Give Me Hanukkah!

What’s the big deal about Hanukkah?  The short answer is this:  around 168 BC, Israel was ruled by the Syrians.  During their rule, the leader, Antiochus Epiphanes, has defiled the temple by killing a pig (which is unclean in Jewish custom) and sprinkling its blood on the altar, destroyed the scrolls and enslaved the Jews.  In 164 BC an entire village led by a guy named Judah Maccabbee decided they weren’t going to put up with Antiochus’ crap, and the armed themselves with pitchforks and swords – just a few hundred folks – and attacked the Syrians nightly until they defeated them and drove them away.  Hanukkah is the celebration of that victory.

But what does that have to do with lighting candles?  After the Maccabee’s defeated the Syrian army, they went to the temple to rededicate it to the Lord.  When they got there, they saw that there wasn’t a whole lot of oil left.  Maybe enough for one night.  But they lit it anyway, and rededicated the temple.  And then…a miracle.  The oil in the candelabra lasted eight days.  Eight days of light, when there was only enough oil for one night.  And so, Hanukkah was to celebrate the defeat of the Syrians and the miracle of the eight days of light.

Okay, Kas, that’s fine.  But why do you choose to celebrate Hanukkah over Christmas?  You’re a Christian, not a Jew…and well, it is CHRISTmas, after all.  Well, I’m glad you asked.  Here’s the deal.  I believe that the Bible teaches that when we become Christians, we become adopted sons and daughters of God.  Now…whether people want to admit this or not…Jesus was a Jew, and so, God’s family is and has always been Jewish.  So, God has adopted this gentile and made her a Jew by accepting her into His family.  But beyond that…it’s simply that Jewish holidays are God’s holidays.  They mean something.  Every single feast and festival has a deeper meaning.  And everything in the Jewish faith, from the feasts and festivals, to the Levitical law, to the stories and traditions written in the Torah point to Jesus.  Hanukkah is no different.  Don’t believe me?  Okay…I’ll prove it.

To Celebrate Hanukkah, there are 9 candles used.  The first and most important candle is the Shamash, which in Hebrew, stands for “servant.”  This Servant candle is taller than all the other candles placed on the Hanukkiah…or Menorah.  This candle is lit first, and is always used to light the other candles.  The remaining candles signify each night that the oil lasted in after the Maccabean dedication of the temple.  

As Christians, we know that Jesus is the Light of the World.  John 1:4-5 says “In Him was the life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 

We also know that Jesus came as a servant, not as a King.  “And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35.  And we know he was the ultimate servant to us and to His father because of His obedience to go to the cross.

We also know that numbers are important in the Bible.  Each day of the 8-day feast commemorates a specific purpose.

Day 1: One True God – who is Yahweh, God the Father.

Day 2: Unity – in marriage, two become one.  In Christ we become one with the Father.

Day 3: Tri-Unity – the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Day 4: Judgment – His light shines, but only those who realize they are in darkness can see it.  And He is the ultimate judge of souls.

Day 5:  Grace – God is gracious and forgiving and merciful.  And He imparts that grace to us.

Day 6: Creation – God created the world in 6 days…not 7 as many people mistakenly believe.

Day 7: Rest and Completion: …and on the seventh day god ended His work which He had done, and He rested (Genesis 2:3)

Day 8:  New Beginnings – What is more of a new beginning than a restoration of true worship in the temple of the Lord?

Still don’t believe me?  Well…I have one more thing that might convince you.  What if I told you that Jesus wasn’t born during the winter, when Hanukkah is celebrated, but that he was conceived during that time?  The Bible tells us in Luke 1 that John the Baptist was born 6 months prior to Jesus…and studies have determined that he was born around Passover, which is traditionally during March.  If you add six months to that, you put Christ’s birth in late September, during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.  And if you subtract three months from that, well, that’d be December, wouldn’t it?  Interesting, no?

Listen, I don’t expect the world to stop celebrating Christmas.  It ain’t gonna happen.  But, I’d rather celebrate Hanukkah because it was established for a real reason…by God’s people, to celebrate Him.  Not just as some church service to combat the Pagan rituals of the winter solstice.  So, the next time you get down on your knees before a tree and talk about Santa Claus and reindeer, and all that other commercial BUNK, pause to think about the things we really ought to be celebrating.  I’ll give you a hint…it isn’t ourselves, and it isn’t commercialism.