HANUKKAH - THE FEAST OF DEDICATION Jn. 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon s porch. The opening words of the Gospel of John informs us of Jesus the Messiah, 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 29 Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. At the beginning of chapter two Jesus is in Cana of Galilee, and at the end of the chapter He is in Jerusalem for the Passover (v.23-25). In chapter three He is with Nicodemus, and in chapter four He returns northwards into Galilee, through Samaria. Then, after having arrived in Galilee, chapter five begins by telling us Jesus went up to Jerusalem (v.1) again. While there He met the man at the pool of Bethesda, and He also annoyed the Jewish leaders so they wanted to kill Him (v.16). He did not quench their hatred of Him any, because He kept teach things they did not appreciate. This continues through chapter six. At the beginning of chapter seven He returned to Galilee, v.1 for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Nevertheless, after a certain while He returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand (v.2) but, at first, not openly, but as it were in secret (v.10). Then He went into the temple and began to preach. While some accepted His words and believed (v.31, cf. v.40f.), others sought to take and kill Him (v.30,44). In chapter eight Jesus went to the Mount of Olives where He declared Himself, - in full gaze of the Pharisees, - to be the Light of the world (v.12). He became increasingly repulsive to the Pharisees, especially when He claimed the eternality of the Godhood, v.58 Before Abraham was, I am. Once again, though, they were not permitted in the will of God to harm Him. Chapter nine records how He healed the blind man on the Sabbath day much to the disgust of the increasingly riled Pharisees. They duly orchestrated more serious plans to silence Him. Chapter ten begins with Jesus describing Himself as the Door (v.7,9) and the Good Shepherd (v.14). At this point, v.19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. 20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
2 Immediately after their rancorring, Jesus left them, Jn. 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon s porch. This was Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication. This is the eight-day feast that coincides with our Christmas starts on the 25 th of Kislev which approximates to our December. It s a Jewish celebration of the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality. The Feast of Dedication refers back to 169BC, - in the intervening years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. In 169BC Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek ruler of the region, - a vile and godless man carried out the most cruel and despicable of crimes against the Jewish people. He sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. He was a successor to one of Alexander the Great s generals, called Seleucus I Nicator ( Seleucus the Victor ), whose reign became known as the Seleucid Empire. He and his dynasty have quite a history, but the most notable of his successors was Antiochus. Let s turn to the prophecy of Daniel Daniel chapter eight and verse five describes a he-goat that came from the west and it conquered swiftly everything in its way. The he-goat was Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire and he conquered the ram which was the symbol of the Medo-Persian empire (v.7), that had succeeded the Babylonian empire. Alexander was seemingly unstoppable, - he waxed very great (v.8), however, when he was strong, the great horn was broken ( he died at the height of his success in June 323 BC, in Babylon, in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, at the age of 32). Alexander s kingdom was then divided between four of his generals (and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven) Cassander (in Greece), Lysimachus (in Asia Minor), Ptolemy (in the area that spans from Egypt and into modern-day Israel), and Seleucus (whose empire stretched across modern-day Syria, Iraq and Iran). However, Ptolemy and Seleucus had a disagreement and Antiochus who belonged to the Seleucid dynasty managed to conquer the region of the twelve tribes of Israel (170BC) from the Ptolemy. Daniel s prophesy describes this same Antiochus Epiphanes as a little horn, which waxed exceeding great (v.9). In comparison with Alexander the Great, he was a little horn. However, he magnified himself as the prince of the host,
3 and by him the daily sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem was taken away, and the sanctuary was cast down (v.11). This Antiochus Epiphanes has a special place in Biblical prophecy as presented by the visions of Daniel. Antiochus is a shadow/type of the Antichrist who in the end times will do even worse than Antiochus, as Jesus said, Mt. 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place and as Paul also referred to, II Thess. 2:3 that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. So in 169BC, Antiochus entered Jerusalem, destroyed a large part of the city, and slaughtered without mercy its people. He went into the temple on his horse, - an unclean animal, according to the Jews, - and he sacrificed a pig, - an absolute offence of offences to the Jews, - to the Greek god Jupiter. He cooked it in the temple and poured its broth on the holy scrolls of the Torah and upon the altar! He forbade the Jews to observe their religion, particularly circumcision. He carried off their golden altar, the candlesticks, the golden vessels, and other sacred treasures. The story takes a twist though when one day Apelles, an officer under Antiochus command arrived in the small settlement of Modin three miles to the north of Jerusalem and he ordered the Jews to sacrifice a swine. This was absolutely blasphemous! The Law of Moses stated clearly they must not associate with pork for it was considered unclean (Lev. 11:7; Dt.14:8). At this point, a man called Mattathias the Maccabee, - the head of a priestly family who were faithful to the Lord, - was enraged by the ungodly decree. He killed the first Jew who was about to compromise and comply with the order, and then with his five sons, - Yohanan, Shimon, Judah, Eleazar, Yonaton, - he set upon Apelles and his soldiers killing them all! This was the Jewish uprising against Antiochus, known as the Maccabean revolt, that lasted from 167-160BC. When Mattathias died, his son Judas Maccabees led the Jews against the invader. They fought in the mountains and valleys of Judea. Finally they drove the enemy out of their land. They cleansed the temple, and they demolished the altar where Antiochus had sacrificed his infamous pig. Then on 25 th of Kislev 164BC, they rededicated the temple in Jerusalem to the glory of God.
However, they did not know what to do with the stones of the old altar. The stones were sacred and precious and yet, they had been polluted by Antiochus and therefore no longer fit for the offerings of sacrifices to God. So, they decided to put all the stones together in a corner of the temple and to wait for the coming of Elijah or Messiah to tell them what to do with these stones. That is the significance of the question, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Mt. 11:3; Lk. 7:19,20). It was also how the high priest questioned the Saviour at His trial, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed (Mk. 14:61) Art thou then the Son of God? (Lk. 22:70). Hidden in one of the nooks of the temple the Jews found a small jar of consecrated oil, used in former days for the perpetual light in the temple. However, the oil they found was sufficient only for one night but it lasted for eight days and the significance of it lasting for eight days was that this was how long it took to prepare and consecrate a new supply! So, in memory of their redemption from the hands of Antiochus and his cruel armies, and in the restoration and rededication of the temple, the decree was made that for eight days eight candles should be lit in every Jewish household (the menorah ), beginning with one on the first day, two on the second until the eight day. Hence the Feast of Dedication that continued to be celebrated while Jesus was in earth and continues to be celebrated today as Hanukkah. In their prayers, the Jews, - since those days, - have offered praise and thanksgiving to God for delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the wicked into the hands of the righteous. Now, let s turn to the day when our Saviour was born. The Bible does not give us any date perhaps because God saw how society would come to worship the day rather than worship the One to Whom it points. In the early church they saw a link between the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) and the day when Christ was born. On the one hand, the earthly temple was made as a result of human endeavours whereas the Living Temple which descended from Heaven was and is eternal. Mk. 14:58 I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands referring to Jn. 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. He was referring to His body as the temple. 4
5 And so, since about the end of the third century, the 25 th December, which corresponds to the Jewish calendar, the 25 th of Kislev, is the generally accepted date for the anniversary celebrations of the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) which has become in our calendar Christmas. Let s go back to John chapter eight Jesus was in the temple, and, - as was the practice during this season of Hanukkah, - He is standing in the sanctuary watching the candles, - the menorah, - burning brightly, and this is the occasion when He says, Jn. 8:12 I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The symbol of Hanukkah, - the menorah, - was burning as a bright light in a dark place. And yet, when the sun rises and shines into the temple, the light of the candlesticks appear pale and insignificant. Let s look at this in two ways. Firstly, John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease. Christ is the Light of the world and so His followers are commanded to be lights in the world (Mt. 5:14). Secondly, there is coming a day, though, when in a more glorious way than we are experiencing at this moment, there will be no moon and no sun and yet there won t be any darkness for the glory of God and the Lamb is the light thereof (Rev. 21:23) the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2). The all-shining, the all-encompassing Light of God s glory in Christ! Ezek. 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory... 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. The menorah will have fulfilled its purpose. It won t be needed any more for the Light of the world will have returned and His glory will shine across every continent. He will light up this earth in a way it has never experienced before and that is why we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). And that is also what Isaiah was looking forward to, Is. 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
6 and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. One day the people of the religion that celebrates Hanukkah will come to recognise God s true glory, and He will gather them in (Rom. 11). And we, - as the grafted-in wild olive tree, - we shall be there too and for us both, - Jew and Gentile together, - the story of Hanukkah and the story of Christmas will, - beautiful as they are, - they will dim into the background for the glory of Christ will be our theme for there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer (Rom. 11:26). Hanukkah is the time in the Jewish household when the candles are burning in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. How sad it is many of them do not yet know He has already come! We are privileged with that knowledge. I pray the Lord will hasten the day when He returns and they will recognise it too and together we shall Is. 2:3 go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Micah 7:7 I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me 8 when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. 9 he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.