FOR SABBATH OF HANUKKAH – Zechariah 2 : 10 – 4 : 7
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival held during our December and this year this 8 day festival starts on the evening of the 22nd and culminates on December 30th. It commemorates the oil which burned for 8 days after the Jews had defeated the Greek forces of the immensely cruel Antiochus Epiphanies who was determined to wipe out the Jews in 169 – 166 BC.
After the fighting, the temple had to be cleansed but there was only enough holy oil to last for one night. A miracle took place – the miracle of the oil. And this led to the well-known scripture : Zechariah 4: 7 “Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.” It’s a scripture about the coming Messiah, “the Branch” who is to reinstitute the Priesthood.
Jesus is the High Priest – Hebrews 8: 1 . The “Body of Jesus” (that’s us) is also a temple – 1 Corinthians 3: 16. We are priests of that temple – 1 Peter 2: 9. We are part of the restoration of that spiritual temple which is coming. We understand why Jesus too could keep this holiday – John 10: 22 – for it is a holiday of a new Kingdom which is to come, a holiday of joy, gifts, light and laughter in which we see that the long night is over, the Messiah has come!
In scripture Hanukkah is called “The festival of light” … Jesus is the light of the world – John 8: 12. We are to be a light in the world – Matthew 5: 14