That s right, without

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1 VOLUME 4:5763 DECEMBER 2002 Christmas Would Be Impossible Without Hanukkah by David Brickner, Executive Director That s right, without Hanukkah there would be no Christmas. Yet Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights, is not among the holidays God commanded Israel to celebrate in the Old Testament. In fact, you will only find one mention of the holiday in the Bible: Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in Solomon s porch. (John 10:22-23) Jesus chose to be in the Temple during this festival. The startling statement He made there is best understood against the background of this feast. Hanukkah commemorates events that took place during the inter-testamental period, that gap between the Old and New Testaments. The Jewish people were under foreign domination, ruled by the Syrian king Antiochus, who forced them to abandon their culture and religion. He made sure the Jewish people could not use the Temple to worship our God. He erected idols in the holy place and worst of all, he sacrificed a pig on the altar. The Jewish people were utterly defeated and demoralized until a small band of guerilla soldiers known as the Maccabees rekindled their hope. Within three years, these warriors miraculously recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. Note that Hanukkah which means dedication was not named for the brave warriors. The real victory was being able to worship the God of Israel once again. The Temple was rededicated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, in the year 165 BC. (This year the 25th of Kislev corresponds to November 29.) A common Hebrew phrase connected with Hanukkah is nes gadol haya sham, which means, A great miracle happened there. Two miracles plus a common theme link Hanukkah and Christmas in a way I hope will heighten your appreciation of both. The first miracle is the preservation of the Jewish people. Had Antiochus been successful, Israel would have lost her unique identity and God s precious promises would be unkept. If Antiochus had gotten his way, there would have been no recognizable Jewish culture for Messiah to be born into. Without Hanukkah, there would have been no Christmas. Whenever you are tempted to doubt God s saving power in your life, remember the miracle of His saving power as seen through Hanukkah, and how the small band of soldiers prevailed despite all odds. The way God preserved His people Israel reflects the way He continues keeping all of us, Jews and Gentiles, who trust in Him today. The second miracle associated with Hanukkah is the miracle of light, a tradition first mentioned in the Talmud written hundreds of years after the events. According to this tradition, the menorah the sevenbranched candelabra that was to burn continually in the Temple had been extinguished by Antiochus 2002 Jews f r Jesus continued on page 2

2 continued from page 1 henchmen. When the Maccabees recaptured the Temple they cleansed it and searched for fresh oil to rekindle the sacred flame. But they discovered only enough to last one day and it would take eight full days to procure fresh oil. According to tradition, in their zeal to rededicate the Temple they used what oil they had to rekindle the flame and miraculously, it lasted for eight whole days. According to this tradition, that is why we celebrate Hanukkah for eight nights, and why we use a special Hanukkiah, or nine-branched candelabra. The shamash or servant candle is lit first, and in turn it lights all the other candles, beginning with one candle on the first night. Each night, another candle is lit, until the eighth night, when the entire Hanukkiah is aglow. The book of Maccabees gives another explanation for why Hanukkah lasts eight days. The people rededicated the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (an eight-day holiday which would have been observed the previous month had the Syrians not occupied the Temple). King Solomon chose to dedicate the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (2 Chronicles 6 and 7) so it makes sense that the people would wish to do the same. The Jewish historian Josephus referred to Hanukkah as the Festival of Light, but light was also a big part of the Feast of Tabernacles celebration. Four giant candelabras each holding four huge bowls of oil were lit in the Court of the Women. The blaze from these 16 flames could be seen all around Jerusalem. How appropriate it was that Jesus chose this area of the Temple to declare, I am the light of the world. He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12). Jesus, like the servant candle on the Hannukiah, lights our way, and sends His Spirit to ignite us as well, so that we can shine His light in a dark world. We do not have enough oil to live a life dedicated to God, but Jesus has miraculously provided for us. We do not have enough oil to live a life dedicated to God, but Jesus has miraculously provided for us. So the miracle of preservation made Christmas possible, and the miracle of the light reminds us of Jesus, whose advent the prophets predicted would be, a light to the Gentiles whose salvation would reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Finally, the common theme that links Hanukkah and Christmas is that of God with us Immanuel. A traditional Hanukkah hymn declares to God: Rock of Ages, let our song praise thy saving power; thou admidst the raging foes wast our sheltering tower; furious they assailed us but thine arm availed us; and thy word broke their sword when our own strength failed us. God was present with His people in a way that pulled the rug right out from under the evil Syrian king. When Antiochus entered into the Temple to defile it, he declared himself Antiochus Epiphanes meaning God manifest. The Jewish nation rejected his outrageous, counterfeit claim to deity. Counterfeit because God had promised to be present with His people, not only in a miraculous military victory, but in flesh. He promised to actually be what Antiochus, in his insanity, had claimed the incarnate God. This promise was wrapped up in the special name by which the prophet Isaiah predicted the Messiah would be known: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). How poignant it is that Jesus chose the Festival of Dedication to stand in the Temple, in the portico of Solomon, and declare, I and my Father are one (John 10:30). Is it coincidence that Jesus chose this time and place to reveal His deity? John tells us that in response to His claims the Jewish leaders took up stones again to stone Him (John 10:31). They accused Him of blasphemy, because You, being a Man make Yourself God (v.33). Here s an interesting aside going back to the original Hanukkah celebration. Before the Temple could be rededicated, we needed a new altar built with clean stones. But what about the stones from the old altar? They had been washed of course, but could they ever be considered clean, being porous as they were? According to tradition, continued on page 3 WE EXIST TO MAKE THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS AN UNAVOIDABLE ISSUE TO OUR JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. JEWS F R JESUS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 60 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA jfj@jewsforjesus.org; HOME PAGE: ALSO WORKING IN: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA,UKRAINE and THE UNITED KINGDOM; EDITOR: RUTH ROSEN; ART DIRECTION: PAIGE SAUNDERS; DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION: DAVID YAPP; VOLUME 4:5763, DECEMBER

3 THE BYG* PIC *Behold Your God In case you are new to Jews for Jesus, Operation Behold Your God is our five-year dream of reaching every city* of 25,000 or more Jewish people (*outside of Israel, where we do have a flourishing work). Our month-long Los Angeles BYG campaign will run from December 16- January 11, making it our last campaign of 2002 as well as the first of 2003! Rob Wertheim will lead the campaign, assisted by Cyril Gordon. Los Angeles presents its own challenges and opportunities. For example, when you ask someone in L.A. how long it takes to get from point A to point B, the answer is always, It depends. What time of day? This city has yet to develop a good rapid transit system, and driving time can triple or quadruple during rush hours. Morning and evening rush hours are when we typically hand out the most tracts, with some of our best conversations taking place during the lunch break hours and evenings. Do pray that campaigners won t be stopped by snarled traffic. The timing of this campaign also presents opportunities and challenges. For many Jewish people, December is a particularly difficult month. The emphasis on Christmas causes many of our people to feel like outsiders, since songs and signs of the holiday are everywhere, yet it is against Jewish tradition to celebrate Jesus birth. Some will feel frustrated and left out while others will be curious and wonder about the One we are singing about. In fact, music, particularly Christmas carols, have been instrumental in causing many people to reflect on the idea that born is the King of Israel. Likewise, the New Year is a time when many people will be taking stock of their lives, wondering how they can be different in Please pray that God will give us divine appointments with people who are considering these things, and that they will find their answers in Y shua (Jesus). P RAYER PROMPTERS Please pray for: the extra evangelistic push in our branches as missionaries are out greeting holiday shoppers with the message of the One who is the Reason for the Season our staff to be ignited by Y shua s Spirit so that all we do can be suitably dedicated to God our Los Angeles Behold Your God campaign (see this page and inserted prayer bookmark) our art department as requested on p. 6 salvation for Sean (New York), Abraham (San Francisco), J (London), and Blanche (Fort Lauderdale) (p. 8) grace and strength for the new Jewish believer in Israel, who found one of our tracts on the ground at the local army base (p. 8) continued from page 2 these stones were stored in the portico of Solomon, until such time as the Messiah would come and explain what to do with them. Could it be that when those Jewish leaders looked around the portico of Solomon for stones to throw at Messiah Jesus they reached for those very pieces of that old altar? What divine irony to hurl a symbol of the sacrificial system at the One who was about to sacrifice Himself for us all. It is only because Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, that He could sacrifice Himself as an atonement for our sin. He was born to die and rise victorious, born to light our way and make us to be lights, born to be adored by Jews and Gentiles who will bow and worship the One who is the hope of Hanukkah and the Christ of Christmas. These two holidays share their ultimate significance in the person of Y shua (Jesus) the Messiah. He truly is our Rock of Ages. Merry Messiahmas to you, our wonderful friends! Thank you so much for helping us tell how Jesus is the reason for the season. 3

4 Pa r a l l e l s & C o n t r a s t s o f Hanukkah Christmas MACABEES A small band of guerilla fighters supernaturally defeat the King of Syria and all his resources MESSIAH EPIPHANES Antiochus falsely claimed to be Epiphanes, God incarnate IMMANUEL TEMPLE CLEANSED TEMPLE COMPLETED The Temple had to be cleansed before it could be used for worship The Temple had been defiled by an unholy sacrifice Jesus came into the world so that we could be cleansed and each become a Temple wherein God is worshiped:... For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people (2 Corinthians 6:16). Even after the cleansing of the Temple, the Hanukkah story tells us we did not have enough oil to properly dedicate God s house; He had to provide it supernaturally Jesus came in order to cleanse what was defiled through His holy sacrifice: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14) The desire to worship God became the basis for this joyous holiday Even when we are cleansed by Jesus sacrifice, we do not have enough spiritual power to live a life dedicated to God; He provides it supernaturally through His Spirit: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16) Baby Y shua (Jesus) supernaturally survives despite Herod s death warrant on all boys his age: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him (Matthew 2:13). Y shua truly is God incarnate: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). The desire to worship God is the basis for this joyous holiday LIGHT OF MENORAH The shamash or servant candle brings light to the rest of the candles on the Hanukkiah LIGHT OF MESSIAH FRIED FOOD FILL IN THE BLANK In Israel it is traditional to eat special donuts because fried foods remind us of the oil needed to dedicate the Temple. You guys can probably answer this one better than we can. If you have some really interesting sounding traditional foods drop us a line and maybe we ll mention them in next December s newsletter! Jesus, the Light of the World, gives His light to all who will receive it:... 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). In the United States, many of us grew up with latkes (fried potato pancakes). We know one person whose wife prefers not to deal with the lingering fragrance of the fried onions, oil, etc. so they order green onion pancakes from the local Chinese eatery. 4

5 God With Us D o you ever think about what it cost God to be with us? We used to get what I d call serial crank calls from a man who was beside himself at the thought of God coming to earth in the flesh. He would leave long messages asking us in various colorful ways if we really believed that God would put Himself in a position of having dirty diapers. Many Jewish people are offended by the idea of an incarnate God because they mistakenly think it means that a person could become God. But our serial crank caller understood it better. And he was even more offended! Is it zeal for God s holiness that causes some people to disbelieve the lengths God went to in order to rescue us? Maybe. Or maybe not. Perhaps you ve read a book called The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It is a fictional book that is full of facts. The letters are hypothetical communications from one demon to another. One thing that comes through over and over is the hellish disgust over God s love for humanity. At times the demons seem almost embarrassed for God, that He would lower Himself to care for such squalid and pathetic creatures as us. What Hell cannot understand nor, for that matter can humanity, except by God s grace is that God did not lower Himself by condescending to come to us in the flesh. He lifted us. Is it any wonder that angels desire to look into these things? (1 Peter 1:12) God suffered the dirt and stench, not only of physical waste, but of proximity to spiritually rotting humanity. Have you ever wondered how He could stand the smell of sin breathing down His holy neck? He came to have blistered and dirty feet, to be tempted and to put aside His own longing. He came to be rejected by people who were not worthy to set eyes on Him, let alone pass judgment. This is the mystery that we will not fully understand until we see Him face to face that our God endured for us. How can we comprehend the perfect One having to endure all the suffering He never deserved? Yet Jesus, God incarnate, endured everything that was beneath Him in order to lift us up to heaven. To those who do not know Him, the Incarnation may seem like a ludicrous indignity. But through it all, God lost nothing. He used what some think is an indignity to bring dignity to our fallen race. This love which demons mock and most humans cannot bring themselves to trust has the power to purify. When light touches darkness, the darkness becomes light. When God touches us, He does not become dirty but we become clean. When we trust His promises, He adopts us as His own. Why are some so agitated by the love God has lavished upon us? Maybe because the only choice we are left with is to be embarrassed or humbled by His glorious unmitigated acts of grace on our behalf. Embarrassment is a denial of just how wonderful God is. Humility is the only right response to a God who has humbled Himself. God grant us the humility to appreciate, truly and deeply, all that His Advent means. Joyful, joyful we adore Him! Ruth Rosen, editor 5

6 Those of you who read the fine print may have noticed that beginning last month a new name appeared on our masthead at the bottom of page 2. Daniela Koger Meyer has handled most of our newsletter art and layout for the past four years, under the direction of Paige Saunders. She and her husband are now in Michigan training to be missionaries. We miss Daniela (!) but are truly so pleased to have David Yapp on board that we wanted to introduce him to you. And while we re at it, we d like to introduce you to our art director, Paige Saunders. We hope to introduce more of our behind the scenes people to you in months to come. David was born in Salisbury, and grew up on a farm in Wiltshire, southern England. He became a Christian at the age of 19 while studying at college. David completed an art foundation course in Salisbury and then went on to earn a diploma in design, specializing in wildlife illustration in Carmarthen, south Wales. He spent five years as an artist, holding exhibitions in galleries in southeast England. He developed an interest in design and received another diploma in graphic design. He then worked as a designer for Crusade for World Revival, which produces Bible study aids and devotionals. David joined our staff in August, 2002, having learned of our ministry through Intercristo. He was in Los Angeles at the time and made a special trip to San Francisco to see what our ministry is all about before applying. The rest is history. David says, I enjoy the variety of projects and the opportunity to use art to see others come into God s Kingdom. Please pray that I would continue to have fresh in Our Art Department creative ideas for these projects. (By the way, we now have five Davids at our San Francisco headquarters, and another David at our San Francisco branch. Here in San Francisco we might as well be called Davids for Jesus. ) Paige was born at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, NV, but was raised all over since her Dad was in the Air Force. She considers herself originally from Reidsville, NC. Paige received Jesus at age 14. She has a B.A. in fine arts from the College of Charleston, SC, and earned an M.S. in operations management from the University of Arkansas while on active duty in the Navy. She has been working with Jews for Jesus since July of Paige says, I really like the challenge of doing design that is compelling and draws people to read what Jews for Jesus has to say. Please pray that the Lord will continue to inspire us and give us creativity in our work and that we will keep close to Him. We received this bit of Christmas whimsy via kids versions of Christmas carol lyrics and thought we would illustrate them for you. See if you can guess what they were thinking. A. B. C. Answers A. Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay... B. We three kings of porridge and tar... C. Sleep in heavenly peas... 6

7 The Apostle Paul and Operation Behold Your God by Lon Solomon, senior pastor of McLean Bible Church in Virginia and longtime member of the Jews for Jesus Board of Directors The Apostle Paul called himself the Apostle to the Gentiles (1 Timothy 2:7) yet he was also the greatest missionary to the Jews who ever lived. His example helped to inspire Operation Behold Your God. In Paul s day, just like today, the bulk of the world s Jewish population lived in the Diaspora (outside the borders of what we think of today as Israel). The Jewish people had been scattered throughout the Mediterranean basin. By the time of Paul, it is estimated that the Jewish Diaspora numbered over six million. Jewish communities could be found in Egypt and along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. But the majority of the Diaspora was in western Asia Minor, Cyprus and along the northern Mediterranean basin in Greece, southern Italy and southern Spain. Scripture records the four missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, and it is striking how, in all four cases, his itinerary fell precisely within the areas where the Jewish Diaspora was concentrated. This was no In the Footsteps coincidence! God specifically called Paul to some of these places (e.g., Acts 9-10). But we also see that in his planning and praying, Paul s zeal for bringing his Jewish brothers and sisters to Christ brought him to the areas where they were living in the greatest numbers (Romans 9:1-5; 10:1). Whenever Paul entered a new town, the first place he preached was the Jewish synagogue (Acts 17:2). Why? He explains in Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. This tells us that: 1. Paul recognized that all people including the Jewish people needed the gospel for salvation. 2. Paul recognized that God had set a precedent in sending the gospel to the Jew first. Paul believed that because the Jewish people had been uniquely set apart by God, despite their frequent unbelief, God would expect that they be treated with respect and concern for His Name s sake. This was true in Paul s day and it is still true today. It was only when the leaders of these Diaspora synagogues rejected and opposed the message of Jesus that Paul invested his missionary efforts in those who were most responsive to His message: mainly Gentiles. But remember that even so, Paul brought untold numbers of Jewish people to Christ during his missionary journeys. In fact, the Apostle Paul led more Jewish people to Jesus than any missionary in history. He went from city to city, urging all people but first the Jewish people to Behold your God! Our contemporary Behold Your God itinerary does not follow the same map as the Apostle Paul s journeys. Yet our vision remains the same to reach the cities that hold the greatest number of the scattered ones of Israel. In doing so, we know that many Gentiles will come to Christ as well. It is a privilege to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, the greatest Jewish missionary ever! We know that many of our readers are looking for biblically-based tours to enhance their faith and expand their Bible knowledge. As a service to our readers, we are pleased to announce that Lon Solomon will be leading such a tour titled In the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Dates: May 18-May 29, 2003 Description: This tour traces the second and third missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul through Greece and Turkey. In addition, the tour visits Rome where Paul ended his fourth missionary journey and where he was imprisoned and martyred and Patmos, where the Apostle John recorded the Book of Revelation. All accommodations are 5-star deluxe and include breakfast and dinner. Rooms on the cruise ship are deluxe with ocean view and all meals are included. For more information, write: Rev. Lon Solomon, C/O HLP Tours, P.O. Box 274, Merrifield, VA

8 New York Anna Marie is not only our office manager in New York, but she is managing to get our missionaries some great visits. Mitch Forman reports, Anna Marie met a Jewish man named Sean online. He had also been visiting an anti-missionary web site. I asked Anna Marie to see if Sean would be interested in talking to me and he agreed. We had a good conversation and he was surprised at some of our responses to the antimissionary arguments. He agreed to stay in contact; please pray for his salvation. San Francisco Hannah Neufeld reports, A Christian named Marlys introduced me to several Jewish friends. She told me that one elderly man, Abraham, can no longer talk, but listens and understands. I noted from pictures of his parents that he had been raised in an Orthodox home. At first Abraham did not seem to be responsive. After a silent prayer I said, Abraham, do you know that *Hashem loves you? You can imagine our surprise when he replied, I know. I continued to ask questions and little by little, he opened up and started talking. Abraham understands that I believe in Jesus and told me that he makes no promises of accepting Him, but he is open to having me visit again. *Hashem literally means the name and is considered by religious Jews a more reverent way to refer to God. Tel Aviv Miriam Abramov reports, A man met my husband Shlomy and me for coffee after finding one of our tracts on the ground at the local army base. He had lots of confused ideas, but we were able to point him to God s word and then lead him to Christ afterwards. I am so encouraged to see how people are responding to the message of the gospel. London Rahel Landrum reports, As I got out of the van for a wedding rehearsal, the bridegroom s Jewish mother greeted me: I was lost but I saw your Jews for Jesus van and knew I could follow you to the right place. The groom a new Jewish believer and his Gentile Christian fiancée had Bits from the Branches asked my husband Mark to officiate at their wedding, together with the minister from their church. We wondered what his unbelieving family would think about a Jew for Jesus taking part in the wedding. Well, his mother was certainly thrilled to see us at the rehearsal since we unknowingly led the way! Several times she commented how it was meant to be. As for the actual wedding, most of the groom s Jewish relatives came, and many, including his mother, told Mark how much they enjoyed the service. His mother, J, confided that at first she was wary, but as we got to know each other, she changed her mind 8 and was open to discuss Jesus as the Messiah. Fort Lauderdale Diane Cohen reports, Blanche s daughter, a Jewish believer, asked us to visit her mom in the rehab hospital and help her understand the gospel. After a couple of difficult visits, we have begun making some headway. Last week Blanche said she believes that Jesus is the Messiah, but she s not so sure about Him being her Lord. Please pray Blanche will open her heart to Him. Boston We mentioned last month that our Boston Behold Your God campaign coincided with the re-opening of our Boston branch. It worked out beautifully. During the campaign, one of our invitations to receive the Survivor Stories video literally blew into a shop owned by a man who happens to host a live, 30-minute live cable TV talk show entitled Newton Talk that replays 20 times during the week. This man is a believer in Jesus and has been irritated with some of the church s waffling regarding whether or not Jewish people need Jesus. So he invited our Boston branch leader, Garrett Smith, to be a guest on the show. So Garrett got to make a clear gospel presentation on a local TV show. One of the show s executives is Jewish, and it turns out that she received our follow-up information the day that Garrett did the show. Garrett s wife Nici had met her in a totally unrelated setting, and she d agreed to receive more information about Jesus. Nici recognized her at the station, and they talked about getting together another time to discuss the issue of Jesus.