Why I Celebrate Hanukkah
Is it OK for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah?
Is it required for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah? (Or Christmas or Easter or the "tinsel and trappings" of any other holiday, according to the traditions and set dates our society associates with these?)
Is it required for a Jew to celebrate the Festival of Lights (Hanukkah)?
While Hanukkah is the most well-known Jewish holiday in American culture in the year 2021, it is not one of the seven festivals and feasts (“appointed times” or “holy convocations”) commanded by God that His people must observe! (See Leviticus 23.) Here is a neat article on how the appointed times each foreshadow the coming of the Messiah. (Since I'll also be referencing some of these holy convocations later in this article, you might wish to hop over and read about the feasts and festivals now.)
The Jewish temple had a 6-branched "menorah" (lamp), while the Hanukkah menorah has 9 branches. The nine signify the eight nights the dedicated oil miraculously kept burning 🪔 during the week-long process required to consecrate oil from beaten (rather than crushed) olives, plus an additional candle of seemingly somewhat mysterious origin. This 9-branched candelabrum, while often referred to by the generic term "menorah" is technically called the "hanukkiah".
The center candle in the hanukkiah is called the "Shamask" or Helper/Servant Candle. It is the candle that, by my research as a Gentile (non-Hebrew) twenty-first century woman, without cultural upbringing in Jewish tradition, does not seem to be historically tied to Hanukkah events. (If someone knows how this candle came to be part of the tradition, please let me know. I have not been able to find this answer!)
In John 7, on the last and greatest day of the Feast of Booths, Jesus caused quite a stir in the temple, creating discention between the Jewish people who were identifying Him as their promised Messiah, and the political/religious rulers of Israel who saw Him as a threat to their power.
Chapter 9 of John deals extensively with blindness and sight. A physical object lesson (healing a blind man) is used to illustrate spiritual realities of living in darkness or having the Light of Life.
Why do I light the candles?
Yes!
Absolutely not.
Surprisingly, also no.
GotQuestions notes that "Chanukkah [one of several acceptable spellings] is probably one of the best-known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. Because of this, it is ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion and people, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on the Jewish calendar."
While the historical events that inspire the Hanukkah celebration did not even happen until about a century after the time of Alexander the Great, less than 200 years before Christ, we do know that this was a tradition celebrated by the Jewish people while Jesus walked the earth. (It is quite possible that Jesus grew up lighting Hanukkah candles with his family each year.)
The shamask is typically elevated higher than any other light in the lampstand. It is the original source used to light all the other candles in the hanukkiah.
Powerful reminders of my faith are why I light the Festival flames:
Jesus came to be the Servant of all.
He is our Helper.
While He had all authority in highest Heaven, He laid aside the glory of Heaven to walk this lowly earth, where His set mission was to be "lifted up" on the cross.
We are not the light, but Jesus, our source, sends us into the world as light to reflect Him.
And so many, many more parallels to the Hanukkah celebration. Please leave any comparisons you think of in comments, as I'm intentionally only scratching the surface here!
Back in the temple (either that same day, or the very next morning) John 8 is filled with references by Jesus concerning Old Testament prophecies about Himself. If this chapter confuses you, please spend time reading through the Old Testament, where you will find so much of this same language!
The religious leaders listening to Jesus, and even many of the common people, were unequivocally clear that Jesus was making the claim of being their long-awaired Messianic Savior! This is the chapter where (at the Temple, so within feet of that original 6-branched menorah that the Festival of Lights miracle is all about), Jesus plainly states "I Am the Light of the World." In the same chapter also, "Before Abraham was, I AM."!
John chapter 10 presents more "I AM" quotes from Jesus. Here we learn that He is the Door/Gate (depending on translation) of the sheep 🐑 (his people), that He is the Good Shepherd who willingly came to die to save His sheep, that His sheep include two flocks (both Jew and non-Jew) that will become One in Him, that Jesus is loved by God the Father because He has both the power and authority to not only lay down His life, but to take it back up again (the feast of First Fruits and significance of "third day" should come to mind about now!). All Jesus's claims caused quite a division among the Jews!
On the heals of these claims of diety, in verse 22-30 we read, "At that time the Feast of Dedication [a.k.a. Hanukkah] took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple [again, near the menorah], in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
John 10:22-30 ESV
In both John 8:59, then again in 10:31, leaders rile up the people in an attempt to commit mob murder of Jesus, via stoning.
His crime? Claiming to be God!
Anyone who tells you "Jesus never claimed to be God," has not taken the time to read these four chapters in context of all the prophecies He undeniably came to fulfill. See John 10:33 - His hearers had no question about His claims!
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#JesusIsTheAnswer
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Please join me @InfertilityMom on Instagram to watch my hanukkiah light up, candle by candle, all week!
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