Hanukkah Day 4: Jesus & the Shamash

Hanukkah day 4: Lighting the menorah and blessings

Torah Portion: Numbers 7:30 - 7:41

Since I never thought much about Hanukkah (previous post), I never wondered if Jesus celebrated this festival. Come to find out, not only did He celebrate it, but He revealed Himself as Messiah during Hanukkah, which is referred to below as the Feast of Dedication.

John 10: 22-30 "Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

So Jesus reveals Himself as Messiah during the feast where He, as a Jew, is celebrating the re-dedication of the temple of God. And in this passage, Christ, speaking to Jews and, more than likely, some Gentiles, is the true Temple of God. Interesting to note: John 10:22 is the only reference to Hanukkah in the entire Bible. So it's a holiday celebrated by the Jews only and only mentioned in the New Testament? Anyway . . .

John 2:18-19 "Then the Jews demanded of him, 'What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?' Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days'" (NIV).

He dedicates Himself to the world so that through His death for sin, all would be saved. Yeshua is the fulfillment of Hanukkah--as He is the true Temple of God.

John 10:36 "do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" (NASB)

The word "sanctified" above means dedicated, which in Hebrew would be translated Hanukkah.

And taking this comparison a step further: John 8:12 - "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (NIV).

Yeshua can be likened to the light of the menorah; in fact, He is the shamash, the servant candle. Matthew 20:28 "'just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'" (NIV). The King of the universe left His throne behind and came to this earth to serve US.

So who should celebrate Hanukkah? Are you celebrating Hanukkah?

in 2007 Hanukkah begins . . .

Hanukkah begins each year on the 25th of Kislev which first of all, is the day that the components were completed for the portable sanctuary or "Tabernacle" ordered by God and built under Moses' direction to house the Lord during the Israelites' journeys through the desert. That was the year 2449 from creation (1312 BCE). The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was assembled 3 months later, when, beginning on Adar 25 of that year, it was erected and taken down daily for a 7-day "training" period prior to its dedication on the 1st of Nissan.

Even more interesting than that, 12 centuries later on Kislev 25 (164 BCE), the Maccabees re-dedicated the Holy Temple after defeating Antiochus. It was on this day that the priest lit the Menorah in the Temple, the oil that miraculously continued to burn for 8 days. The Jewish people had not been able to perform Temple service for over 3 years. So to once again worship God in the Temple was an awesome thing.

And so this year (2007), 25 Kislev (Hebrew calendar) is December 5 (Julian calendar). But since God instructed that the day begins at sundown, the first Hannukah candle is lit the evening of December 4. The day itself is determined according to the moon.

Hanukkah menorah

In Exodus, God commands that a 6 branch candelabrum be constructed. The Priest or Kohein lit the menorah every evening then cleaned it in the morning, replaced wicks and refilled the cups with olive oil.

Exodus 25:31-40
"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

"Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (NIV).

The original 6 branch menorah is part of the Israeli Emblem created in 1949 shortly after Israel gained statehood. The 8 branch Hanukkah menorah was created to commemorate the miracle of the one day's worth of oil that lasted 8 days when rededicating the Temple.

Isaiah 42:6-7 “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house" (NKJV).

God appoints the Jews to be the "light to the Gentiles" or the "light of the world" to direct us all to the road that leads to salvation. After all, "salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22) and the menorah is one visible representation and reminder of His plan and call to the Jewish people.

Then of course there is THE Light of the World (John 8:12), Yeshua, the Messiah. Hmmmm...He was a Jew, wasn't He? Isn't He?

Hanukkah: pigs in the Temple

Since Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukkah, begins at sundown December 4 or 25 Kislev, I figured I should try to understand it better. So here's what I've learned:

Hanukkah was not a festival appointed by God like Sukkot, Passover, and the other appointed times. The origin: Antiochus IV a successor of Alexander the Great, oppressed and killed Jews; he banned Jews from celebrating the Sabbath and festivals, reading the Torah, circumcising their sons, and other Jewish practices. Antiochus also desecrated the Temple, requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. With much determination, the Jewish people led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, revolted and succeeded to overthrow the government on 25 Kislev, 164 BCE.

Now the Temple needed to be rededicated. For centuries, the menorah (candelabrum) was lit in the Temple every day and was supposed to burn throughout the night, every night. Because the Jews were had won this battle, they could now rededicate the Temple, resume daily practice, and once again light the menorah, but there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks.

The Hanukkah miracle: there was only enough oil to burn for one day, but it burned for eight days. The eight day Hanukkah festival, also called Festival of Lights, was declared to commemorate this miracle.

Important note: the holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple and the the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

More information:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah