HANUKKAH
Hanukkah is the celebration of the rededication of the Temple and a Miracle concerning the Menorah, the 7 branched Lamp in the Holy Place. (Slide 1-3)
The Menorah in the Holy Place represented the Light of the Lord. First there was the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Then Solomon built the Temple, which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and then Zerubbabel over saw the rebuilt Temple.
Zerubbabel’s Temple was the Temple during the days of Hanukkah.
Illustrations power point. (Slides 2-4)
The Temple held the presence of God on earth – the Place where Sacrifices were offered, and atonement might be found- The place that was the Testimony of God on earth.
The Events that precipitated Hanukah occurred after the Old Testament was completed and before the events chronicled in the New Testament.
The incidences concerning Hanukah were orchestrated by the Lord and are noted as historical fact in the New Covenant when Jesus was in the Temple in John 10:22-23 which is Hanukkah.
“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon
The events of Chanukkah are also chronicled in the book of Maccabees which is part of the Apocrypha. Historical but not accepted by both Jews and Protestants as part of God given Scripture.
Chanukah is Hebrew for the word “dedication” or “consecration”.
But it is important for us to understand that without the events of Chanukah there would have been no Christmas (Slide 5)
For the stage to be set for the coming of Yeshua, the Temple needed to be in full operation. The prophets foretold that the Messiah was going to come to the Temple.
(Slide 6) The Temple Yeshua came to was totally updated and redesigned with the consultation of the Sadducees by Herod.
Repeatedly in his gospel Matthew writes that the actions of Yeshua were to fulfill the word of the prophets.
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
Hanukkah occurred in the time between the testaments, the so-called 400 silent years. The historical account is recorded in first and second Maccabees.
1 and 2 Maccabees are ancient Jewish historical books that describe the events leading to and following the Hanukkah story, especially the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century BC.
They record the desecration of the Temple, the rise of the Maccabees, the cleansing and rededication of the Temple, and the restoration of Jewish worship.
These books are part of a larger collection called the Apocrypha; writings produced during the period between the Old and New Testaments.
The Apocrypha was included in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures used widely in the Jewish diaspora and by early Christians.
Judaism does not regard the Apocrypha as inspired Scripture. Most Protestant churches also do not include it in the biblical canon. However The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions include many of these books in their Bibles.
While not considered Scripture by Jews or Protestants, 1 and 2 Maccabees are highly valuable for historical background, helping explain the political, religious, and cultural world of the New Testament.
They provide essential context for understanding Hanukkah, the condition of the Temple, Jewish expectations of deliverance, and why events like John 10:22 mention the Feast of Dedication even though Hanukkah is not commanded in the Torah.
In 171 B.C. Antiochus 4th came to power over the Syrian Empire, He called himself Epiphanes, which means the manifest God. Antiochus’ goal was to unify his kingdom back to the glory of Alexander.
When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided and left to four leading generals to lead and govern. The most successful of the four were the Ptolemaic and Selucid empires. (Slide 7)
The Ptolemaic kingdom was centered in Egypt while the Selucid was centered in Syria. The cities of Antioch were named for the Syrian Kings. Antiochus 4th was set on unifying his kingdom including Judea, into one monolithic Hellenistic (Greek) culture.
The events that led to Hanukkah began in 167 B.C. in reaction to Antiochus’ forced unification. Which included the building of pagan temples to the gods of Olympus and the outlaw of worship to the one true God of Israel and observing His Commandments.
Antiochus’ soldiers forced the Jewish people to offer sacrifices to the gods of Olympus and assimilate to Hellenism.
Hellenism, refers to Greek culture and worship that began with the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century, B.C.E. It was the culture that united Alexanders Kingdom. One world govt and Language
And so, a massive struggle began between cultures: Judaism (monotheism) vs. Hellenism (polytheism). With overwhelming strength Antiochus captured Jerusalem and took over the Temple and began transforming it into a Sanctuary for the gods of Olympus.
Slide 8. Antiochus erected an image of himself as the chief god in the Jerusalem Temple and sacrificed a pig on the Altar defiling the Temple.
He sent his armies from town to town forcing the people to offer sacrifices to the God’s of Olympus.
(Slide 9) Mattathias, a priest, a descendant of Aaron, led a revolt against these armies. Joined by his sons he began guerilla warfare against Antiochus’ army and Hellenism. Their uprising began a revolutionary war against Syria.
One year after the start of their attack Mattathias died in 166 B.C. His oldest son Judah then led the revolt in his place. (slide 10) They would pounce on the Syrians and came to be known as Maccabees or “hammerers” in Hebrew.
Providentially another war broke out in the Eastern part of the Empire and Antiochus left Israel to lead the fight and died there in battle.
With the king dead, The Maccabees recaptured the Temple, cleansed it, and dedicated it on of the 25th Kislev in 165 B.C. It was at this time that the Miracle of the Menorah occurred.
The word Chanukah is Hebrew for “dedication” and refers to the dedication of the Temple in 165 B.C. after it’s desecration by Antiochus.
Slide 11. For the Temple to function the Menorah in the Holy place was to continually burn. The oil used in the Menorah had to be pure olive oil, which had to be consecrated in a procedure detailed in Leviticus.
When the Maccabees retook the Temple, they were only able to find a one-day supply of oil that had been sealed and not defiled. It would supply the seven bowls of the Menorah for only one day.
According to the requirements of Scripture it would take one week to prepare more oil. The miracle according to tradition, was that the one day of supply lasted eight days, long enough to prepare new oil.
Slide 10. This is why on Chanukah we light an 9 stemmed menorah to commemorate each day of the miracle. The 9th or middle light is called the Shammash or servant which lights the other 8 candles.
Hanukkah is therefore the perfect backdrop for the time that Yeshua came to His Temple in John 10:22. Hanukkah is a festival about identity, purity, kingship, and revelation.
1. The Confrontation: “Tell us plainly are You the Messiah?” (vv 22-24)
During Hanukkah, Jewish leaders surround Yeshua in Solomon’s Portico and demand clarity:
“How long will You keep us in suspense?If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
This is not an honest inquiry. The Greek word translated “surround” carries the sense of pressing in to intimidate. They wanted Yeshua to define Himself according to their expectations.
Hanukkah itself was a time of longing for deliverance. The memory of the Maccabees still stirred national hope of a political liberator.
But Yeshua refuses to let the crowd define His Messiahship through the lens of military power or nationalism. He responds with His works, His voice, and His relationship with the Father.
2. The Witness of His Works (verse 25)
“I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness of Me.”
Hanukkah commemorates miracles the deliverance of God’s people against impossible odds. Yeshua points to His own works as a greater testimony of divine deliverance.
The healing of the blind, the raising of the dead, the cleansing of the unclean these were signs that the Kingdom had drawn near.
In the same way Hanukkah recalls the restoration of the Temple,
Yeshua’s works point to the restoration of humanity. He is not merely a restorer of a building but the restorer of people.
3. The Unbelief of the Leaders (verse 26)
“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”
Their issue is not lack of information. It is a spiritual posture.
They refuse to hear, refuse to see, refuse to follow.
Hanukkah historically reminds Israel that compromise with the world led to spiritual blindness. Here again, the leaders cannot recognize the very One whom the Temple was built to honor.
4. The Identity of Yeshua the True Shepherd (verses 27 to 29)
“My sheep hear My voice I know them They follow Me I give them eternal life, they will never perish no one can snatch them from My hand.”
These words contrast sharply with the corrupt shepherds criticized by prophets such as ub Ezekiel 34. During Hanukkah, Israel remembered the failure of priests who allowed foreign corruptions into the Temple.
Yeshua now presents Himself as the faithful Shepherd who gathers, protects, and preserves His flock. He provides what no earthly liberator ever could, eternal life, security, protection, and intimacy with God.
Just as the Maccabees delivered Israel from Antiochus, Yeshua delivers His people from darkness itself.
5. The Unity of the Father and the Son (verse 30)
“I and the Father are one.”
This is the climax. In the very season celebrating God’s faithfulness to dwell among His people, Yeshua declares His unity with the Father. Not merely unity of purpose but unity of essence.
The Temple was the symbol of God’s presence. Yeshua is the embodiment of God’s presence.
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the House of God. In Yeshua, God Himself is present in the flesh.
6. Application: What Hanukkah Teaches Us About Yeshua Today
A. Yeshua is the true Light in a world of counterfeit kings
During Hanukkah we remember a man who claimed divinity and brought darkness. Yeshua, the true Light, brings life and revelation.
B. Yeshua is the true Temple
The Temple was restored but Yeshua is the living Temple where God dwells. Through Him we are also being made into a holy dwelling for God.
C. Yeshua is the Good Shepherd who speaks today
His sheep still hear His voice. He still leads. He still protects.
He still gives eternal life.
D. Yeshua calls us to rededication
Hanukkah is about cleansing the Temple. Paul says we are the Temple of the Spirit. Hanukkah invites every believer to examine our lives, remove defilement, and rededicate ourselves to the God who preserves His people.
Conclusion
At Hanukkah, Israel remembered a courageous stand for the purity of God’s house. Yeshua steps into this feast and reveals that He is the One who purifies, restores, and preserves.
He is the true Light, the true Shepherd, the true Temple, the true Messiah.
Hanukkah is not only a celebration of past deliverance but a pointer to the One who brings eternal deliverance. And to all who hear His voice and follow Him, He gives eternal life and no one can snatch them from His hand.
