Hanukkah and Its Meaningful Lessons for Christians

What is Hanukkah about? Beginning in 168 bc, during the period between the old and new Testaments, the Greeks, led by the evil King Antiochus, were hellenizing the empire including the Jewish culture. They forbade the Jews from worshipping the one true God, observing the Sabbath along with any Jewish Feasts and rituals. And they forbade the possession of the Torah, which consists of the first 5 books of the bible.

The Greeks also desecrated the temple with pig blood and broth, erected a statue of the pagan Zeus and made an abomination by sacrificing a pig. The majority of the Jewish population fell in line with the Greeks by assimilating into the hellenistic culture. A Jewish priest even allowed the Greeks into the temple to desecrate it! But there was one small group of Jews who stood their ground, led by Mattathias Maccabee and his sons.

They struggled against the Greeks and the Jews who fell away into the Hellenistic culture. The Maccabees were greatly outnumbered in their battle, but Mattathias' son, Judas Maccabee, was gifted with great wisdom in battle strategy and they defeated the Greeks. Upon their victory, they returned to the temple in Jerusalem to find it a shambles and unclean for worship. They cleansed the temple, removed the profanity of Zeus and rededicated it to God.

One of God's requirements for the temple was to keep the menorah lit at all times. However, they could only find one flask of oil that was suitable. That one flask would only keep the menorah lit for one day, but miraculously, it kept the menorah lit for 8 full days. Thus, they instituted Hanukkah as a celebration to commemorate this miracle. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication. We read in John 10:22 that Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah. It was fitting for him to do so as a Jew.

As Christians, what lessons can we glean from Hanukkah?

First, we must guard ourselves from compromising and being assimilated into the upside down culture of this world where it calls evil good and good evil.

To guard ourselves, we need to hold tight to the truth of God's word and remember that we are God's temple as we read in ‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16‬.

As God's temple we must guard ourselves from being desecrated by consistently examining ourselves in relation to God's word and remove from our lives any habit, activity, thought, or lifestyle that is not within the will of God. It is a lifelong process in which we rededicate ourselves to the ways and will of God.

Apostle Paul teaches in ‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

The next point we can glean from Hanukkah is to fight with faith like the Maccabees even when we're outnumbered.

We must put on the whole armor of God and fight the good fight of faith and always be on guard because the spirit of the anti-christ is permeating this world just as the evil King Antiochus permeated the world of the Jews.

We read in ‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:11‭-‬12‬, "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith."

Next, just as we learned that the menorah was to always remain lit in the temple, we must always keep the light of the Spirit lit within us.

‭Apostle Paul teaches in Galatians‬ ‭5:25‬ and 16, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." ‭"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

As we keep that holy light lit within us, we must also let it shine for others to see. Jesus teaches in ‭Matthew‬ ‭5:14‭-‬16‬, “You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

One last take away from Hanukkah is that the Hanukkah Menorah, known as the Hanukiah, has a 9th candle called the shamash which means "servant, helper, or minister". This servant candle is set higher on the Hanukiah and is used to light the other 8 candles. This candle symbolizes Christ who is the "Light of the world" and lights each one of us through the Holy Spirit. This has significant meaning to not only Christians, but also to Messianic Jews who believe in Jesus.

Hanukkah is full of spiritual richness and is relevant holiday for our lives today as we draw closer to end times. It is a foreshadow of what is yet to come picturing the battle we do face and have yet to face, the anti-christ, the desecration of the temple and the desolation of abomination. Hanukkah also reminds us that no matter how dark this world becomes, Christ is the light in us and he has overcome the darkness.

So let us be encouraged and emboldened in the power of the Holy Spirit as we reflect on the lessons of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
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