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New Testament Observance Since Sukkot has so many rich spiritual lessons associated with it, we would expect to find some important references to it in the New Testament. Not far into the Gospel accounts of the life of Yeshua, we find the first powerful reference to Tabernacles. As the apostle John relates the special background of Messiah, he openly declares the divine nature of Yeshua. The Word not only was with God in the beginning, but this Word is the very manifestation of God himself (John 1:1)! This Word, as John calls him, was manifested to the world in a very practical and tangible way:
Yeshua of Nazareth is more than just a good rabbi or an intriguing philosopher. According to the Bible, he is the visible manifestation of the God of creation! Yet, did you notice the metaphor John employs to describe this incarnation of the Messiah? The Word "dwelt" among his people. The Greek word skene is a rich word derived from "tabernacle." In other words, as John sought to describe the Messiah's first coming to his people, the most obvious picture was the holy day Sukkot, the holy day that celebrates the dwelling of God! There is, of course, some controversy concerning the actual date of Yeshua's birth in Bethlehem. Many believers say that since there is no definitive statement on the matter, the date can not be set with certainty. The Western Church, since the fourth century C.E., has adopted December 25 as the official day to acknowledge the incarnation of Messiah. However, most historians admit that this was more in concession to the pagans of the Roman Empire than to the Holy Scriptures. As has often been the case, the early Church "christianized" existing pagan days and festivals to accommodate the many new converts. December 25 is a classic case in point. It happened to be an ancient feast to celebrate the return of the sun after the winter solstice. It had nothing to do with the birth of Yeshua, but was adopted nonetheless. It seemed to later believers that there was no real evidence indicating a better date. Unfortunately, many overlook the important evidence Sukkot provides. When the apostle John describes the birth of the Messiah, he paints it in terms of Tabernacles. The simplicity of this logic is almost astounding. A major point of this book is to show God's plan of salvation illustrated through the holy days he revealed to Israel. Critical events regarding God's plan are consistently fulfilled on these special days. Not surprisingly, we find Messiah dying on the cross as our Passover lamb on the very day of Pesach. The pouring out of the firstfruits of God's Holy Spirit likewise takes place on the appropriate holy day of Shavuot. Would such an important event as the birth of the Messiah go unheralded by one of these biblical feasts? Of all the feasts of the Lord, Sukkot best illustrates the fact that God would dwell in the midst of his people through the presence of the Messiah. He may have literally fulfilled his promise on the very day of Tabernacles. That the birth of Yeshua took place on Sukkot is corroborated by other evidences pointed out by Christian theologians. Some have noted that the chronological calculations in the Gospels lead us to place the birth of Messiah in the late fall. Most agree that Yeshua's earthly ministry lasted three and one-half years. Since we know he died on Passover (March/April), by backtracking we arrive much closer to Sukkot (September/October) than to December 25 (A.T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels, p. 267). Others have pointed out the inconsistency of shepherds watching the flocks in the fields during the dead of winter. The Mishna (rabbinic commentary) states that, because of winter weather, the flocks around Bethlehem were normally brought into a protective corral called a "sheepfold" from November through February. Hence the December date seems unlikely. ("Luke," Adam Clark's Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 370). A final clue surrounding the details of Messiah's birth has to do with the exceptional crowd seeking housing with the result that there was "no room in the inn" (Luke 2:7). While it is true that much of this congestion would have been related to the census taken by the Romans at that time, there seems to be more to it. The Romans were known to take their censuses according to the prevailing custom of the occupied territories. Hence, in the case of Israel, they would opt to have people report to their home provinces at a time that would be convenient for them. There is no apparent logic to calling the census in the middle of winter. The more logical time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the fall. If this coincided with one of the major Jewish festivals, Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles, we would expect the entire area of Jerusalem and Bethlehem to be overrun with pilgrims. More than likely, the nativity accounts in the Gospel took place during one of the major Jewish holy days, and not during December. The only major holy day that takes place in the fall is Sukkot. It seems that there is indeed a holy day pointing to the birth of Messiah. Messiah has "tabernacled" in the midst of his people as perfectly typified in Sukkot! Besides the connection to the incarnation of Messiah, there are other spiritual lessons taught by this holy day. Because Sukkot was also to be a harvest festival in the late fall, it was customary to thank God for the produce of that year. It is significant to note that at this time prayers were chanted to thank God, in faith, for the upcoming winter rains essential to replenish the land. The Talmud tells of a custom that developed in the Second Temple period which was created to illustrate this truth. At that time, during this holy day, a priest would take a water pitcher down to the Pool of Shiloach (Siloam), dip it in the water and carry it back to the Temple. Crowds of people would form a huge processional behind the priest, dancing, singing and chanting the Hallel Psalms (113-118) as they entered the Temple mount. For each of the first six days of Sukkot, the processional would circle the Temple altar one time, and on the seventh day (Hoshana Rabbah) there would be seven processionals to magnify the joy. The highlight of the ceremony came when the priest dramatically poured the water at the altar of the Temple. The response of the multitudes was so immense that the Talmud says whoever has not been in Jerusalem for this ceremony has not even experienced real joy (Sukkah 5)! Hence, it became known as Simcha Bet Ha-sho-evah (the Rejoicing of the House of Drawing Water). Why all the rejoicing at this water pouring ceremony? Obviously, it had to be more than the rejoicing in the hope of future winter rains for Israel, as important as that might be. Talmudic rabbis speak of deeper truths from Isaiah 12:3 in regard to the ceremony:
More than the outpouring of temporal water in Israel, the Simcha Bet Ha-sho-evah was to prophetically illustrate the days of messianic redemption when the water of the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all Israel (Sukkot 55). God will ultimately build his habitation with his people when the kingdom is established under Messiah's rulership. What joy this thought brought to the people's hearts! With this historical background, we can more fully appreciate the events recorded on one particular Sukkot celebration in the New Testament. Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking. Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being." (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in Him were to receive later-the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified (John 7:37-39). Imagine the setting! Sukkot was in full swing. The joy of the first six days was exuberant. On the great final day (Hoshana Rabbah), the crowds were filled with expectation for the Messiah and the Holy Spirit he would bring. At the very time of the water drawing ceremony, Yeshua made a bold proclamation: Do you truly want the living waters of the Holy Spirit? Does anyone understand the true significance of this ceremony? If anyone desires what the Bet Ha-sho-evah symbolizes, let him believe in me. I am the Messiah who will pour out the Holy Spirit on Israel! These were indeed radical statements; and they created quite a stir in the Temple on that occasion.
That Yeshua of Nazareth claimed to be the promised Messiah of the Jewish Scriptures should be uncontested. However, the controversy surrounding the response of the people is still manifest to this day. When properly understood, the holy day Sukkot should lead us to believe, like many in that first-century crowd. Yeshua is who he claimed to be: God dwelling in our midst! What a joy to experience the living waters of his Holy Spirit as seen in the holy day Sukkot. Return to Sukkot |
