But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near,
- John 7:2

John makes mention at this point in his story of the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as "Sukkot"). This feast was a week-long holiday, celebrating God's work to rescue his people from their captivity in Egypt and to provide for them during their 40-year-long desert wandering. Every year, around the time of the Fall harvest, God's people would set up tents/huts/tabernacles and spend the week camping and celebrating God's provision.

As we'll see in this week's message, Jesus also celebrates the feast, joining the community in gratitude for the way God provided manna for his people in the wilderness. This provision was good, but it was temporary. As Jesus said just a few verses earlier: "[Their] ancestors ate manna and died" (John 6:58). Jesus has come to provide something more permanent.

Earlier in John's Gospel, John introduced the idea that God's very word became flesh and dwelled (literally "tabernacled") among us (John 1:14). From John's perspective, in Jesus we get to experience the presence of God with us, providing for us, in an awesome and fresh, new way.

Where have you experienced God dwelling with you? Where in your life have you experienced his presence?