The Festival of Booths drew devout Israelites to Jerusalem in late fall, when they could celebrate God's provision at the end of the grape, fruit, and olive harvest. Adding to the festivity, they lit torches across the city at night to remind themselves of the pillar of fire, the means by which God had revealed himself to his people during the Exodus. In Jesus' day, the religious leaders earned honor and influence by demonstrating mastery of their religious tradition. At the "main stage", in the Temple Courts, the most impressive teachers recited meticulous chains of citation to win debates and grow their influence. Though everyone has been searching for Jesus, they can't find him. He simply appears at the Temple and starts to teach. But unlike everyone else, he doesn't cite any authorities. Instead, he speaks on his own authority. More radically, he claims that when he speaks, it is God speaking. To the influencers of his day, he looks like a nobody pretending to be Somebody. Jesus does a one-two move. First, he reveals their dishonesty. Everyone knows he's a hunted man, so he calls them out: "Why are you trying to kill me?" In response, they reject his question, attack him as crazy, and accuse him of being the problem. Second, he reveals that he understands the Torah better than they do. He argues that from Abraham to Moses, circumcision is recognized as essential to individual and community wholeness. Yet their primary accusation against him is what? That he did far more than circumcise a man—he restored a man’s ability to walk! Having established the contrast, Jesus draws his conclusion: Judge righteously, not superficially. The hardest part? Jesus tells them that the only way to make righteous judgments is if their life is committed to righteousness. He said this surrounded by torches that said, "We want to be close to God." But when God showed up, they wanted to burn him.