Jesus, Our Feast Of Tabernacles

Let’s open our Bibles to John chapter 7, we’ll read verses 1-13 together:

1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. 6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. 10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, "Where is that man?" 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good man." Others replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

Last time we met together I introduced John 7 by showing the backdrop of the chapter. We saw the condition in Israel as one of hostility to Jesus Christ. Vs. 1 says they wanted to kill Him. This was because they thought He broke their law by healing a man on the Sabbath. And then we saw the celebration in Israel. This chapter is set in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, you can see that from verse 2.

So those of you who were here know that we went back to the Old Testament to examine this Feast of Tabernacles so we could get the context of John chapter 7. We looked at the 5 requirements for this

Feast of Tabernacles and let’s review them:

1-They were to live in booths during the 8 days of the feast as a reminder that they lived in booths when they came out of slavery to the Egyptians. 2- They were required to rest, that is, to not do any work. 3-They were required to offer up sacrifices every day of the feast. 4-They were to remember their deliverance from slavery, and 5-they were to celebrate with great joy. Israel called this celebration “The Season of our Joy.”

Then we looked at New Testament passages that showed that the Feast of Tabernacles pointed forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. Colossians 2 tells us that religious festivals are a shadow, pointing forward to Jesus Christ, so that when we become believers in Jesus we are celebrating the festival. See the Feast of Tabernacles was designed to teach us some things about Jesus Christ.

1.Just as they lived in tabernacles, so we find our lives in Jesus. (“For me to live is Christ” He’s our Shelter), 2.Just as they enjoyed Sabbath rest, we don’t work for our salvation, we rest in what Jesus did on the cross (He’s our Sabbath), 3.Just as they were to sacrifice in order to be accepted by the God, in order to have fellowship with God, so Jesus sacrificed Himself to bring us to God (He’s our sacrifice). 4.Just as they remembered their deliverance from slavery, even so Jesus is our Savior. 5.And just as they had a season of joy, Jesus is our eternity of joy. (He’s our satisfaction, and our elation).

Now 2 days ago my wife and I were driving around Wooster and we saw a church sign that said, “We are a Lifeboat, not a Party Boat” and I felt like telling them to change boats. For while its true that we are to rescue the perishing, it’s also true that those who have been rescued are to be partying (or if you prefer “celebrating the festival”). In other words Christians are those who rejoice that Jesus purchased our pardon on the cross, celebrate that He rose from the dead triumphant, partying over eternal life. Even in the midst of very severe trials, Christians find that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Jesus is our Shelter, He is our Sabbath, He is Sacrifice, He is our Savior, and He is our Satisfaction and elation. In other words, Jesus is our Feast of Tabernacles. That Feast was the shadow, Jesus is the reality.

So the context of John chapter 7 is the foreshadowing of the cross (verse 1), and the celebration of the feast (verse 2). Today, I want us to notice these 3 points together: 1-The Challenge to Jesus (verses 3-5), 2-the Cross of Jesus (verses 6-8), 3- The Conflict over Jesus (verses 10-13).