Page 52 - Life of Christ w videos

tent”.

Some believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate the birth of Christ with
the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ came in the flesh to dwell or tabernacle among us for a temporary time
when He was born in Bethlehem, and He is coming again to dwell or tabernacle among us in Jerusalem
as Lord of Lords. While it cannot be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Day of
Atonement or the Feast of Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of
Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back to His first coming.

Matthew and Mark omit the last half year of Jesus’ ministry before the events leading to the passion,
and thus we follow these months only in Luke and John. Harmonization of the Gospels is a bit difficult
during this period because there are only a few places where even the Gospel of Luke and John record
the same event. The two narratives fit together nicely if we take these ideas to heart: Luke narrates
Jesus’ travels beyond Jerusalem as well as the times when He sets out to go to Jerusalem. John, on the
other hand, picks up the narrative when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and relates events occurring there.
John also builds his narration around two feasts which occurred during these last six months of Christ’s
life: the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication or what we now call Hanukah in late
December. Jesus went up to Jerusalem for both of these events. Finally, Jesus went to the village of
Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead according to John, but Luke makes no mention of this journey.

Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, Explained.

Jesus and the 12 Travel to Jerusalem (John 7:1-9, Luke 9:51-61; John 7:10; and Matthew 8:19-22)

The Gospels begin the journey to Jerusalem from Capernaum. Jesus’ brothers came to Him to taunt Him
into going to the great Feast in Jerusalem. Jesus was resistant to this idea because He knew that the
Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were seeking to kill him, and it was not His time, for He must die as the
Passover Lamb. Jesus’ brothers demonstrated unbelief in Him, claiming that He simply was a public

51