In Leviticus 23, God laid out the appointed festivals for the Israelites to observe. The last festival in the chapter is the Festival of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. This joyous festival occurs around September or October each year. For a week, people remember God’s provision and presence as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Understanding the spiritual and historical significance of Sukkot can help Christ followers engage in gospel conversations with their Jewish friends.
Sukkot
Sukkot takes place just days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Before the festival begins, Jews will erect a sukkah, a shaded booth. The sukkah represents the temporary shelters the Israelites lived in while they were in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42-43). Because of this, a sukkah is not supposed to be built as a permanent structure. It usually has two to three walls, and the roof is constructed with enough natural materials to provide shade while still allowing space to see the stars at night. It’s customary to beautifully decorate the sukkah, traditionally with fruit.
Scripture says the Israelites were supposed to live in the booth for the duration of the festival. Today, some Jews still abide by this by sleeping in the sukkah while others just eat their meals there.
The first and last days of Sukkot are Sabbath days, so Jews are not permitted to do any work. In between the Sabbaths, people gather the four species, which are four different types of plants. The meaning of the four species varies, including representing four parts of the body (to remember to use the whole body for good) and representing four different kinds of people. For Sukkot, the four species are bound together and used in a blessing on each day of the festival, other than the Sabbath days.
Sukkot is a communal holiday, so friends and family are invited into each other’s sukkahs to eat meals, read Scripture, light candles, sing, and dance together.
Before the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews would hold a Water Drawing Celebration in Jerusalem. The priests would draw water from a spring just outside the city walls and would pour water over the altar. The celebration was marked by unbridled jubilation with singling, music, dancing, juggling, and even acrobatic feats. The Torah even says, “He who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life.” This was the climax of Sukkot. Today, Jews carry on the spiritedness of the Water Drawing Celebration through dancing and other joyous celebrations.
Gospel Opportunity
Several elements of Sukkot point to Jesus, the Messiah the Jews have long been waiting for. For instance, the sukkah is symbolic of God’s protection and love. In the wilderness, God provided for and dwelt with the Israelites while they did not have a permanent home. He guided them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The walls of the sukkah are seen as God’s loving embrace of the people inside of it. It’s an image of God dwelling with the people. In the same way, Jesus is called “‘God with us (Matthew 1:23)’”. He dwelt among people when He walked the Earth, and now He permanently indwells everyone who accepts His free gift of salvation through the Holy Spirit.
The Talmud, a Jewish holy text, also says that the Jewish nation will one day sit together for a feast in a single sukkah when the Messiah comes. Indeed, everyone who follows Jesus, including people from the tribes of Israel, will one day be gathered together in one place (Revelation 7, 21).
One last powerful connection between Jesus and Sukkot is in John 7 when Jesus attends the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Jesus caused quite a stir with His teachings in the temple during the festival. And on the final day, during the Water Drawing Ceremony, He made a bold proclamation.
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” -John 7:37-39a
As water poured over the altar, Jesus said rivers of living water would flow through those who put their faith in Him. At that moment, some believed they were looking at the Messiah (John 7:41).
If you are invited to a Sukkot celebration, ask your Jewish friends about the significance of this festival to them. Then, ask if you can share some things you’ve learned in the New Testament about Sukkot. Pray that your friends’ eyes would be opened to the fact that the Messiah they are waiting to meet in a sukkah has come and promises salvation to all who trust in Him.