away from political oppression and toward spiritual fulfillment. While the geographical setting helps to establish Jesus’ remarkable reputation, the primary context for the narrative is provided by the Festival of Booths. Celebrated as a thanksgiving for harvest and as a commemoration of the tents used by ancestors during their sojourn in the wilderness, the Feast of Booths was a seven-day autumnal festival that drew pilgrims to the temple for covenant renewal. It was recognized as the second most