BIBLE STUDY LESSON 22

SERIES R --- THE GOOD SHEPHERD

TO FOLLOW YESHUA

WHAT DOES IT COST TO FOLLOW?

From Luke 9:57-62

One day as Yeshua was walking with His disciples, a man told Him, [Wherever You go, I will go, too.] Yeshua answered, [Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but I have no home of My own.] Another man said that he wanted to be Yeshua’ disciple, but not until his father died. Yeshua said to him, [That is the kind of thinking for unbelievers, those who are without everlasting life. If you want to be My disciple, you must go now and preach the Kingdom of YHVH.] Still another man said to Yeshua, [I want to follow You, but first I want to go home and take care of things there.] Yeshua replied, [Whoever puts his hand to the plough, but keeps on looking back at the old life, is unfit for the Kingdom of YHVH.]

BAD BROTHERLY ADVICE

From John 7:1-9

Yeshua went about Galilee at this time, deliberately staying out of Judea where the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Him. But when it came time for the Feast of Tabernacles, Yeshua’ brothers gave Him some bad advice. [Leave Galilee and go to Judea so that people can see Your miracles,] they told Him. [If You want to become well known, You must go where the people are gathered. Since You are doing great miracles, show them to the world.] It was obvious that His own brothers did not realize who He was. Yeshua answered them, [You can go down to the feast at any time, for people don’t hate you the way they hate Me. But this is the wrong time for Me to go, for I have told the world about its sin. No, you go on to the feast and I will stay here until the right time.] Having told His brothers this, Yeshua stayed behind in the region of Galilee.

TOWARD JERUSALEM

From John 7:10; Luke 9:51-56

After His brothers had left, Yeshua went toward Jerusalem, However, instead of going the usual way, He went secretly by another route. Because the time had drawn near for Yeshua to return to heaven, He knew that it was time to go to Jerusalem. Before entering a village of Samaria, He sent some messengers to prepare the way for Him. But the Samaritans would not welcome Yeshua because He was headed for Jerusalem. When James and John realized this, they said, [Adonai, would You like us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them, the way Elijah did?] Yeshua scolded them for saying this. [You don’t even know what spirit is causing you to say this,] He said. Instead of staying in that village, they went on to another.

COMMENTARY

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Each autumn, in late September or early October, when the harvest was completed, there was a joyous festival in Jerusalem. All Israelite men and boys were expected to make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to participate in this time of feasting and ceremony. This feast has been known at different times as The Feast of Ingathering, The Feast of Booths, or The Feast of Tabernacles. It was established by the Adonai when He gave the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. This was an occasion for celebration, a time of great joy, with thanksgiving for the harvest, and something of a great {family reunion} in the Holy City. Tribes and distant family members found this a prime time to talk together and catch up on family news and gossip. All family members came along whenever possible. Families built booths throughout the city, made from the branches of palms, willows, and other leafy trees. In these leafy booths families camped throughout the seven days of the festival. Adonai Commanded that the people make these booths to remind them that their ancestors lived in similar booths in the wilderness on their way from Egypt to Canaan. The festival officially lasted seven days, with an eighth day added as a day of rest. The people lived in the booths during the seven days only. As pilgrims gathered branches for booths, each added enough to make a plume called a lulab {sometimes called lulav or lulbah}, a symbol of rejoicing. This plume was waved during certain ceremonies, especially during the daily singing of the Hallel, -- Psalms 113-118. During each night the temple was illuminated with great menorah, the seven-branched lamp stands. Wicks were made from the worn-out garments of the priests. This temple illumination was a witness against the darkness of heathenism. Each morning at dawn two priests with silver trumpets stepped from among a crowd of Levites who had gathered on the fifteen steps that led from the Court of Women. To signal the dawn, they blew a threefold blast, then another as they reached the tenth step. Still blowing their trumpets, they went through the Beautiful Gate of the temple, faced westward toward the holy place of the temple. There they recited, [Our fathers, who were in this place, they turned their backs on the Sanctuary of YHVH, and their faces eastward, for they worshipped eastward, the sun; but we, our eyes are turned toward YHVH. A second ceremony took place each morning. The people divided into three groups. One stayed in the temple, watching the preparation for the morning offerings of animals. Another group went in a procession with priests to a certain place in the Kidron Valley where they gathered willow branches. They returned to watch the priests put these branches in an arch across the altar. Another procession followed a priest to the Pool of Siloam where he gathered water in a golden pitcher and returned with it to the temple when the first offerings were placed on the altar. This priest, and another priest, with a container of wine, ascended to the altar and poured their water and wine into two silver funnels at the base of the altar. Then the crowds began to chant the Hallel. Levites chanted the first line of each psalm and the crowds repeated it. But as the Levites chanted each following line, the crowd responded {HalleluYah,} {Praise ye Adonai Eloheinu}. On the seventh and final day people and priests shook off the leaves of their willow branches and beat their palm branches to pieces around the altar. That afternoon they dismantled their booths and the festival was officially ended. It was on this seventh and final day of the feast that Yeshua called out, [If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.] Some believe that this happened at the time of the outpouring of the golden pitcher water. To unbelievers, Yeshua’ statement would have been an offense. But to others, who had gathered in Jerusalem, the true meaning of the outpouring of the water came to life before their eyes.