HANUKKAH | THE FESTIVAL OF DEDICATION
The Lord's Dedication


Hanukkah the Festival of Dedication is also called the Feast of Lights. It's an 8 eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, commemorating the victory in 165 B.C. of the Maccabees over King Antiochus Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah has only five letters in the original Hebrew. In English there are at least 16 ways to spell it, including: Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka.

THE STORY OF HANUKKAH
Antiochus Epiphanes was the ruler of Judea over 2000 years ago. He was a tyrannical Syrian king. He forbade the Jews to observe the Sabbath or study God's word, the Torah, and he erected a statue of Zeus (The principal god of the Greek pantheon) in their sacred temple of Jerusalem. Many Jews followed his decrees, because they had believed they had no choice; those who resisted were executed.

In 167 B.C. the Jews were driven to desperation. They rose up against Antiochus. Mattathias, a well-respected priest, gathered together an army and put his five sons in charge. After three years of fighting, the Maccabees drove the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the temple in Jerusalem.

The Maccabees quickly got rid of the statue of Zeus. They cleansed, purified and rededicated the temple. The menorah was re-kindled. The menorah used to celebrate Hannukah is a candelabra with seven candles. Although they could only find enough undefiled oil to burn for a single day, the menorah burned for eight. This was the miracle.

The Days of Awe (Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur) serve to all as a time of personal rededication, a time of reflection and repentance. These are days of solemnity. Hanukkah serves as a celebration of family, friends and God's dedication to us. Hanukkah also serves as a time for us to rededicate ourselves to God.

Yeshua (Jesus) Celebrates Hanukkah

Yeshua (Jesus) observed the celebration of Hanukkah in the Temple during the winter of AD 29 (John 10:22-39). Just before this account two descriptions (10:6) of Yeshua as the Good Shepherd (10:1-5 and 10:7-10) were given and then Yeshua reveled the meaning of these parables (l0:11-18).

As He walked through Solomon's porch on the east side of the Temple, some Jews approached Him and asked Him directly, "Are you the Messiah?" (10:24). He said, "I and my Father are one'" (10:30). That statement had heavy religious overtones for the festival which they were presently celebrating. Those gathered on the Temple Mount recalled the events nearly 200 years before on the very mount where, Antiochus IV, a mere man, proclaimed himself god. Jesus, the LORD manifest in human flesh, made the same claim but His claim was true. The Jews picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy because, in their thinking, He was a man who made Himself God (10:31-33). Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of Hanukkah by saying the Father "sanctified" the Son of God and sent Him into the world (10:34-36), The Father was in Him and He in the Father (10:38). If the Greek word "sanctified" was translated into Hebrew, it would be "dedication" or Hanukkah.