Hanukkah - The Feast of Dedication

By Mid Stutsman

"I am the light of the
world; he that followeth
Me shall not walk in
darkness."
John 8:12

ewish history is rich and alive with Messianic implications. God has made certain that everything within the past, as well as that, which is to come, symbolizes and points to His Son, Jesus the Messiah-Yeshua HaMashiach.

One particular observance is Hanukkah, an eight-day feast celebrated on the 25th of Kislev (this year on our December 11th, beginning at sundown and lasting until the 19th at sundown.)

Hanukkah, called the Feast of Dedication, is not mentioned in the Tanach (Old Testament), but it is mentioned in John 10:22. And an aspect of Hanukkah is alluded to in John 8:12 and 9:5. I’ll explain these references after I give you a brief history about the holiday.

In the years following the Tanach, which actually ends with the book of Esther, written around 450 B.C., several world conquerors dominated the Promised Land. Nebuchadnezzar, Ahasuerus, Darius, and eventually Alexander the Great.

Upon the death of Alexander, the kingdom was split between his four generals, with Antiochus IV, the Greek Syrian King, receiving the land of Israel around 175 B.C.

This brought the Hellenistic period to the Holy Land. Many accepted the Greek culture that Antiochus sought to impose upon the Jews, but there were religious groups who refused, and this prompted a civil war. The resistance was met by a brutal campaign to destroy any Jewish religious presence.

Antiochus is said to have been a vain, eccentric madman. He took on the name of Epiphanes, which meant God made manifest, or the Illustrious one. He viewed the fighting in Israel as a hindrance to his campaign to conquer Egypt, so in 168-7 B.C. he sent his generals to Jerusalem where they desecrated the temple, including the Menorah, the candelabra lighted by holy oil.

To drive the point home, they offered a pig sacrifice, place other unclean items on the altar and erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies.

Instead of crushing the will of the Jews, the desecration of their Temple united them. Mattathias a high priest from Modi’in, along with his five sons, organized a revolt. Judah led them and became known as the Maccabee (Hebrew for hammer). This Maccabean uprising defeated the Syrian armies and resulted in the rededication of the Temple on the 25th day of Kislev, 165-4 B.C.

The story of the rededication tells of the Maccabeans finding only enough holy oil to relight the Menorah for one day. However, through a miracle, the oil lasted for eight days, the time needed to purify more oil. And this is where the story takes on Messianic significance. The Temple Menorah has seven branches, seven being a symbol of perfection.

The Hanukkah menorah has nine branches, which hold nine candles. Eight are symbolic of the eight days of the miracle, and one, called the Shamash or servant candle, is symbolic of the Messiah as the suffering servant. The servant candle is used to light the other candles, one for each day until all eight are lit, and is placed in a central position, higher than the others.

In John 8:12, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness.” And again, in John 9:5, He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” These two incidents take us up to chapter 10:22,23, “And it was at the feast of the dedication, and it was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s Porch.”

I believe Jesus proclaimed He was the Light of the world during a time when the Jews would understand the significance of His declaration. Once you study the Feasts and their symbolic references to the Messiah, you’ll see where He did this often as a sign to His people.

And while their eyes may be blinded still, God says He will pour out His Grace upon them one day, and they will look upon the One whom they pierced and understand with great mourning. Zechariah 12:10.

May those of us who are wild olive branches, grafted in to the root of the true olive tree, pray for the hastening of that day. Until then, we are Christ’s ambassadors and told to be lights to this world. What an awesome privilege!

Hanukkah is a feast of joy and celebration. It is a time of family participation with the lighting of the menorah, special songs, games played with a dreidel (in Israel-a sivivon - see left image), reenactments and, of course, food. A famous dish for Hanukkah is latkes, a potato and onion patty fried in oil.

Chag Sameach--Happy Holidays!

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