruminating on what Jesus had just said. On the one hand Jesus was going through Samaria, as it was apparently safer, but on the other hand he was going to Judea and Jerusalem, where the most intense scrutiny would come upon him if he taught or healed in public at all. Even Nathan’el, the diligent student of Torah, could not figure out the logic of all this. Did Jesus want to provoke a confrontation in Jerusalem? It was hard to puzzle out.

“Tell us the story of the Feast of Tabernacles,” said Jesus to Nathan’el. “What does Torah say about it?”

“As you know master, the Feast of Tabernacles is a week-long autumn harvest festival, also known as the Feast of the Ingathering, Feast of the Booths, Sukkoth, Succoth, or Sukkot The Feast of Tabernacles is the final and most important and joyous holiday of the year for it is our harvest festival. The importance of this festival is indicated by the statement, “This is to be a lasting ordinance.” The divine pronouncement, “I am the Lord your G-d,” concludes this section on the holidays of the seventh month. The Feast of Tabernacles begins five days after Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, on the fifteenth of Tishri (September or October).

“The word Sukkoth of course means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday, just as our ancestors did in the wilderness. Torah says about its celebration that we should keep this festival ‘That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your G-d.’ In short, it is a reminder of when we were in transition and had no permanent home in the Land.”

“It is good that we have a Scripture scholar in our midst,” said Jesus, “but I have a question, why do you think I told the story about the unfruitful tree, as we are heading to a harvest festival, and what do you think G-d wants us to remember by having us celebrate in temporary dwellings?”

Nathan’el cleared his throat and spoke once more, “Perhaps because G-d wants to remind us that the only permanent thing is our dependence on and relationship with Him, blessed be he. And you are suggesting as well that to whom more is given more is required, indeed judgment begins with the household of G-d.”

“Yes”, said Jesus, “and not merely on G-d’s own people, but on G-d’s own house.”

“But its not even finished yet,” said Simon, speaking of Herod’s temple.

“What does the Psalmist say?” replied Jesus “Unless the Lord builds your house, vainly you labor.”

As Jesus and the disciples came within sight of Bethany, Jesus sent Simon and Andrew ahead to let Miryam, Martha and Eliezer know they were nearby. The plan was for the disciples to camp out on their land behind their house. The family in Bethany was overjoyed to see Jesus again, and it became clear to all the disciples on this trip just how much Jesus loved this family, and it was noticed how very close Jesus was to Eliezer, reclining on couch with him at meals. After a few days of visiting and catching up, Jesus said to his disciples–“its time for me to go and teach in the Temple precincts.”

“I would not advise it master,” asked Martha. “There are many, many people here in Jerusalem who have serious doubts about you, even doubts about whether you are a good Jew. Furthermore, all the pilgrims here in Jerusalem have already put the authorities on edge and on alert.” Jesus simply smiled at Martha and said “as usual, you are worried about many things, but I must concentrate on the one thing necessary.”

And with that he made his way out of the house and headed down the road to the Kidron in order to enter the city and climb up the hill called Zion to the Temple itself. The disciples meanwhile did a little sightseeing on the way to the usual spot where Jesus taught. They were constantly stunned by the size and scope of the Temple complex which was still under construction and employed about half of Jerusalem’s work force. Some of the beveled stones that went into the Temple mount itself were as large as a small house in Netzerit, and it was amazing to watch such enormous stones being lowered into place, one on top of another.

The engineers were quite skilled and what they would do is place lead and sand on the top portion of each stone so that the stone that would be lowered down on top of it would not crack or break the stone underneath it. The lead would simply cushion the blow of the stone which weighed easily more than a ton, and then once the stone was in place the workers would blow the sand out from between the stones. Jesus pointed to one stone laying on the ground next to the Temple mount that the architects had rejected apparently because they found some flaw in it. “What is it that the psalmist says,” asked Jesus, “the stone that the builders have rejected has become the head of the corner? Even so it will be in my case.” But this did not register with the disciples at the time, so captivated were they by the size and scope of what they were seeing, for there was nothing comparable to this Temple in all of Galilee.

It was in fact not until halfway through the Feast that Jesus, followed by his disciples, went up to the temple courts and began to teach. The Jewish officials were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” They were puzzled because they knew that Jesus had never come to Jerusalem to study with their scribes and sages and teachers. Jesus, knowing exactly what they were thinking, answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do G-d’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from G-d or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you fully keeps the law. So why are some of you trying to get rid of me?”

“You are demon-possessed,” a man in the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus said to them, “I did a miracle or two on Shabbat, and you are all astonished. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision, though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs, you circumcise a child on the Shabbat. Now if a child can be circumcised on Shabbat so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on Shabbat? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man the authorities are trying to do away with? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the messiah? But we know where this man is from; when messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

At this some in the crowd tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him for long, because his time had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When messiah comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?” The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. Jesus told them all, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

The Jewish officials present said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” Jesus of course had in mind not merely his trip he planned north of Galilee, but something more.

The disciples were alarmed at the confrontation that had happened in the Temple courts, but they left quietly with Jesus that day and returned to Bethany. Jesus did not return to the Temple that day or the next, but on the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus return to the same spot where he had taught in the Court of the Gentiles and stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the messiah!.” Still others asked, “How can messiah come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the messiah will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” “No one ever spoke the way this man does. Many of the people think he is at the least a great prophet” the guards declared.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law–there is a curse on them.” But Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet or messiah does not come out of Galilee.” And they were bitterly divided about Jesus. But Jesus, knowing what was in their hearts, had already left the Temple precincts, collected his disciples and told them— “it’s time to head north again, to Sychar.”

“If you say so master,” replied Simon, but now in actuality he was looking forward to getting out of volatile Jerusalem and heading to Samaria where few would look for them.