In the December Newsletter, a question was posed for your response. It regarded the story in John, chapter 8, where Jesus was confronted by the religious rulers about what action should be taken against the woman caught in adultery. The individuals who were questioning Jesus were Sages (Rabbis) who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. They were testing Him to try to get Him to do or say something to use against Him. Jesus did not answer initially. Instead, He stooped down and started writing in the earth. Finally, when they continued pressing Him, He said ``You who are without guilt, cast the first stone,'' then continued His writing.
The question we posed in December was: ``What did Jesus write in the earth?'' The following material was excerpted, adapted and compiled from the sources listed at the end of this article--they are recommended reading.
The answer to the question lies in the understanding that the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) was at hand (John 7:2). There were two outstanding features which characterized the Temple service of the Feast of Tabernacles: The pouring of water in the Temple and the brilliant illumination of the Temple (Feast of Lights).
John 7:37 says ``On the last day of the Feast (that would be the seventh day according to Lev 23:34), Jesus cried out, saying, ``If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'' (John 7:38). Jesus' statement about living waters goes hand in hand with the ceremony that was taking place within the Temple and, as we shall demonstrate, was understood by the rabbis as a Messianic claim by Jesus.
In the Temple, the ritual of the water-pouring lasted six days, climaxing on the seventh day (Hoshanah Rabah - the day of the Great Hosanna), with a ceremony of messianic significance called the Feast of the Rejoicing of the House of the Water-Pouring (Simcha Bet Ha-sho-evah). On the current calendar, this feast occurred on September 26.
The highlight of the ceremony came when the priest dramatically poured the water over the Altar of the Temple. The response of the multitudes was so immense that the Talmud says that whoever has not been in Jerusalem for this ceremony has not experienced real joy (Sukah 5). Why all the rejoicing at this water-pouring ceremony? The Talmudic Rabbis speak of the deeper truths from Isaiah 12:3: ``With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.'' Salvation in Hebrew is Yeshua, the name of Messiah. So we are dealing, on a spiritual level, with more than just the outpouring of temporal water; it is a ceremony that speaks of the Messiah's appearance.
The climactic water-pouring ceremony (on the last day of the feast) involved three divisions of priests. The first division of priests on duty would slay and prepare the sacrifices. The second division went out of the Temple through the East Gate to the valley, where they dumped the ashes after each Shabbot service. There they cut down willows measuring 25 feet in length. The priests would line up shoulder to shoulder in courses 30 feet apart, all holding their willows. The road back to the Temple would be filled with pilgrims waving palm branches and chanting the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The closing words of Psalm 118 are ``Ana Adonai Hoshiana'' (``Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord...Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord...''). The words ``Save now'' (in Hebrew, ``Hoshiana'') is why this day was known as the ``Great Hosanna'', a day of prayer and great rejoicing for the speedy salvation through Messiah. This is reminiscent of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem where the people waved palm branches and shouted ``Hosanna to the Son of David,'' meaning ``Save us, Son of David.''
The priests would start their return journey. When they stepped to the left, the willows would be moved to the left; when they stepped to the right, the willows would be moved to the right. Meanwhile, the third group led by the High Priest and his assistant, exited out the Water Gate to the pool known as the Pool of Siloam (Shiloach - Pool of Gently Flowing Waters). There the High Priest drew the water known as ``Living Water'' into a golden vase. His assistant had a silver vase containing wine. And as the priests with the willows marched, so did the High Priest and his group from the pool back to their respective gates.
As they walked, the willows would make a swishing sound, like the wind. The word for wind in Hebrew is Ruach (Spirit). It must have sounded like the wind (Spirit) approaching the city (a picture of Pentecost). A Shofar (horn) was blown as they reached their respective gates, and then a man stood up and played the flute. It was the flutist who led the pilgrims up to Jerusalem to worship as the call went out, ``Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.'' The word for flutist in Hebrew is ``Hala'', meaning ``Pierced One''. The ``Pierced One'' led the people up to the Temple. This Pierced One (certainly a reference to Messiah Jesus whose hands, feet and side were pierced on the cross) sounded the call for the Ruach and the Water to enter the Temple.
The priests with the willows entered the Temple and circled the Altar seven times, swishing the willows back and forth. The priests began laying their willows against the Altar, making a Succah (a tabernacle). The other group of priests, who had slain the sacrifices, now ascended the top of the Altar and laid the sacrifices on the Altar. The people gathered in the courts and the area around the Temple. The High Priest took his vase and poured it on one corner of the Altar where the horns were. There were two bowls built into the corner of the Altar, each with a hole in it. There the water from the gold vase and the wine from the silver base were poured out over the Altar.
This is a picture of Jesus on the cross. He was our sacrifice on the Altar of the cross; and when they pierced his heart, the water and the blood that had separated were poured out. It was of His blood that Jesus spoke at the last supper. Jesus said ``Take this cup (of wine) and drink from it. This is the blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.''
It was at the height of this Messianic fervor at the Festival of the Water-Pouring that Jesus proclaimed ``If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'' It was a clear Messianic claim. It could not have been missed by the Rabbis who would have been teaching on everything that dealt with the festival for almost a month before the actual event. They would have cross-referenced the scriptures, and every reference to ``Living Water'' would have been tied to the Feast of Succoth.
Now that you are familiar with this ceremony, let us return to our question. In the gospel of John, chapter 8, the story of the adulterous woman has unfolded. According to the Law, however, the adulterer should also have been judged and put to death. This was clearly a trap to discredit Jesus' claim to be the Messiah made just 24 hours earlier. If He would break the law, which clearly called for her death by stoning, then they not only would have shown that He could not have been the Messiah, but He would have put himself in danger of also being stoned to death. But when confronted by the rabbis, Jesus did a strange thing. He stoops down and begins to write in the earth.
What did Jesus write in the earth? The answer lies in Jesus' fulfillment of an obscure prophesy (Jeremiah 17:12-13). ``A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.'' The sanctuary was a reference to the Temple. We are told that Jesus was in the temple (John 8:2) when they brought the adulterous woman to Jesus. The Temple was the focal point of the celebration we outlined above. The next verse says ``O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.''
Remember, the Rabbis who were trying to trap Jesus did not believe He was the Messiah. But these same men, because this passage dealt with living waters and was associated with this ceremony in the Temple, were responsible for teaching this very passage in Jeremiah. These were the same men who just 24 hours earlier had rejected Jesus' call that ``If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.''
So when Jesus said ``You who are without guilt, cast the first stone'', they were deeply convicted (``all who forsake you will be put to shame.'') One by one, they dropped their stones as Jesus wrote their names in the dust (``Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.'')
And what about the woman? Jesus said ``Who accuses you?'' ``No one, sir'', she replied. ``Then neither do I condemn you,'' Jesus declared. ``Go and sin no more.'' (John 8:11) Jeremiah 17:14 concludes ``Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.''
In the next issue we will begin discussion of the soon to come invasion of Israel, led by Russian-armed and Russian-led Muslim forces and then deal with the entrance of Anti-Christ onto the stage of world history.
``Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.'' (Luke 21:34-36)
When Jesus next spoke to the people, he said, ``I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'' How does this relate to the ceremony going on in the Temple? Remember, Jesus was sitting in the Court of the Woman when they brought the prostitute to Him. And in the Temple, during the Feast of Succoth, the pilgrims came to the Temple bearing lights and torches. In the Temple, the golden candlesticks were lighted. Also, four great poles were placed in the court of the woman, each with a light at the top. These lights were very large, each holding eleven baths of oil. The used undergarments of the priests, called swaddling cloths, were lowered down into these vats and lit. The light from the Temple was so bright that it illuminated most of Jerusalem. It was amidst this backdrop of brilliant light in the Sanctuary of God that Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the World. Jesus is our sanctuary and our Light. Seek the Lord while it is still light, for the darkness is coming where no one may seek Him.
``Prophecy and Current Events" is published bimonthly by: ``To His Glory
Ministries" Copyright
1995, To His Glory Ministries, All Rights Reserved. Permission is hereby granted to copy and to freely distribute these samples for non-commercial purposes. For example, consider duplicating and distributing to friends, relatives, pastor or your church congregation--however,
copying for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited.
References:
Roshashanna and the Messianic Kingdom to Come, Joseph Good, Hatikva Ministries, P.O. Box 3125, Port Arthur, Texas 7643-3125
The Feasts of Israel, Victor Buksbazen, Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania 19034
God's Appointed Times, Barney Kasdan, Lederer Messianic Publications, Baltimore, Maryland
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