Sunday, April 28, 2019

SHS: John 7-10

John 7:
1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.



The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (Booths) is the last of the high holidays. It is a week long celebration associated with the travels in the wilderness of the Children of Israel during which time they lived in temporary booths/huts (sukkot). These photos of various neighborhoods in Jerusalem during Sukoot show these booths. The Feast of Tabernacles falls in October and is also associated with the beginning of the planting season prior to the coming of the winter rains. Modern day celebrations can include the construction of a temporary booths on a balcony, roof top or yard. Booths are roofed with palm fronds or branches and the insides are decorated with fruits and plants. Meals are eaten during the week in these booths. At the time of Jesus, this holiday was one of three holidays (Passover and Shavuot--50 days after Passover) during the year when Jews would make a pilgrimage up to Jerusalem.

To learn more about the holy day see this article:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4784/jewish/What-Is-Sukkot.htm




Restaurants also construct temporary booths for patrons to eat in during the holiday. This one is at the Mamila Mall. The one below is out side a kosher Burger King on Ben Gurion Street.




Prayers during the week of Sukkot are offered while holding four specific plants: an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs).




Notice the etron in the boys hand.



Palm frond covered booth at the Western Wall Plaza.

Western Wall during morning prayers at the end of Succot. Women's section to the right, men to the left.







John 9: 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.



Model City of Jerusalem. The Pool of Siloam is the square pool (lower center) just to the west (left) of the inner city wall that surrounded the original City of David. The pool was in the lower stretch of the Tyropoean/Central Valley that led up to the Temple Mount (top right).

This pool (dating back to Byzantine times) at the down flow terminus of Hezekiah's Tunnel was long the traditional site of the Pool of Siloam.




Recent excavations (2004) conducted a few dozen meters beyond that pool have reveled an earlier pool that is the more likely the Pool of Siloam from the time of Jesus.




How the Pool may have looked when the blind man regained his sight.

For more on the excavations at the pool see this article: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/siloam-pool/

John 10:
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.



Shepherd and sheep fold at Nazareth Village.


"I am the door of the sheep"

A large sheep fold in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (2002).


Two sheep folds (and accompanying tent and Mercedes) on the leeward side of the Lebanon Mountains (Bekka Valley in the distance) (1997).


Palestinian Shepherd at Gibeon (1989).


Shepherds near Bethlehem.

 Shepherd in the Judean Wilderness




BYU students and Emmett kids learning at Neot Kedumim (A Biblical Landscape Preserve https://www.neot-kedumim.org.il/) how to be a shepherd. It is not as easy as it looks. They learned that you can't force sheep, that they often don't like to follow (especially if they do not know you) and the best way is to have a few good ewes who are trained to lead the way--shepherds can then follow.









22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication [Hannukah], and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

Solomon's porch is the covered portico that runs the eastern length of the temple compound. it rises above the Kidron Valley.

The golden gate sits below Solomon's Porch.



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