Hanukkah may be best known for the lighting of the menorah and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days in the Temple following the Maccabean Revolt. But the true heart of the Hanukkah celebration is the cleansing of the altar and the rededication of the Temple after a small group of Jewish farmers had defeated their enemies. Just as there are eight candles burning on the menorah during the celebration of Hanukkah, there are at least eight good reasons for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah.

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Show Notes:

Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, is actually a biblical feast and has significance for us as Christians. Here are eight reasons why Christians should consider celebrating Hanukkah:

1. Hanukkah is found in the Bible. In John 10:22, we see that Christ celebrated the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah).
2. We all need times for a new dedication and recommitment of ourselves to God and to a deeper level of service to the Lord.
3. Once again the land of Israel is under the leadership of the Jewish people. This restoration was promised by God, and Christians should celebrate that we are yoked together with Israel and the Jewish people.
4. Hanukkah foreshadows the days of the complete fulfillment of the messianic prophecies where we see God’s Kingdom and God’s rulership on earth as it is now in heaven.
5. Celebrating Hanukkah looks forward to the end of anti-Semitism: the end of persecution and desecration of the Jewish people in our day and age.
6. As Christians we should join with the Jewish people in the bold proclamation of their faith by celebrating Hanukkah.
7. We are showing our oneness today with Judaism, with the State of Israel, and with the Jewish people everywhere as our elder brothers in the faith.
8. In celebrating Hanukkah, we reconnect ourselves with the Jewish Yeshua (Jesus) and return to our Hebrew roots—to recognize them, to be thankful for them, to engage with them, and to learn more deeply the ways that were the ways of Yeshua.

Key Verses:

• John 10:22–24. “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place; … and Jesus was walking in the temple.”
• Daniel 3:13–18. “We are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image.”
• Matthew 5:14–16. “Let your light shine.”
• Matthew 5:17. “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law; … I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Quotes:

• “We should live our lives as Christians in oneness with the Jewish people in their fight against anti-Semitism because their fight is our fight.”
• “As Christians celebrating Hanukkah, we can celebrate the bold proclamation of Jews down through the centuries that say, ‘We will not bow down to the idolatry of this age.’”
• “There’s something very important in the coming together of Christians and Jews in today’s world. Hanukkah can be a bridge for us to see that happen.”

Takeaways:

1. Go back and read the Book of the Maccabees, the Jewish Encyclopedia, and the other sources to find out for yourself what was done and how it was done—so that Hanukkah will create in you a oneness with our Jewish brothers and sisters.
2. Take time in this holiday season to open your heart, your mind, and your spirit to reconnect through the celebration of Hanukkah with the Jewish roots of our faith so that you will find something new and alive in your own Christian experience.

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