Page 88 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm
trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God
seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever
throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths
[sukkot] for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths [sukkot], that your generations may
know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths [sukkot] when I brought them out of the land of
Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 23:39-43 ESV)

To summarize this passage:
• Sukkot is a happy seven-day holiday.
• It starts on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
• It is connected to the harvest.
• The first and eighth days are days of rest.
• One should rejoice using four kinds of plants.
• It is an everlasting commandment.
• Jewish people in Israel are commanded to dwell in a sukkah for seven days.
• It is a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. (https://ffoz.org/discover/sukkot/the-feast-of-
tabernacles.html)

Many scholars believe that Jesus was born
either on the Day of Atonement or very
shortly after during the Feast of Tabernacles.
The date for Christ’s birth on December 25
th
was not established until the 4 century AD by
the Roman Catholic Church as a day to
celebrate His birth but does not necessarily
state it is the day of His birth. It is interesting
that in John 1:14 that John wrote, “And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth”. The word John chose to speak of Jesus
coming to “dwell” among us is the word
“tabernacle”, which means to “dwell in a Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacle
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

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