The movie Spectre, another classic in the James Bond series, opens with the British spy 007 played by Daniel Craig, appearing during the Mexican festival of the “Day of the Dead.” James Bond lurks around trying to do his work while everyone else celebrates life amid death. Director Sam Mendes says he was inspired by a statement often spoken at these celebrations: “The dead are still alive.”
You don’t have to be a James Bond fan to understand the intrigue surrounding Jesus’ appearance at the Festival of the Tabernacles. In John 7, Jesus stages a similar secretive entrance during a public fall festival. Every year around September or October, depending on how the Lunar calendar fell, the Jews in Jerusalem would have a feast to thank God for the summer harvest, ask God to provide enough water for the upcoming planting season, and celebrate his blessings on their lives. It was called the Festival of Sukkoth, Feast of the Booths, or what John calls the Feast of the Tabernacles. It recalled when Israelites lived in booths in the wilderness and celebrated God’s presence with a tabernacle—not a temple. It was a celebration of light—God’s guidance through a pillar of fire by night and the giving of the law on Sinai as a light for their path. Tabernacles was a celebration of the water that God provided in the wilderness to give the people something to drink.
Jesus enters the festival secretly. He at first tells his brothers he’s not going, and then he chooses to go because of the tension around him and the threats of arrest. He also wants to make a point with the stealth celebration. If you eavesdrop on his dialogue with the crowd, you’ll understand. First, the authorities do not endorse his reign from the top down. Jesus tells the crowds that I’m a threat to earthly rulers, whether religious or political.
The second point is one of timing. “My hour has not yet come.” Jesus is in charge of the proceedings—not them. The authorities think they are in control, but this is a stealth operation. He takes over not from the top-down or the bottom-up. He conquers like a spy– from the inside out.
Jesus conquers the people of Jerusalem and us in much the same way David conquered Jerusalem. Do you remember the story from 2 Samuel? David secretly conquered the old Jebusite hill known as the “City of David” in modern day Jerusalem from the Jebusites. He went up the water shaft that connected the inhabitants to springs of water that fed the contemporary pool of Siloam. David entered where the Jebusites least expected it (2 Samuel 5:7-10).
Jesus says the same thing to us. He lurks behind the scenes and says,, “When you least expect it, says Jesus, there I will be.” Prepare to surrender.
This blog post is the Daily Mass for Friday, April 4. Learn more and order the Daily Mass to enrich your homilies here.