I Will Celebrate Hanukkah
Last year I posted about the history and significance of Chanukah. Please check out that post from Dec 21, 2022. In this post, I want to encourage all of us to remember this holiday which our Jewish Savior celebrated. Right now as the rest of the world is trying to cancel Chanukah and turning its back on the Jewish people, we as believers in Jesus should consider embracing this holiday and His people. Let us not forget Jesus, Yeshua, was, is, and will forever be Jewish. Chanukah celebrates the miracles of God's salvation of His people against all the persecution they faced. John 10 tells us Jesus was at the Temple during the Feast of Dedication also known as Chanukah. It's very important to know the story of Chanukah for a greater understanding of what happens in John 10.
First, a brief reminder of the historical details; read the prior blog for more detailed information. It was around 168 BC. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the Hellenistic Seleucid king ruling over Israel at the time. He was brutal, and antisemitic, tortured the Jews, and desecrated the Temple. He placed a statue of Zeus, that was in the image of himself, in the Temple. He then had a pig sacrificed to it in the Temple. The name Epiphanes means manifestation of god. Antiochus believed he was the manifestation of the god Zeus. He was declaring himself as god in the Temple and requiring sacrifices be made to him. I can think of no greater abomination. This is believed to be the fulfillment of Daniel 11:31. It is also thought the Maccabees who led the revolt against the Seleucid empire are referenced in Daniel 11:32 when it says "the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action." The true miracle of Chanukah is the revolt the Maccabees led with a small rebel army against the massive army of the Seleucid empire winning battle after battle. The Maccabees regained the land and rededicated the Temple to the worship of the God of Israel. That is the true meaning of this festival! It's not about oil lasting 8 days to light a menorah. The lighting of the menorah points to the greater miracle of Chanukah. Chanukah is about the continued survival of the Jewish people against all odds because of God's sovereignty. There was light in the darkness.
Almost 200 years later, Jesus was walking in the Temple on the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-23). The Jewish people are again under the oppressive rule of another empire, the Romans. The people are looking for the military, messianic leader that will finally set them free. They are remembering the days of the Maccabean revolt. They ask Jesus if He is the Messiah. As Jesus often did, He responded with a spiritual answer they were not ready for. He says He and the Father are one. The proof of this is in the good works He has done. And those who believe this are His sheep who hear Him and follow Him. He is the Messiah coming to first save His people from spiritual oppression. This is about dedicating ourselves to the God of Israel and His Son. And He will save us.
This Chanukah I choose to celebrate it in remembrance of the miracles that God performed in those days to save His people. I celebrate it in remembrance that from His people came His Son, the Messiah. Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12
Jesus came for the Jew first (Romans 1:16) but also for the Palestinian, Russian, Pakistani, American, Chinese, and all the nations. We pray for the deliverance and salvation of all the nations as well.
On the dreidel are four Hebrew letters representing the statement A great miracle happened there. (If you live in Israel, it says happened here.) As a believer in Yeshua, not only do I recognize the great miracle of delivering the Jewish people from Antiochus, I recognize the greater miracle of Yeshua coming to save us all.
See more resources in the links below. Happy Chanukah!!
The Light of Hanukkah by One for Israel
Hanukkah: Why Did Jesus Celebrate the Feast of Dedication by Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries