MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON HANUKKAH’S MEANING FOR CHRISTIANS
PREFACE AND PRAYER
Every year Hanukkah’s meaning for Christians is increasing. For example, I wrote this just days before the horrific shooting at The Festival of Lights in Australia. My heart is broken for these people. I wanted to preface these thoughts with the fact that my family is praying for all of you. If only more people understood the past, present and future meanings of Hanukkah.
This tragedy is yet another modern-day example for the necessity of all people coming to understand the message behind Hanukkah. Churches especially should be teaching Hanukkah’s meaning for Christians. I say that as a Christian believer who is longing for the day that we all are One in God. Our prayers will continue with our Jewish brothers and sisters as they face the constant onslaughts of antisemitism. The thoughts and pleas behind these prayers are that God will put His protection over you. It is my prayer that He will shield you from any further harm. Know that our hearts break for you and we mourn with you.
With that said, this is the article I wrote before this tragic event happened. At this point I could not begin to share it without mentioning my heart for Israel. I want to acknowledge my love and respect for all of the Jewish people.
HOW I CAME TO CELEBRATE HANUKKAH
Growing up in a Christian household, I realized most Jewish people did not believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah. They worshiped the same God we did. Also, they kept the first five books of our bible. However, they did not believe the gospel message of the New Testament.
I felt sorry for them.
The first bible verse I learned in Sunday School was “God is love.” I could not put my feelings into words at that age. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew the same God who loved me loved all Jewish people too.
GOD IS LOVE
I was a child and I thought as a child; but the innocence of my thoughts was right.
God DID love them too.
In my childish ignorance, I felt sorry for these people I did not know. I felt that way because they, not believing in Jesus, could not celebrate Christmas as we always did. We practically spent 364 days out of each year counting down the seconds until Christmas. I could not (at that time) imagine never celebrating it at all.
When I was about ten, I found out about Hanukkah.
HANUKKAH MEANS REDEDICATION
A third grade friend explained Hanukkah to me in the following way. “The Jews had to have something to celebrate to make them not feel so bad when we were celebrating Christmas. So they made Hanukkah.” This supposedly older and wiser friend from school proudly gave me this little piece of misunderstood history. Being very gullible, I drank down their version of the truth like Kool-Aid.
Those poor Jews!
Now I’m a grandmother. I still feel sorry for anyone who is not willing to believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah. Knowing Him has sustained me through a lifetime of ups and downs and highs and lows. I still can’t imagine life without knowing that Jesus is Messiah. However, I can’t imagine life without celebrating Hanukkah either. So what happened?
As I move closer to the downside of this hill called life, I look forward to spending eternity with Yeshua. Some days I watch the skies just knowing that God might give the word at any moment. I believe He could return in the twinkling of an eye.
IN THE TWINKLNG OF AN EYE
As a little girl of limited knowledge, I would ponder that fact too. What if Jesus returns today? Those Jewish people are still only celebrating Hanukkah. What will happen to them?
Then I grew up.
Fortunately, I found out Jesus WAS one of those Jews who celebrated Hanukkah!
You can imagine how surprised I was. I’ll never forget the first time I figured it out. I was reading my Bible from John Chapter 10, verses 22-23. (John 10:22-23) And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked on the temple in Solomon’s porch.
Feeling puzzled I asked myself; what is The Feast of Dedication?
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION
Eventually I learned this feast was Hanukkah. Then I learned the Jewish people had celebrated this same feast for over 2,400 years. It began when the Maccabees won the war against the evil ruler named Antiochus IV. At that time they took back the Temple, which Antiochus IV had desecrated by worshipping Zeus instead of God.
When the people took Jerusalem back from the evil Antiochus IV; they completely cleansed and rededicated the Temple.
One amazing day they went back into a pure and cleansed Temple to worship The One True God. However, they realized it would take over eight days to consecrate enough oil to burn the great Menorah. There was only enough consecrated oil to light The Great Menorah for one day.
By a great miracle the oil miraculously lasted for eight days!
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE STORY
Some claim this story is only a legend the Jewish leaders devised. According to custom, they were never to celebrate war of any type. They needed a non-violent reason to properly celebrate the victory of war by the Maccabees.
This war gave them back their religious freedom. For many years they had to worship secretly. Their gatherings were usually disguised as gatherings to play a gambling game called dreidel. Whenever the officials of the land showed up, they would quickly pretend that they were only there to gamble. When the officials left they would continue studying scripture and prayer together.
Because of the stance of many brave men, the Jews regained theie freedom to worship God without persecution. When worship returned to normal, they remembered how they had not been allowed to celebrate their fall festival of Sukkot. That festival lasted for eight days each year. So, they made the festival of Hanukkah last for eight days too. Part of this reason was in order to make up for the people missing Sukkot.
It is unclear whether the popular story of the oil is actual truth or legend. However, for Christians, the further message the story symbolizes is definitely true. So, we love telling this story every year at Hanukkah celebrations. Without this victory there would not have been a Hanukkah. It is a way of memorializing and honoring the great victory God gave the Maccabees. Because of this God’s original messages to His people continued to be recorded for all of us. Hanukkah helps us remember Yeshua is The Light of the World. He has brought an even greater victory. He has become our Savior.
THE OIL LASTED FOR EIGHT DAYS
This great and astonishing miracle gave the people confirmation. They realized God was back in the Temple with them. All of the people celebrated the fact that YHVH was pleased with the re-dedication which had taken place.
The worshipers called the time of this great miracle Hanukkah. The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.” From that moment forward the faithful began to celebrate the time as a festival of praise to God. Sometimes it was called “The Feast of Dedication” or “The Festival of Lights,” and eventually it became known as Hanukkah.
I was filled with joy when I realized Jesus had grown up celebrating Hanukkah. This was brought to my attention as I read the scriptures about the Feast of Dedication in John’s writings. The time he spoke of was Hanukkah.
YHVH sustained the Jewish people and their culture. This has happened many times throughout history. God has repeatedly given the Jewish people victory in culture battles which originally seemed impossible. At Hanukkah, they are celebrating a glorious impossible. This glorious impossible allows them to freely worship the Great God they serve. No one had to hide anymore.
My blind eyes were opened. It has been my observation that God’s people are always celebrating glorious impossibles. That definitely happened at the first Hanukkah.
A RENEWED PERSPECTIVE
After finally waking up to those important facts, I became very curious about the annual eight-day celebrations of Hanukkah. From that point forward, I began to prayerfully study Hanukkah’s true meanings.
John’s writings spoke of Jesus standing on Solomon’s porch. Yeshua was there. He was stating; “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)
Jesus knew and loudly proclaimed what many modern-day Gentiles (like me) had not realized. He knew that God had used the miracles of that first Hanukkah to make a symbolic statement. God was telling His people the REAL Light of the World was coming. That Light would also be a great miracle; the greatest miracle ever known to the universe. It was Jesus! God had concentrated Yeshua to be a Savior for all of us. He announced this very publicly. No one believed or understood.
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
The story of the miracles of Hanukkah spoke to the worshippers at the re-dedicated and cleansed Temple. For Christians today the story says The Light of The World has come. Men now have a Messiah. This was the TRUE MIRACLE. Yeshua would miraculously save them. Hanukkah was all about Yeshua.
Jesus would open their spiritual eyes so they could see. This would take place just as the light in the Temple had physically helped the ancient people to see.
My eyes had been opened too. I was beginning to see and understand the true meaning of Hanukkah. It wasn’t just about “those Jewish people.” It was about anyone who wished to follow Messiah.
The first Hanukkah is a beautiful story-shadow of what Jesus came to be for both the Jewish people and Christianity. Both stories (Hanukkah and The Life of Jesus) give a miracle and a great victory for God’s people. All of us.
A MIRACLE AND A VICTORY
I began to celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah as my neighbors and friends celebrated the Christmas season. At first I did this only declaring that Jesus became The Great Miracle. He was and is The Light of the World.
In my ignorance, I combined Hanukkah with Christmas. As I grew in knowledge from study, I put away the things the world calls Christmas. I came to the place of simply celebrating Hanukkah. The Hanukkah celebration holds all of the significant biblical things I want to remember.
There are eight candles on the Hanukkiah, plus one “servant candle.” The servant candle is elevated above the others. This Servant Candle is lit first. The first flame from that wick is shared with the first candle on the first day of Hanukkah.
This “Servant Candle” lights all of the other candles of the Menorah. It represents Christ. All of the light of the season comes from Him.
THE SERVANT CANDLE BRINGS LIGHT TO ALL
Each day of Hanukkah, the message of the Light of The World grows brighter. On each day the light from the first and highest candle is shared with another candle. This pattern continues until at the end of the festival. They all shine out together on the last day. All of the light is shinning in unison, each flame cooperating with the others. It is beautiful. Most Hanukkiahs will be placed in a window seal. This is so the people from outside can see the light.
So, on the first day there are only two lit candles. This is the Shamash and the first candle. Then we see two more candles burning on the 2nd day.
EACH CANDLE PROVIDES MORE LIGHT
By the time we reach the eighth day, the whole Menorah is burning brightly. All nine of the candles are united. They shine together. We pass the seventh day with a Hanukkiah full of beautiful light. Next, we step into an eighth day of completeness with the Hanukkiah fully lighted. How beautiful. Amazingly and appropriately, the light is our way of celebrating this season of the greatest of miracles.
Of course, the Shamash candle is symbolic of Messiah.
I love keeping this tradition at our home. I’ve learned that Hanukkah speaks of Christ in a million different ways.
A MESSAGE FOR ALL
One day the lights of the Menorah will shine so bright that the Jewish people will see Messiah too. Their own festival will become much more significant to them. It has already become more significant to today’s followers of Yeshua.
In understanding Hanukkah better, I have learned to think of Christmas differently too. Another well hidden fact shocked me. I discovered Jesus wasn’t born in December. Well documented studies taught me that He was actually born in the Fall of the year. Now I believe his birth happened during the time of the celebration of Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles.) Knowing all of this changed me from the inside out. Truth has always been important to me. At first it was hard to change my course; but the truth is the truth. Why would God’s people ever want to celebrate a lie?
My husband and I now celebrate the birth of Yeshua during the Fall festival of Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles. In the end, it all makes so much more sense. Sukkot is when we explore and celebrate the amazing miracle of His birth. We love all of the stories which evolved around His birth. None of us have forgotten to celebrate them; just not at Christmas. You have to think with the rhythms of God’s calendar in mind to understand. I speak of the calendar God gave at creation, the one that the first followers of Yeshua always used. The creation calendar is the best way to understand the whole process God originally planned and carried out. This calendar’s viewing makes it easy for us to understand the timing of so much of the life of Jesus. It covers the conception, birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, second coming and final reign of Christ.
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH
So it was that we began to celebrate the birth of Christ during The Feast of Tabernacles. We left behind the world’s definition of Christmas when all the rest of the world celebrates His birth.
Guess what?
That time during Sukkot became a more precious time for us!
Today we always take time off to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. We are free to celebrate the birth of Christ for all eight days of this feast. Also, we get to focus on all of the rest of the life of Jesus. We also are celebrating how we will live with Him in the future. After every feast the joy of this message sings in our hearts all year long.
These celebrations are very rich. The time is more intimate; very joyful and completely fulfilling. The stress we felt from the celebrations of Christmas is gone.
ANOTHER INTERESTNG DISCOVERY
For some reason it was surprising for us to discover how a fall birth would typically mean a winter conception. That was when we began to celebrate the CONCEPTION OF CHRIST during our Hanukkah celebrations. NOT THE BIRTH – BUT THE CONCEPTION. Not Christmas; but Hanukkah. I guess the rest of the world often thinks us very strange to celebrate Immanuel, God with us, during Hanukkah. However, if you know all the stories and are capable of accurate mathematic calculations, what could be more right?
CELEBRATING IN THE RIGHT TIME PERIODS
So every Hebraic month of Kislev we celebrate Hanukkah by remembering Immanuel – Christ with us. This is when He first came down from heaven to be among us. We begin our celebration at His very beginning, the Conception of Jesus.
He came in the tiniest form of a seed that miraculously grew into a child, then a man. We think this miracle happened in the dark of a cold December.
God sent Gabriel to announce this Good News to Mary. Unlike our Jewish brothers and sisters, we often tell this part of the story at Hanukkah. This tiny seed, which was carefully planted to live for nine months inside Mary’s womb, grew to be our Messiah. We celebrate this fact in our Christian/Hanukkah celebrations.
At Hanukkah we think of that first servant candle. It is symbolic of Jesus. He left heaven for us and became that seed growing inside the womb of Mary. Conception. It was the time of God turning Himself into a baby boy.
Also we can see a picture of a very pregnant Mary. She symbolically represents the whole Church which is filled with all believers of Messiah. This true Church works exactly like a mother’s womb. It exists as a warm and safe place for baby-believers to grow into maturity. It gives them the opportunity to grow to the point of being “born-again.”
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MENORAH
Every day of Hanukkah, we light another candle on the nine-branched Menorah. In this beautiful and symbolic process, we sometimes visualize how the baby inside Mary’s womb began to grow. Similarly, the Good News of the Gospel of Yeshua also grows. It grows like the steadily increasing lights of the Menorah.
The days pass and the miracles from heaven happen. Each time the lights are lit, it is symbolic of God sending down more love. He sends what we need to nourish the physical and spiritual needs of His children.
Each newly lighted candle of the Hanukkah Menorah might also represent another month (or another stage/season) of a Christian’s growth. We grow by realizing and imitating the same things which helped Yeshua to grow. Some of those would be knowledge of the scriptures, prayer, fasting, and total obedience to God The Father. All of these are nourishment for the developing Christian.
THE FRUITS OF GOD’S SPIRIT
There are nine gifts from God which come to us when baby Christians finally begin to grow. Each thing builds upon the next. We have called these gifts The Fruits of The Spirit. These gifts are 1)love, 2)Joy, 3)Peace, 4)Patience, 5)Kindness, 6) Goodness, 7) Faithfulness, 8) Gratitude, and 9) Self-Control.
In unison with these important attributes of God, we can see pictures of the feasts and festivals. They are used by God to shine His ways out to the world.
These feasts, festivals and memorials are: 1) Passover, 2) Unleavened Bread, 3) Early First Fruits/Resurrection, 4) Purim, 5) Pentecost, 6) The Feast of Trumpets, 7) The Day of Atonement, 8) Sukkot, and 9) Hanukkah.
There are so many patterns of nine in Hanukkah. Nine branches are residing on the Hanukkiah. Nine gifts of The Spirit of God are waiting for those who will be born-again into God’s Church. Nine feasts, festivals and memorials are remembered to remind us of how good our God is to us.
Each candle of the Hanukkiah carries symbolism for Christians who are desiring to grow in God’s grace and mercy. Lighting each separate candle emphasizes our desire to grow to be more like God. We want to do biblical things in biblical ways. Messiah leads us. The Light of the World shines out to us.
One-by-one the candle lightings of Hanukkah remind us of this continuous growth pattern.
EVERYTHING STARTS WITH THE SERVANT CANDLE
Of course, all light starts with the Servant Candle. That candle represents Yeshua who is symbolic of love. Nothing can happen unless love comes first. The Shamash is the first candle from which all other light comes.
There are nine candles counting the Servant Candle. Each consecutive candle could represent nine months of growth from children inside their mother’s womb. This picture is symbolic of the growth we experience as new Christians. We are following Messiah while living inside the safety of the womb of God’s Church.
The fruits of God’s Spirit help us to mature. The Church on this earth grows in just the same way. A small light becomes more, and more, until it lights up a whole land. A true Church will work like the Great Menorah of the Temple. It will shine out to show light to the waiting world.
THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED
The Kingdom of Heaven works like the lighting of the Menorah. To understand it further we might want to ponder a parable.
Jesus spoke to us of a parable of birds of the field who come to nest in a huge tree. The large tree started as a tiny mustard seed. This tree grew to be very large. It held many families of nesting birds.
The nine months following Hanukkah are growing months for God’s people. The huge old tree of The Kingdom of Heaven is growing. Annually we move through God-ordained phases of life. Different phases are ordained for our maturity. Each holy season teaches us different ways to grow into what God intends for each of us to be.
So the joyful festival of Hanukkah continues for eight days. It lasts until we’ve lit all the candles of the Menorah. Throughout this meaningful season, you can begin to feel the birth pangs happening. Observing this season restores and renews us. As the Maccabees rededicated the Temple and its altar, we rededicate the altars of our hearts. This time gives us the constant hope of The coming of The Kingdom of Heaven. Our hearts know that something better is about to happen. Something new is coming.
THE BIRTHING PROCESS
In the end of time as we know it – the Church will finally give birth to all of its members. They will be “born again” inside The Kingdom of Heaven. Our old corruptible bodies will become new and un-corruptible. This is because we start our growth with the flame from the light of the Servant candle – Jesus Christ. He is the flame that represents love. Remember, He is the first fruit. All other fruit originates and obtains its energy from Him.
At this great moment of rebirth into God’s Kingdom, the whole world will become full of light! It will be comparable to the Hanukkah Menorah on the Eighth Day of Hanukkah, only much greater. In the eighth day of history, God’s people will finally all shine in unison. The Light of the World is the One who brings the greatest miracle to all of us. Through Yeshua, we inherit eternal life with God. This is one of the greatest messages of Hanukkah.
SOMETHING OLD/SOMETHING NEW
Hanukkah connects us to the conception of Yeshua. This connection takes us all the way to His birth at The Feast of Tabernacles. Through each season we will continuously celebrate the fact that God makes all things new!
Yeshua is the Great Miracle of the story of Hanukkah.
Our Messiah is The True Light of the World.
THE FULL CIRCLE OF LIFE WITH GOD
Funny, isn’t it?
I mean how one little discovery of truth can lead to another, then another, then another.
The amazing thing about God is that the miracles never quit coming. He is always making things new.
It is a continuous cycle called life. The Kingdom of Heaven is constantly giving birth. Our past quickly becomes the future. Today quickly fades away. Tomorrow turns into eternity. Before we even begin to know what is happening, life on earth is done.
TWO BECOMING ONE
“Those Jewish people” will see all of this soon enough. All in God’s precious time. Until then, let us all live together in God’s peace, shalom and love. The Jewish people gave the first stories to us. We are forever in their debt. Now Christianity is in the process of giving the next chapters of the book back to them.
God wants all of His children to know every story, both old and new. He desires this so that we can all begin to grow together. His great hope is that we all become One with Him in Messiah.
His miracles never quit speaking. They echo through the halls of history so that we will have courage through even the very hard times. I pray the light of Hanukkah will bring you hope. Our prayer is for the healing of the nations, especially those who have suffered wrongly this week. God grant them strength and comfort. Help us all to hold one another up and grant us your peace.