On the 8th or last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), the Israelites were told to observe one special day of rest (Leviticus 23:39) but from the same passage we do not have any account from scriptures of what they were to do. So we will need to look for the answers in the Jewish customs and practices.
During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had changed the way the Feast was to be observed. The Feast is also called Feast of Ingathering as it officially marks the end of the harvest and a new crop will soon be planted for the next year. And it is at this point that the leaders would want to pray for rain to rejuvenate the ground and tradition tells us the priests would go down to the Pool of Siloam, draw water and offer this water at the altar to the Lord as a symbolic act of praying for rain and also to purify the water for their consumption.
Jesus did not initially want to be present at the Temple area when the rest of the people decided to go up to Jerusalem for the occasion but He later changed His mind and went along to teach in the Temple and on the last day of the Feast, He stood in the Temple and said in a loud voice, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38).
Why did He do that? I believe He wanted to show them Who is the true Source of all their water which is the most important commodity in the middle east or any other arid country for that matter. He wanted them to focus on Him and not on the 'ritual' by that time.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please provide email address when you leave a comment, thanks.