One of the first questions people ask me about Hanukkah is, “Why should we as Christians celebrate it?” The answer is simple: it is in the Bible, and Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated this festival (John 10:22). What the Scriptures call the Feast of the Dedication is now known as the celebration of Hanukkah, which in Hebrew means “dedication, consecration.”
During the time of Nehemiah when the wall in Jerusalem was completed, the Levites celebrated “the dedication [chanukkah] with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs. … The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall” (Nehemiah 12:27, 30).[1] Hanukkah is celebrated with this same joyful thanksgiving and connects dedication with purification, consecration, and covenant faithfulness.
Around 167 BC, the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“God Manifested”) claimed to be Zeus incarnate and desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. He sacrificed swine on the sacred altar, plundered the Temple wealth, and stole the golden menorah. Finally, the Jewish Maccabees recaptured the Temple Mount, cleared out all the idols, and built a makeshift menorah. However, when they went to light the menorah, they found only one cruse of sanctified oil—enough for one day. The rest of the purified oil had been desecrated in idol sacrifices. So the priest poured this one cruse of oil into the menorah and lit it. Also called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of this tiny cruse of oil lasting all eight days until the high priest could sanctify more olive oil. This miracle was a sign to the Jews that God was with them in rededicating the Temple to the Lord.
As a faithful Jew, Yeshua would have kept this biblical festival from the time of His childhood. He would have heard the teaching and celebrated Hanukkah every year. John 10:22 says, “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.” So even in His ministry, Christ was at the Temple celebrating the Feast of Dedication. Remember, He did not come to do away with the Law; He came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).
The Kingdom is a lifestyle in the presence of God. Hanukkah teaches us that when you dedicate your life to the Lord, He will respond and unfold to you the truth of His Word. That is when you will see miracles take place. Christ said, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). So to celebrate this time of dedication you could light candles and have a time of worship around them. Often the candles are placed in a windowsill where people outside can see the light as a testimony of God’s light to the world.
Every night of Hanukkah look for God to do something. When you dedicate your life to Him on another level, He will respond. Teach your children about this festival and talk about some of the miracles that happened in the Scriptures. Do whatever is fun for you and your family to joyously celebrate this time. Agree together as a family and ask, “What are we believing to see the Lord do for us? What are we believing to see Him do in the Body of Christ or in our neighborhood?” Let the lights burn during the evening as a constant reminder that you are looking for God to move during these moments as you rededicate your lives to Him. Happy Hanukkah!
[1] All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).
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