JEWISH FESTIVALS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL

It is widely recognized that there is an overall “festival” theme for the first twelve chapters of John’s Gospel. The historical background for John's writing (ca. 90 AD) may lie in the fact that in 80-90 AD the synagogue prayers added a condemnation of heretics (referring mainly to Jewish-Christians).

With this thought in mind, verses can be assigned to the Jewish feasts taking place around the time of the various narrated events and conversations.

    A. First Passover (1:1-3:36)

            B. Samaritan woman at the well (4:1-54)

                    C. Feast of the Jews (5:1-34)

                            D. Second Passover (6:1-71)

                    E. Feast of Tabernacles (7:1-8:59)

            F. Feast of Dedication (9:1-10:42)

    G. Third Passover (11:1-12:50)

Donald Guthrie (New Bible Commentary: Revised) is partially correct when he asserts that the first half of John’s Gospel is not organized around the Jewish feasts. In fact, the organizing principle is the fulfillment and replacement of the whole Jewish cultic institution. Thompson (in A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible) similarly states, “What Jesus says or does is understood as the true interpretation and intention of the celebration of one of the Jewish holy days.”

Other examples of this replacement theme in John's Gospel are:

        John 2:1-11: water of purification ---> the blood of Christ

        John 2:13-22: Jerusalem temple ---> Christ's body

        John 4:20-24: worship in Jerusalem ---> worship in spirit and truth

Sections A, D and G: The Passover

Allusions to the Passover ceremony are especially found in John 6. The Passover Haggadah (the narrative related at the meal) included the smearing of blood on the doorposts (John 6:52-56), the story of the crossing of the Red Sea (John 6:18-21), the giving of manna (John 6:31-35,41-58), and the bronze serpent (John 6:40). The number of questions found in this chapter also echo the question-answer pattern of the Passover Haggadah.

The Synagogue liturgy at Passover included the following readings:

Genesis 3:3 – prohibition against eating of the tree of life “or you shall die.”

        Contrast John 6:50 – One may eat of the bread of life and not die.

Genesis 3:22 – God prevents man from eating of the tree of life and living forever.

        Contrast John 6:51 – “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”

Genesis 3:24 – Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden.

        Contrast John 6:37 – “Anyone who comes to me, I will not drive off.”

Section C: Feast of the Jews

1. The vague designation “a feast of the Jews” in John 5:1 is possibly used since the emphasis in this story is not on any particular feast but on the fact that the events transpired during the Sabbath. Jesus ran afoul of the religious authorities several times for his acts of mercy performed on the Sabbath. The reason was that only God Himself was said to work on that day. A rabbinical saying goes, “Three keys are in the hand of God and they are not given into the hand of any agent, namely that of the rain, that of the womb and that of the raising of the dead.” Even on the Sabbath, it rained, babies were born and people died. That is part of the reason why the Jews sought to kill Jesus when he said (in 5:17), “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” Jesus was closely identifying himself with the Father.

2. It is tempting to identify this unnamed feast with Purim, and that is the favored position of several scholars (i.e., Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John). It also would fit Morris' contention that the feast was unnamed because it was not one of the major Jewish feasts. Thematically, John 5 might offer an ironic twist on the Book of Esther with the “Jews” plotting to kill Jesus just as Haman had earlier tried to wipe out the Jews. Thus, Jesus becomes the representation of the whole Jewish people.

One argument in favor of Purim is based on the timing of events. Chapter 6 takes place during Passover, celebrated in the middle of the 1^st month. On the other hand, John 4:35 states: “Four months more, then comes the harvest.” If (a) taken literally rather than as a general proverb and (b) one assumes that all the events in John's Gospel are given in strictly chronological order (two very dubious assumptions), then the unnamed feast of Chapter 5 must also take place after the start of the 11^th month. The only feast meeting these restrictions is Purim. But two powerful arguments against Purim in this context are (a) that it was a celebration conducted at home rather than the temple (contra John 5:1) and (b) it was not held on the Sabbath (contra John 5:9).

3. That only leaves one remaining feast in the Jewish calendar: Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. This was a celebration of the Jewish New Year. And just as we make New Year's resolutions at that time of year, the Jews used it as a time of reflection and repentance. This theme might fit well with the emphasis of Christ's teachings, especially in 5:22-47, concerning the coming judgment on those who do not accept him.

In addition, there were several legends in various locales in the Middle East regarding the healing of people in water by angels on New Year's Day. Of interest in this regard is an early Roman statute of a foot found near the pools of Bethesda celebrating someone being healed of lameness there.

Section E: Feast of Tabernacles

From an agricultural viewpoint, this feast (also called the Feast of Ingathering) celebrated harvest time. The idea of reaping fits in well with the many allusions in chapters 7-8 to the coming judgment on those who reject Jesus. In addition, that theme is related to the gathering of manna and the main reason for the Festival: a remembrance of the events in the wilderness. Echoes of that time of provision and testing found in John 7 include:

    Giving of the law (Exodus 20) – John 7:19-24

    Circumcision (Leviticus 12:3) – John 7:22-23

    Promise of a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15,18) – John 7:40

    Water provided (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:10-11) – John 7:37-39

The last theme above was especially important to the Feast of Tabernacles in which prayers for rain were made. The seven-day ceremony involved a procession each day to the fountain of Gihon, which supplied the Pool of Siloam, the setting for the events of John 7. The choir repeated Isaiah 12:3 (“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”) followed by Psalms 108-118. It was on the climatic day that Jesus stood up and proclaimed that he was the source of living water.

Section F: Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)

    1. Jesus’ work: healing the blind (9:1-34)

            2. The Shepherd and the sheep (10:1-18)

    1'. Jesus’ work as a witness: Feast of the Dedication (10:22-25)

            2'. The Shepherd and the sheep (10:26-30)

    1". Jesus work' as a witness (10:32-38)

Notice that unlike the other sections, the identification of the appropriate feast is made at its center rather than at the beginning. The similar passages (9:3-4 and 10:37-38) concerning the works of the Father that bracket chapters 9-10 confirm that both these chapters belong together. Also, the messianic overtones of Chapter 10 have been noted as appropriate to the setting of the Feast of Dedication, but this theme is also present in 9:22, providing additional evidence uniting all of John 9:1-10:42. It may be more than coincidental that there are exactly seven appearances of the designation “the Jews” in this section.

The Feast of Hanukkah commemorated the cleansing and re-dedication of the temple in Hellenistic times and the miraculous supply of consecrated oil that kept the lamp burning for eight days until more could be found. It is celebrated by lighting another candle for each of eight days to gradually increase the illumination. This theme is demonstrated spiritually in John 9 by the blind man's gradual realization of Jesus' identity. And in v. 5, Jesus specifically says, as an echo of 2:19-21, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Other possible parallels between John 9-10 and Hanukkah have been detected. John 10:8 refers to the false shepherds who are thieves and bandits. This may harken back to the false priests Jason and Menelaus who cooperated with the Syrians, leading to the desecration of the temple in the first place. Also, John 10:36 mentions the sanctification of Jesus by the Father, just as the earthly temple was reconsecrated.

As best as can be determined from later practice, the Scripture reading in the synagogues for that year during Hanukkah was Ezekiel 34 condemning the false shepherds of Israel at that time. By contrast, units F2 and F2' describe Jesus as the Good Shepherd.