Let's take a quick overview look of the seven Feasts of the Lord and their relation to each other in terms of dates.
Three of the four Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits) occur within a day or two of each other, as you can see from the calendar dates I have posted below showing you the dates those feasts fall on in the current year of 2013. The Feast of Week arrives almost two months later. And the three Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles) all arrive within two weeks of each other.
All of which means, that Jews who had to travel long distances to observe these Feasts at the Temple in Jerusalem, had to travel three times a year for these specific feasts; but that is better than doing so seven times! There are other feast celebrations that are not specifically prescribed by the Lord through the Law; these are Tisha B'Av, Hannukkah, and Purim. We will learn about those later.
For now, let's look at how closely together some of the seven feasts fall on the calendar. Please keep in mind that the dates change each year as our calendar is not in sync with the Jewish calendar. I check the dates each year on the internet or purchase a Jewish Feast Day Calendar in order to keep track of them. These dates given are only for the year 2013 and are the dates on which the feast commences; some feasts lasts longer than one day:
Passover: March 26
Unleavened Bread: March 27
Firstfruits: March 28
Weeks: May 15
Trumpets: September 5
Atonement: September 14
Tabernacles: September 19
Simchat Torah, as discussed in the prior posting, is the 8th day, or the day after the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles; it means "the Rejoicing of the Law."
So, on a day when the people of God are to be rejoicing in the Law, rejoicing in the goodness of God shown to them through the Law provided not only for their benefit but for identifying them as people belonging to God, it is perhaps not surprising to see the scribes and Pharisees, in unison, neither rejoicing, nor even heeding the law, but rather misapplying it according to their own deceived thinking! Rejoicing therefore must be provided by Jesus Himself on this day in approximately the year 30 A.D.:
John 8, beginning at verse 1:
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
This they said testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then those that heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No one, Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
At this point in the scripture, a somewhat lengthy discussion ensues between Jesus and the remainder of those in the Temple; a discussion that culminated in Jesus declaring that "before Abraham was, I AM."
Picking it up from John 8:59 and continuing into John chapter 9:
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going though the midst of them, and so passed by. Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing...now it was a Sabbath wen Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
All of this happened in one day. Recall, if you will, that the Simchat Torah, the 8th day, is considered a day of sacred assembly or a Sabbath day, just as the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is also considered a Sabbath day. And according to the Law no work was to be done. Yet, Jesus had already reminded them during the Temple services that they believed circumcising was allowable on the Sabbath; a point He did not declare to be wrong. Their only wrong was in finding fault with Him healing on the Sabbath.
So, on Simchat Torah, a day of rejoicing in the law, the scribes and Pharisees broke the law (where was the man with whom the woman committed adultery; the one that the law declared must also be stoned?), and Jesus was left to return rejoicing to the heart of the woman - a woman first accused, then sentenced to death, and then suddenly set free! Rejoicing such as was found later that same day in the man who had been blind since birth, whose sight was miraculously restored!
It has often been conjectured that Jesus wrote the sins of each of the scribes and Pharisees in the dirt. But look at this passage from Jeremiah 17:13 -
O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be ashamed. "Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters."
Perhaps Jesus chose this particular scripture to write in the dirt that morning with the woman and her accusers standing before Him. Then, perhaps, when Jesus bent down the second time to write, each man saw his own name being "written in the earth" in fulfillment of the scripture.
What we also don't know is whether or not Jesus knew these scribes and Pharisees personally by name; or whether God gave Him the knowledge of each man's name to be written in the ground.
What we do know is that one by one, as each name appeared perhaps, each man left the Temple. For the One who had only the day before declared Himself to be sent by God wrote in the dirt that day with the knowledge and authority of One sent by God. There is no doubt that the scribes and the Pharisees recognized it as they quietly left the scene; no matter what they chose to do with that revelation in future days.
Interestingly, the verse in Jeremiah that immediately follows the verse above would apply to both the woman and to the blind man that day as well:
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved. For you are my praise!(Jer. 17:14)
Now, did you notice that in both cases (that of the adulteress, and that of the blind man) Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the World? Those words, as with every single thing that Jesus did on earth, were directed by God to be spoken at the most appropriate of times; the most appropriate of times being the Feast of Tabernacles. The following passages from the book "The Feasts of the Lord" explain the emphasis on "light" that was demonstrated every single evening during the Feast of Tabernacles:
The celebration of the water pouring (as opposed to the ceremony) was observed during the evenings of the feast by an impressive light ceremony in the Temple. It was known as the Simchat Bet Hasho'ayva ("The Rejoicing of the House of [Water] Drawing")....in the center of the court [the vast outer court of the Temple] stood four towering menorahs (lampstands), each with four branches of oil lamps. Their wicks were manufactured from the worn-out garments of the priests. Each menorah had four long ladders leading up to the lamps which were periodically refilled by young priests carrying large pitchers of olive oil. The Feast of Tabernacles began in the middle of the lunar month when the harvest moon was full and the autumn sky clear. The outline of the surrounding Judean hills was clearly visible in the soft moonlight. Against this backdrop, the light of the Temple celebration was breathtaking. All night long, elders of the Sanhedrin performed impressive torch dances, while the steady yellow flames of the menorah oil lamps flooded the Temple and the streets of Jerusalem with brilliant light...this celebration was repeated every night from the second night until the final night as a prelude to the water drawing in the morning. Nothing in ancient Israel compared to this light celebration. It was so spectacular that the ancient rabbis said: "He that hath not beheld the joy of the drawing of water [the Simchat Bet Hasho'ayva celebration] hath never seen joy in his life" (Sukkah 5:1). The light celebration was reminiscent of the descent of the Shekinah glory in Solomon's day and looked forward to the return of the Shekinah glory in the days of the Messiah (Ezek. 43:1-6). (p. 140)
When Jesus proclaimed to the Pharisees who had come to entrap him with the woman caught in adultery: "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12)... the Pharisees did not question the meaning of His statement. They knew it was a messianic claim, for they immediately called Him a liar. They were familiar with the many titles in Scripture which ascribe light to the Messiah. He is called the "Star out of Jacob," the "light of Israel," the "light of the nations [Gentiles]," a "refiner's fire," a "burning lamp," and the "Sun of righteousness." (p. 141)
Later that day, the Messiah reinforced this same truth when He healed the blind man. As He did so, He repeated, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:5). The Pharisees were again angered at Jesus. The issue continued to be His messiahship (John 9:22). This time, however, they chose to find fault in that He had healed the blind man on the eighth day, which was considered a Sabbath by Scripture (John 9:14)....More than just a messianic claim, Jesus' claim to be the "light of the world" carried a reference to the Temple light celebration. The celebration was still vivid in their minds. They had just celebrated it six nights in a row. The light that He offered (i.e., salvation, Isa. 49:6) would light not just the Temple, it would light the whole world. He Himself was the source. (p.141)
How wonderful to have been alive to see the Temple light celebration and then to hear Jesus teaching about the light of the world, spoken with such authority, followed with such miracles; and then to have the Holy Spirit quicken those words to your heart, helping you to connect the dots between the Scriptures you have been taught since childhood and the miraculous works of this one humble man, Jesus, so that you recognize Him as your Messiah immediately. As some did.
While others never would.
It is because of Jesus that we can rejoice in the Torah, the Law. He left us the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us to be obedient to the Laws of God that were so impossible to keep on our own. And He removed the sting of the Law - death - from those who know that their salvation rests not in the Law, but in Him alone. Today obedience to the Law is simply that which is done from a thankful heart to the One who has written those laws on our hearts and provided all that we have ever needed, or ever will need; to the One whom the Feast of Tabernacles and Simchat Torah teach us to rejoice in! Our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach!
Three of the four Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits) occur within a day or two of each other, as you can see from the calendar dates I have posted below showing you the dates those feasts fall on in the current year of 2013. The Feast of Week arrives almost two months later. And the three Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles) all arrive within two weeks of each other.
All of which means, that Jews who had to travel long distances to observe these Feasts at the Temple in Jerusalem, had to travel three times a year for these specific feasts; but that is better than doing so seven times! There are other feast celebrations that are not specifically prescribed by the Lord through the Law; these are Tisha B'Av, Hannukkah, and Purim. We will learn about those later.
For now, let's look at how closely together some of the seven feasts fall on the calendar. Please keep in mind that the dates change each year as our calendar is not in sync with the Jewish calendar. I check the dates each year on the internet or purchase a Jewish Feast Day Calendar in order to keep track of them. These dates given are only for the year 2013 and are the dates on which the feast commences; some feasts lasts longer than one day:
Passover: March 26
Unleavened Bread: March 27
Firstfruits: March 28
Weeks: May 15
Trumpets: September 5
Atonement: September 14
Tabernacles: September 19
Simchat Torah, as discussed in the prior posting, is the 8th day, or the day after the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles; it means "the Rejoicing of the Law."
So, on a day when the people of God are to be rejoicing in the Law, rejoicing in the goodness of God shown to them through the Law provided not only for their benefit but for identifying them as people belonging to God, it is perhaps not surprising to see the scribes and Pharisees, in unison, neither rejoicing, nor even heeding the law, but rather misapplying it according to their own deceived thinking! Rejoicing therefore must be provided by Jesus Himself on this day in approximately the year 30 A.D.:
John 8, beginning at verse 1:
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
This they said testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then those that heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No one, Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
At this point in the scripture, a somewhat lengthy discussion ensues between Jesus and the remainder of those in the Temple; a discussion that culminated in Jesus declaring that "before Abraham was, I AM."
Picking it up from John 8:59 and continuing into John chapter 9:
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going though the midst of them, and so passed by. Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing...now it was a Sabbath wen Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
All of this happened in one day. Recall, if you will, that the Simchat Torah, the 8th day, is considered a day of sacred assembly or a Sabbath day, just as the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is also considered a Sabbath day. And according to the Law no work was to be done. Yet, Jesus had already reminded them during the Temple services that they believed circumcising was allowable on the Sabbath; a point He did not declare to be wrong. Their only wrong was in finding fault with Him healing on the Sabbath.
So, on Simchat Torah, a day of rejoicing in the law, the scribes and Pharisees broke the law (where was the man with whom the woman committed adultery; the one that the law declared must also be stoned?), and Jesus was left to return rejoicing to the heart of the woman - a woman first accused, then sentenced to death, and then suddenly set free! Rejoicing such as was found later that same day in the man who had been blind since birth, whose sight was miraculously restored!
It has often been conjectured that Jesus wrote the sins of each of the scribes and Pharisees in the dirt. But look at this passage from Jeremiah 17:13 -
O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be ashamed. "Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters."
Perhaps Jesus chose this particular scripture to write in the dirt that morning with the woman and her accusers standing before Him. Then, perhaps, when Jesus bent down the second time to write, each man saw his own name being "written in the earth" in fulfillment of the scripture.
What we also don't know is whether or not Jesus knew these scribes and Pharisees personally by name; or whether God gave Him the knowledge of each man's name to be written in the ground.
What we do know is that one by one, as each name appeared perhaps, each man left the Temple. For the One who had only the day before declared Himself to be sent by God wrote in the dirt that day with the knowledge and authority of One sent by God. There is no doubt that the scribes and the Pharisees recognized it as they quietly left the scene; no matter what they chose to do with that revelation in future days.
Interestingly, the verse in Jeremiah that immediately follows the verse above would apply to both the woman and to the blind man that day as well:
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved. For you are my praise!(Jer. 17:14)
Now, did you notice that in both cases (that of the adulteress, and that of the blind man) Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the World? Those words, as with every single thing that Jesus did on earth, were directed by God to be spoken at the most appropriate of times; the most appropriate of times being the Feast of Tabernacles. The following passages from the book "The Feasts of the Lord" explain the emphasis on "light" that was demonstrated every single evening during the Feast of Tabernacles:
The celebration of the water pouring (as opposed to the ceremony) was observed during the evenings of the feast by an impressive light ceremony in the Temple. It was known as the Simchat Bet Hasho'ayva ("The Rejoicing of the House of [Water] Drawing")....in the center of the court [the vast outer court of the Temple] stood four towering menorahs (lampstands), each with four branches of oil lamps. Their wicks were manufactured from the worn-out garments of the priests. Each menorah had four long ladders leading up to the lamps which were periodically refilled by young priests carrying large pitchers of olive oil. The Feast of Tabernacles began in the middle of the lunar month when the harvest moon was full and the autumn sky clear. The outline of the surrounding Judean hills was clearly visible in the soft moonlight. Against this backdrop, the light of the Temple celebration was breathtaking. All night long, elders of the Sanhedrin performed impressive torch dances, while the steady yellow flames of the menorah oil lamps flooded the Temple and the streets of Jerusalem with brilliant light...this celebration was repeated every night from the second night until the final night as a prelude to the water drawing in the morning. Nothing in ancient Israel compared to this light celebration. It was so spectacular that the ancient rabbis said: "He that hath not beheld the joy of the drawing of water [the Simchat Bet Hasho'ayva celebration] hath never seen joy in his life" (Sukkah 5:1). The light celebration was reminiscent of the descent of the Shekinah glory in Solomon's day and looked forward to the return of the Shekinah glory in the days of the Messiah (Ezek. 43:1-6). (p. 140)
When Jesus proclaimed to the Pharisees who had come to entrap him with the woman caught in adultery: "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12)... the Pharisees did not question the meaning of His statement. They knew it was a messianic claim, for they immediately called Him a liar. They were familiar with the many titles in Scripture which ascribe light to the Messiah. He is called the "Star out of Jacob," the "light of Israel," the "light of the nations [Gentiles]," a "refiner's fire," a "burning lamp," and the "Sun of righteousness." (p. 141)
Later that day, the Messiah reinforced this same truth when He healed the blind man. As He did so, He repeated, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:5). The Pharisees were again angered at Jesus. The issue continued to be His messiahship (John 9:22). This time, however, they chose to find fault in that He had healed the blind man on the eighth day, which was considered a Sabbath by Scripture (John 9:14)....More than just a messianic claim, Jesus' claim to be the "light of the world" carried a reference to the Temple light celebration. The celebration was still vivid in their minds. They had just celebrated it six nights in a row. The light that He offered (i.e., salvation, Isa. 49:6) would light not just the Temple, it would light the whole world. He Himself was the source. (p.141)
How wonderful to have been alive to see the Temple light celebration and then to hear Jesus teaching about the light of the world, spoken with such authority, followed with such miracles; and then to have the Holy Spirit quicken those words to your heart, helping you to connect the dots between the Scriptures you have been taught since childhood and the miraculous works of this one humble man, Jesus, so that you recognize Him as your Messiah immediately. As some did.
While others never would.
It is because of Jesus that we can rejoice in the Torah, the Law. He left us the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us to be obedient to the Laws of God that were so impossible to keep on our own. And He removed the sting of the Law - death - from those who know that their salvation rests not in the Law, but in Him alone. Today obedience to the Law is simply that which is done from a thankful heart to the One who has written those laws on our hearts and provided all that we have ever needed, or ever will need; to the One whom the Feast of Tabernacles and Simchat Torah teach us to rejoice in! Our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach!
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