Have you ever noticed that, apart from Christmas, all other Christian festivals coincide with Jewish festivals?
The Jews expected the Messiah (Mashiach in Hebrew) to appear at the Feast of Tabernacles – this is why Jesus's sceptical brothers taunted him to go to it (Jn. 7:2-3). What was the basis of this expectation?
Jeremiah 23:5-6 tells us that the Messiah would be a "Branch from David's line". Zechariah prophesies that the Branch will wipe away our guilt (Zech. 3:9), that he will build the temple of the Lord and have royal dignity (Zech. 6:12-13), and that "on that day", the Line of David will be "like the Angel of the Lord going before them" (Zech. 12:8). When will "that day" be? It will be the Feast of Tabernacles! Zech. 14:16 tells us that that is when all nations are commanded to celebrate “that day”.
Acts 15:16, quoting Amos 9:11, explains that God has returned to re-build David's tabernacle, while Ezekial 37:24-28 prophesies that David, the servant shepherd, will become king (melech in Hebrew) and that His people will live "under the shelter of my dwelling".
Isaiah (Yishaiyahu in Hebrew) explains that the Lord will save us in Jerusalem (Yerushali'im in Hebrew) – a "city of feasts" and a "sturdy tent" (Is. 33:20-22) – and that His throne shall be set up in David's tent (Is. 16:5).
In John 1:14, the word “dwelled” is literally “tabernacled” in the Greek – and this comes as the climax to John’s “version” of the story of Christ’s incarnation.
One ceremony associated with the Feast of Tabernacles involved lights. Each afternoon of the seven days, priests and pilgrims gathered at the Temple. Four large oil lamps illuminated the Court of the Women. The illumination from these lamps symbolized two things:
John begins his gospel with a description of Christ coming into the world, and his description contains multiple references to light (ch. 1 vv. 4-5, 7-9) – another big clue that Christ came into the world at the Feast of Tabernacles.
According to Lev. 23:42, during Succot, Jewish families construct a flimsy shelter called a "Succah" (a tabernacle). In the Succah, the ceremony of "Ushpizin" takes place, in which they welcome God’s Shekinah (glory or presence) (cf. Lk. 2:9) and the seven "faithful shepherds" (Abraham/Avraham, Isaac/Yitzchak, Jacob/Yaacov, Joseph/Yosef, Moses/Moshe, Aaron/Aharon and David). Could this be why the angel appeared to a group of shepherds (Lk. 2:8)? Moreover, in the Ushpizin, the "faithful shepherds" are there to observe how their descendants are fulfilling God's commandments; this is similar to the shepherds' purpose – "to see this thing that has happened" (Lk. 2:15) – and where did they go to see Jesus but a flimsy shelter which we have traditionally called a "stable" but which was probably a Succah? Indeed, the Greek word for "manger" (Lk. 2:7, 12, 16) was probably the closest translation Luke could find for "Succah".
The Feast of Tabernacles (Succot) is known as “the season of joy”, and it is also known as “the festival of the nations” – notice how many times the words “nation” and “nations” are mentioned in Zech. 14:16-19. The angel’s announcement of Jesus’s birth to the shepherds (Lk. 2:10) is “I bring you tidings of great joy to all mankind” (i.e. to all nations). This is obviously a “Tabernacles” greeting!
Jesus was circumcised eight days after His birth (Lk. 2:21) in accordance with scripture (Gen. 17:12). This would correspond to the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 21), which was originally called "Shemini Atzeret" (or the "Eighth day of Solemn Assembly"), and later called "Simchat Torah" (or "Rejoicing in the Torah"), when the annual cycle of Torah readings begins again at Genesis (Bereshit in Hebrew). This is considered to be a time of "fulfilment" of the Torah. This would seem to be a fitting time, since Jesus came "not to abolish the Law but to fulfil it" (Mt. 5:17).
Jesus Himself gives hints that His incarnation is connected to the Feast of Tabernacles. He compared the manna of the Feast with Himself as the "real bread that comes down from Heaven" (Jn. 6:31-58), and He said all of this "as the Feast of Tabernacles was close at hand" (Jn. 7:2). The last day of the Feast was when Jesus chose to speak of Himself as "living water"; this was appropriate because the Feast celebrates the harvest and the end of the Summer drought.
Was Isaiah hinting at a “Tabernacles Christmas” when he spoke of a virgin bearing a son called Emmanuel who would eat honey (Is. 7:13-15)? When the Israelites first saw manna, at the time when they were living in the desert in tents, they said “Man-hu?” (“What is that?”) (Ex. 16:15) and it tasted like honey (Ex. 16:31). Could “Emmanuel” (“God with us”) be a pun on “God is our manna”? (cf. Jn. 6:48).
At the transfiguration, is it coincidence that Peter wants to make tents (rather than, say, houses) for Moses (who instigated the Feast of Tabernacles), Elijah (Eliyahu in Hebrew) (who was to be the forerunner of Christ’s coming, see Mal. 4:5) and Jesus (who is the One who has come)? Is it also a coincidence that John the Baptist, who is identified with Elijah (Mt. 11:14), ate wild honey (Mk. 1:6)?
The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates how the Israelites were completely dependent on God as they wandered for 40 years in the desert and were led by “a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night” (Ex. 13:21-22). Because of this experience, Jews recall that “God is with us”. Again, there was a fiery (“bright”) cloud at Christ’s transfiguration (Mt. 17:5).
Finally, Rev. 21:2-3 talks of a wedding feast where God has his "tabernacle among men" and (literally) "God-with-us shall Himself be their God" – i.e. Emmanuel. And where do all the best wedding feasts take place (even today)? Why, in a marquee, of course – which is a big tent!
Incidentally, on the 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:36), i.e. Tishri 22, Jews hold a wedding ceremony and get "married" to the Law (a scroll held by a rabbi under the canopy) (Deut. 31:10-11). One day, it will be the "Wedding of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:7-8), when we will all be given clean clothes (see also Mt. 22:1-14). Does this suggest that the Second Coming will also take place at the Feast of Tabernacles? The fact that it is immediately preceded by the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25), on Tishri 1, should settle the matter, for the Second Coming will be preceded by a fanfare of trumpets (Mt. 24:31, 1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thes. 4:16, Rev. 11:15).
If it was important enough to God that Jesus's birth should be at this time, and if it was important enough to put so much evidence in the Bible, then it should be important to us too!
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