Sukkot: Reflecting on Joy

Good News of Great Joy

It’s great to see everyone - brothers dwelling together in the unity of Yeshua.

I want to reflect upon the joy of Sukkot.

Sukkot is called zman simchateinu - the time of our regjoicing.

So I want to take a moment to focus on the reason for that joy.

Luke 2:10–11 TLV

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I proclaim Good News to you, which will be great joy to all the people. A Savior is born to you today in the city of David, who is Messiah the Lord.

The angel called his message as Good news of great joy.

The greek word for ‘Good News’ is ευαγγελιον which you also know as ‘glad tidings’ as ‘gospel’ as ‘good news’.

And why was it ‘Good News’ for these shepherds in the field? Because God had not forgotten His promises - In the city of David Israel’s saviour was born. Yeshua the messiah.

The Joy is on display when a multiude of angels appear in a glorious chior of praise saying;

Luke 2:14 TLV

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.”

We can feel the joy as the shepherds hurry to see the baby as he lay in a feeding trough, and then they leave glorifying and praising God for the things they experienced.

So this was indeed Good News.

But is that true? Is it really Good News?

The answer is ‘it depends’.

You see, there are other ‘Gospels’ out there. There are others who also proclaim “Good News” and their euangelion is at odds with the Euangelion of Yeshua.

Did you know that the Devil also has his “Good News”?

Here is an inscription that was found about Ceasar dating to only nine years before the events we just read about Yeshua’s birth.

“Since Divine Providence, which has ordered our life … has brought Ceasar Augustus to us … whom it filled with virtue for the benefit of humanity, sending him as a savior for us and

our descendants, putting an end to war and arranging all things … and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good news [εὐαγγέλιον] for the world…”

So we see there are many who proclaim their “good news”.

But whether that news is truly Good, all depends on which side of the news you stand.

That inscription was part of a proposal to change the calendar so that the beginning of the year would coincide with Ceasar Augustus’ birthday.

And nine years after that inscription what we read about in the Gospels is the Good News not of Ceasar’s kingdom, but of God’s Kingdom.

And do you think it is coincidence that, unlike ceasar, we mark not simply a year by the birth of Yeshua, but we mark time and history itself - BC and AD - all turning on the brith of the true saviour of the world.

So what’s the Good News? The Good News is the message of vicotry. The victory that a saviour has been born that will triumph over the powers of darkness.

Victory is found in Yeshua the true saviour of the world.

So for us, this is the Gospel brings real Joy because we are on the right side of that Good News.

Joy Stems From Faith

This brings me to the second point about our Joy.

Victory brings joy. Who doesn’t like to win?

Believe it or not our God is a competitor. That may sound strange.

But God also likes to win.

In fact, the story of the Bible is about how God deserves the praise for His accomplishments. That is the definition of glory and honour.

And He won big time through His son who left his exalted position, came down in humble form as a man, died on the cross and then we read:

Philippians 2:9–11 TLV

For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord— to the glory of God the Father.

What the Bible teaches us is that all the victory has already been won in Yeshua. God wins.

But what hasn’t happened yet is the full celebration. We have spoken about this in the past.

The disciples are very clear about the status of Yeshua after the Resurrection.

Matthew 28:18 TLV

18 And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

When Yeshua stands on that mountain He uses the past tense: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." But this leads us to a important theological question.

If He has all authority right now, why is there still war? Why is there still sickness? Why is there still rebellion against the Torah? Why is Israel not saved?

The answer lies in the distinction between Decree and Descent.

Some of you may rememember the illustrtation from the Minnis house.

I’m upstairs after a long day of work. I’m exhausted, I’m "king of my castle," and I’m ready for some peace. But I hear the kids downstairs. They are "skylarking"—playing video games, running around, ignoring the bedtime we all agreed on.

I pick up my phone, open my Google Home app, and hit the "Broadcast to everyone” button. I speak into the app and my voice goes through every speaker in every room—top floor, main floor, and basement. "Kids! It is bedtime. Stop skylarking and go to bed!"

At that exact moment, do I have authority? Yes.

Has my decree been heard throughout the house? Yes.

Are these children in subjection? Not yet.

I can hear them giggling. I can hear the Xbox discussions. There is a "gap" between my broadcast and their obedience. I have the right to be obeyed, but the reality of their subjection hasn't hit the ground yet.

Why don't I immediately run downstairs and "enforce" the kingdom? Because I am a father. I am providing a "window of repentance."

I’m giving them the chance to hear the chime of that speaker and choose to align themselves with my word before I enter the room.

This is exactly where we find ourselves in the timeline of salvation history. The Father has said to the Son, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool."

- Let’s pause right there.

That word "until" is the most important word for your life today. It signifies the time between the Decree and the Descent.

Heb 2.8:

Hebrews 2:8–9 CSB

8 and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.

We see the King crowned with glory (the authority), but we don't see the world in total submission (the footstool).

1 Corinthians 15:23–28 TLV

23 But each in its own order: Messiah the firstfruits; then, at His coming, those who belong to Messiah; 24 then the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For God has “put all things in subjection underneath His feet.” But when the psalmist says that “all” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put all things under Messiah. 28 Now when all things become subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also become subject to the One who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.

You see, we are the people of the ‘until’.

Real joy is found in those who trust the until. Those who know the victory has been won even if they don’t fully see it yet.

Those who have joy understand that it is not ‘if he returns’ it is ‘until he returns’.

This is what we are celebrating during this very festival every year.

We have a certainty that He will return in glory and this is the root of a lasting joy.

That is what Sukkot is all about. The Joy of God’s victory in messiah Yeshua and his soon descent to put things right.

Joy of The Least

I said that God is a winner. He likes to win. Indeed, he will win.

But what is most important for us is watching how our maker does it.

How does He win? How does he defeat ceasar? How does the devil lose?

He does it through the least.

Phil 2 is one of my favourite passages in the Bible. It is a beautiful and concise description of not only what God has done, but how He has done it.

Yeshua didn’t hold on to the best position equal with God.

He Left his riches.

The very Word of God became a lowly man.

We just read he was born in a lowly feeding trough.

But not only that - in obedience he subjected himself to death by mere mortals.

But not only that - he died in the most humiliating way in the first century - even on a cross! It was pure shame and dishonour in that society.

For this reason God exalted him and gave him a name above every name which is why at Yeshua’s every knee will bow.

Our God’s method of winning isn’t the world’s method. We need to be willing to submit and let God win through our lives by His cosmic laws not the laws of this world.

Whether in community or in the workplace, too many of us say we want joy and yet we claw, fight, climb, control, manipulate, and do all sorts of ceasar-ish things in order to obtain status and standing.

And yet God has shown us time and again that rooted Joy is found with those who are willing to be the least - those who are willing to not grasp onto position, control, etc.

This is why He sent Gabriel - one of the highest angles in God’s presence - to lowly Miriam to bring forth the Son of God.

I want you to picture this with me.

Elizabeth was pregnant with John the baptist and lived in the hill country of Judah which is south of Jerusalem.

Mary of cousre hears the message from Gabriel and she’s in the north in Gallilee.

So Mary hurries over to Elizabeth’s house which is a 2 day walk, she enters the house and says a greeting to Elizabeth - ‘Shalom sister.’

And as soon as Mary speaks the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon Elizabeth

Luke 1:42–45 TLV

She then cried out with a great shout, saying, “You are blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Who am I, that the mother of my Master should come to me? For even when I just heard the sound of your greeting in my ear, the unborn child leaped with joy in my womb. Blessed is she who trusted that there would be a fulfillment of those things spoken to her by Adonai.”

Notice the joy of John the Baptist in the womb.

Notice the need for Mary to be a person of the ‘until’ - to beleieve while in that space between the decree and the delivery.

And now let’s read the magnifcat which is Miriam’s response, and i’d like you to pay attention to her words and emotions upon hearing that she was to bring forth the saviour of Israel.

Luke 1:46–55 TLV

Then Miriam said, “My soul magnifies Adonai, and my spirit greatly rejoices in God, my Savior. For He has looked with care upon the humble state of His maidservant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done a great thing for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation to generation to the ones who fear Him. He has displayed power with His arm He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from thrones and exalted humble ones. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering His mercy, just as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”

This needs to be our mindset dwelling in the lowly Sukkah. That flimsy structure.

This needs to be our mindset as we shake that lulav to celebrate yet still waiting for our inheritance.

Have faith and joy that God will exalt the lowly.

Closing

I will close with this.

What is the difference between happiness and joy?

Happniess is that positive emotional state produced by pleasant circumstances or experiences.

Joy is a deeper sense of delight and well being that persists even when the present cirucmstances aren’t pleasant.

The Joy of sukkot means recongizing that:

The Good News of Victory brings Joy.

That lasting Joy stems from living a life that proves you trust in His return in judgement. (aka this is the definition of faith).

Joy is found in understanding that God wins through the least.

If you focus on these things you will find that the Joy of sukkot can last all year round.

Chag Sameach!