Parents, Consider Hanukkah

Hanukkah??? An Intro from Jake

Hanukkah? Yes, Hanukkah—not just Hanukkah, but all the Biblical Jewish feasts. Let’s start here though because it’s the most Gentile-known. Jesus celebrated this Feast of Dedication. Scripture reveals the original seven feasts being designed by God, in part to instruct the next generation in truth. Hanukkah follows that mold, that’s why I asked friend and author, Darren Huckey, to help us understand this holiday celebration. He writes in-depth on this in his book Eight Lights, but check out this great post. 

This Little Light of Mine

My Favorite Non-Biblical, Biblical Story

Growing up in church, I always loved certain Bible stories because the underdog turned out to be the hero and God did the impossible through them: David & Goliath, Gideon and his 300 men, Moses facing down Pharaoh, etc. Although these are more than just stories, reading them is a shot in the arm for those of us who like to see the weaker and unlikely candidate win the battle and God’s strength be revealed through them.

Many years ago I learned of another epic underdog battle that our Bibles only allude to, but all of the Israelites in the time of Jesus knew and celebrated. In the Gospel of John we read, “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon” (John 10:22–23). Growing up, no one ever mentioned this “Feast of Dedication,” and I never really paid any attention to it. As an adult, when I began studying the Hebrew Scriptures more closely, I realized that this feast wasn’t listed anywhere in my Bible. What I discovered about this festival would end up making this be one of my all-time non-Biblical, Biblical stories. Let me explain.

During the “intertestamental” or “deuterocanonical” period, the so-called four hundred years of silence between what we call the Old and New Testaments, there was actually quite a bit going on that most Christians don’t ever hear about. One of the most epic stories you will ever hear is about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Seleucid King Antiochus IV and how a small band of Jewish rebels defeated his mighty army and rebuilt the city. It is a long story, but the barebones version goes something like this…

Defilement

Around two hundred years before the time of Christ, Antiochus marched down from Western Asia to attack Egypt, a longtime rival. But his victory was cut short when he was reprimanded by Rome, to whom he paid tribute, and commanded to call off the attack. Antiochus’s army had to travel through Israel on their way back home. Upset about the Roman interference and wanting to recoup some of his war expenses, Antiochus decided to rob the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. This upset the Jews greatly and they rebelled against his actions. Antiochus, who had named himself, “Epiphanes,” which means, “God Manifest,” saw this as an affront to his deity and dealt a heavy and swift blow against the Jews. He had thousands of Jews killed, he ransacked the Temple, and enacted a series of laws that, if followed through, would wipe out the Jewish religion: The scrolls of God’s law were burned, the people were forbidden to observe the Sabbath, they were forbidden to circumcise their children, they were forced to eat unclean meats that God forbade His people to eat, and they were commanded to worship idols.

Unfortunately, during this period there were already a great number of Jews had become Hellenized, accepting Greek culture and values over biblical ones. They wanted to fit in with the rest of the world. They were tired of being different. They were tired of sticking out like a sore thumb. They were tired of having their diets restricted when their pagan neighbors could eat anything and everything they wanted. They were tired of saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” They were tired of being the odd man out. Rather than resisting the howling winds of change they had succumb to the darkness surrounding them. The ruthless domination of Antiochus was the tipping point that pushed even greater numbers to take this even further and deny their faith in order to spare their lives. They were broken to the point of exchanging their Jewish faith for paganism and idolatry.

Dedication 

But one of the priests—his name was Mattityahu (or Mathias)—and his sons refused to follow these laws made by a man who thought himself to be God. They knew who the real God was, and they knew He didn’t want them forsaking Him and His ways. They began a series of strikes against the foreign army using guerrilla warfare tactics. Each time they went to battle they prayed that God would grant them victory over their oppressors and be glorified through their efforts. They won battle after battle against all odds. Eventually, the foreign power was pushed out and the Jewish people set to work to restore God’s holy Temple for its service. Exactly one year to the day from when the Temple was defiled—the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev— they began an eight day dedication service that would be remembered each year following. According to John’s Gospel the name of this festival is the Feast of Dedication. You probably know it by its popular name: Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication.”

For Christians Too

Hanukkah isn’t a Jewish replacement for Christmas. It’s something entirely different. It’s very appropriate for Christians because it’s a time to remember how to shine our lights in the darkness and how to resist the temptations to assimilate into our surroundings. It’s a time to remember that not only is Christ the Light of the World, but he has also commissioned us to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and to shine forth the light he has placed within us. It’s a time to remind our children how a few people can make a difference; how they can make a difference. If you would like to learn more about Hanukkah and begin celebrating it with your family please consider grabbing a copy of my book, Eight Lights on Amazon. With introductory explanations, the complete story of Hanukkah, and Christ-centered devotions for each of the eight nights with discussion questions, Eight Lights will inspire your family to shine your light brighter than ever.