Skip to main content

Hannukah: How to Celebrate Christ During The Festival of Lights


The Feast of Hanukah often falls during Christmas time. It is an nine day celebration to remember a miracle during The Maccabees, when the menorah lamp burned for nine days without any oil. This miracle was celebrated by the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, it was at The Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights, Hanukah, that Jesus revealed something major about Himself:

"Jesus Asserts His Deity. At that time the Feast of Dedication [Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, Chanukah] took place at Jerusalem. 23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple [area] in Solomon’s portico. 24 So the Jews surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are [really] the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), tell us so plainly and openly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I have told you so, yet you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name testify concerning Me [they are My credentials and the evidence declaring who I am]. 26 But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep. 27 The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are One [in essence and nature].” (John 10:22-30). At the Hanukah Jesus revealed to the Jews who He was, God in the flesh. He admitted to them plainly that He and Father are One and promised eternal life to His sheep. This means at Hanukkah we may celebrate the Deity of Christ, that He is truly God and Savior, and eternal life is only found in Him. 

While we prepare to celebrate the Birth of Christ, we should consider adopting the Feast of Dedication, and celebrating Jesus Christ being God and One with Father, and eternal life in Him. For it was at this festival that our Savior revealed Himself plainly to the unbelieving, and He made the declaring that He and Father are One God. May we not light a candelabra for eight days celebrating the hope revealed, that Jesus is our Salvation and He shall never let us perish and that nothing can snatch us from His Hand (John 10:28). Is this not worthy of our celebration? The comfort that we cannot be lost, that Christ will never let us go. Let me share those words again of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, " And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28). Oh to read these words and listen to Beethoven's Ode to Joy! For we can take the Festival of Dedication and make it ours as Christians, celebrating that in Christ Jesus is eternal salvation, and that nothing can pluck us from His hand and Father's Hand! O that We would swim in these promises of God, and stop letting doubt and devils hound us. So let us start a new tradition, pick up a Hanukah menorah lamp, and light it for eight nights, perhaps in front of painting of Christ or the Cross, and read these words over and over; let them seep into you soul, " And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28). Let us turn the Feast of Dedication into a dedication to Christ Jesus. Let us read His words and let them soak in us and remind us of our blessed assurance in Him. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Israel’s Conquest of Canaan: The Nephilim and Giants

  Christianity Today asserts that the conquest of Canaan can be a “stumbling block” for believers. This probably is because of a foolish idea of comparing it to a modern conquest happening in our world. The truth is that God had Israel conquer Canaan because it was ruled by evil giants, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:33). These are Anakim or Nephilim, the children of angels and human women, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God (angels) saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These w
Post a Comment
Read more

Dispensationalism

John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) was a man who did two things, he took 70th week of the Book of Daniel and stretched out to the End Times, and he was the father of  Dispensationalism , a belief system that God dispenses different peoples with separate blessings and covenants. According to Darb'ys doctrine of Dispensationalism, God dispenses different covenants. There are total of seven dispensations that divide the history of man: I. Dispensation of Innocence (prior to the Fall, "Do not east of the Fruit of Good and Eve, Eden), II. Dispensation of Conscience ( You must assuage guilt and sin with blood sacrifices.) III. Dispensation of Human Government (Multiply and Subdue the world, example the Tower of Babel Gen 11:1-9, and Genesis 1:28). IV. Dispensation of the Promise (Dwell in Canaan, Jerusalem) V. Dispensation of the Law ("Obey the Law of Moses and the Prophets"). VI. Dispensation of Grace (The Church, Jesus Christ has come and died for our sins an
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus’ Name in Aramaic

There has been a trend to render Jesus’ name Hebrew, יֵשׁוּעַ , Yeshua. The problem is neither Christ nor his apostles, nor the Jews in 30-33 A.D. spoke Hebrew, they spoke Aramaic. A ramaic is the oldest language on earth and was the language Jesus spoke. In fact, the oldest Old Testament is the Septuagint a Greco translation around 132 B.C.E. (165 Years Before Christ)that was translated from Aramaic. The Masoretic Text, The Hebrew Old Testament most Bibles use, dates from 7th to 10th Century A.D. (Medieval Times).  This translation does not cross reference with the words of Christ in the New Testament which are Aramaic and Koine Greek.  If the Aramaic was what Jesus spoke, then by what name would have been called? Jesus’ name in Aramaic is Isho or Eesho, spelled ܝܫܘܥ . That is the name of our Lord in Aramaic! He would have heard his name in this dialect, “Hail Isho or Eesho!” as well as the Greek, Ἰ ησο ῦ ς , Iesous.  Aramaic is disappearing, only a few people are endeavo
Post a Comment
Read more