Paper 162 Overview: At the Feast of Tabernacles

Jesus and ten apostles traveled toward Jerusalem to attend the feast of tabernacles. When they tried to stay in a Samaritan village, the people refused them lodging because they were Jews, which made James and John angry. Jesus rebuked them for wanting revenge and led the group to another village instead. Jesus boldly taught in the temple during the feast despite the danger, surprising both his followers and his enemies.

While in Jerusalem, Jesus taught many lessons about the kingdom and his divine nature. He healed a blind man, helped a woman caught in adultery, and declared himself to be the "light of the world" and the source of "living water." The Jewish leaders tried to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds who believed in Jesus.

Jesus started toward Jerusalem with the ten apostles, planning to go through Samaria. They sent Philip and Matthew ahead to arrange lodging in a village, but the villagers refused to welcome them because they were Jews. When Philip and Matthew returned with this news, James and John asked Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven on the village. Jesus sternly rebuked them for their vengeful attitude, saying this was not the way of the kingdom.

The group found lodging in another village near the Jordan River and continued to Jerusalem by a different route. Thomas and Nathaniel, who had been delayed talking with Rodan, joined them later. Jesus and the twelve stayed near Jerusalem for about four and a half weeks, with Jesus visiting the city only a few times during the feast.

For a long time, Jesus' followers had asked him to go to Jerusalem to teach, but now that he was going, they feared for his life. The Jewish religious leaders had been looking for a way to arrest and kill Jesus. Even though his apostles were afraid, Jesus boldly went into Jerusalem several times and taught publicly in the temple.

Many people had thought Jesus was hiding in Phoenicia out of fear, but his brave appearance in Jerusalem proved them wrong. Thousands of believers from all over the Roman Empire saw Jesus and heard him teach during the feast. The Jewish leaders were afraid to arrest him because many people, including some members of the Sanhedrin, secretly believed in Jesus or at least didn't want to arrest him during the feast when so many visitors were in the city.

One afternoon while Jesus was teaching in the temple about the freedom of the gospel, someone interrupted to ask how Jesus could teach so well without formal education. Jesus replied that his teaching came from God, not from men. He explained that those who truly desire to do God's will would know if his teaching was from God or if he spoke only for himself.

As the crowd listened, some thought Jesus was crazy or had a devil, while others believed he was the prophet from Galilee. When someone asked why the religious leaders wanted to kill him, Jesus explained it was because his teachings threatened their traditional religious system. He challenged them to judge by the spirit of his teachings rather than by outward appearances. When officers were sent to arrest Jesus, they were so impressed by his words that they returned without him, saying they had never heard anyone speak like Jesus did.

During his visit to Jerusalem, Jesus dealt with a certain woman caught in adultery who was brought before him. This was actually a trap set by his enemies, hoping Jesus would either contradict the law of Moses or get in trouble with Roman authorities. The story as usually told suggests these were religious leaders, but they were actually hired agents of the Sanhedrin.

These men brought the woman to Jesus, saying she was caught in adultery and that the law of Moses commanded she be stoned. They asked what Jesus thought should be done. Jesus bent down and wrote in the sand, first causing the woman's husband (who had forced her into this situation) to leave, and then causing her accusers to leave one by one. Left alone with the woman, Jesus told her he did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. The woman, named Hildana, later became a follower of Jesus.

The feast of tabernacles was ideal for Jesus to publicly proclaim his full gospel in Jerusalem because people came from all over the world to attend. During this festival, people lived in outdoor booths made of branches. It was a harvest celebration that took place in the cool autumn months, so more Jews attended this feast than other Jewish festivals like Passover or Pentecost.

This was a time of celebration, with sacrifices, music, and ceremonies. One important ritual involved carrying water from the pool of Siloam to the temple in a golden pitcher. Seventy bulls were sacrificed during the feast to represent the seventy nations outside of Israel. The temple courts were brightly lit at night with candelabras and torches, making a beautiful sight except for the Roman castle of Antonia that reminded the Jews of Roman rule.

On the next-to-last day of the feast, when the temple area was brilliantly lit with candles and torches, Jesus stood up and declared, "I am the light of the world." He said that whoever follows him would not walk in darkness but would have the light of life. He explained that he came from the Father and would eventually return to him.

Jesus told the people that even though they questioned his testimony about himself, it was true because he knew where he came from and where he was going. He said he wasn't judging anyone yet, but if he did judge, his judgment would be true because the Father was with him. Jesus warned that they would seek him but not find him, explaining that where he was going, they could not come because they belonged to this world while he came from above.

On the last day of the feast, as the priests poured water and wine on the altar as part of the ceremony, Jesus stood up and said, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." He explained that whoever believed in him would have the spirit flow from them like rivers of living water. He was referring to the Spirit of Truth that would be poured out after he finished his work on earth.

Jesus made this announcement right after the chanting of psalms, during a pause in the ceremony while sacrifices were being prepared. Later that morning, Jesus continued teaching the crowd, comparing the water ritual they had just witnessed to the true bestowal of God's spirit on his children. He explained that while they were using symbols to represent the divine spirit, he was offering the real thing through the bestowal of the Father's and Son's spirit upon all believers.

On the afternoon of the last day of the feast, after his apostles had tried to convince him to flee Jerusalem, Jesus went again to the temple to teach a group of believers in Solomon's Porch. He told them that if they held to his teachings, they would know the truth, and the truth would make them free. He explained that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, but if the Son sets them free, they would be truly free.

When the Jewish leaders questioned him further, Jesus said that anyone who was truly from God would hear God's words. He claimed that those who kept his word would never taste death. This angered the unbelieving Jews and the Sanhedrin agents, who were shocked when Jesus declared, "Before Abraham was, I am." They tried to stone him, but Jesus escaped through the temple corridors to a meeting place near Bethany where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus waited for him.

Jesus arranged to stay with Lazarus and his sisters at a friend's house near Jerusalem, while his apostles were scattered in small groups for safety. This precaution was necessary because the Jewish authorities were again planning to arrest Jesus. One day when Jesus was teaching at their home, Martha was busy with many household tasks while Mary sat listening to Jesus.

Martha came to Jesus, complaining that Mary wasn't helping with the work. Jesus gently corrected Martha, saying, "Martha, Martha, why are you always anxious about so many things and troubled by so many trifles? Only one thing is really worth while, and since Mary has chosen this good and needful part, I shall not take it away from her." He asked when they would both learn to serve together and refresh their souls together as he had taught them.

During the week after the feast, many believers gathered at Bethany to learn from the twelve apostles. The Sanhedrin didn't try to interfere with these meetings because Jesus wasn't present. Jesus had gone to Bethlehem to work with Abner and his associates, who had been followers of John the Baptist.

Jesus spent about half his time in Bethany with his apostles and half in Bethlehem with Abner during this period. Through his public teaching in Jerusalem and his private instruction in Bethlehem, Jesus won over all of Abner's associates to full acceptance of the kingdom. Jesus made arrangements for Abner's group to join him and the twelve in a united effort. In November, Abner and his eleven associates joined Jesus and the twelve at Magadan Park and worked together until the crucifixion.