“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." (1)
Could they be serious? Tell them plainly? How much clearer could it be? The man they questioned had become legendary for the miracles performed in the countryside of Judea and Galiliee, especially Capernaum. Throngs of multitudes witnessed. How could they miss the message?
The architecture of the great colonnade, with its beautiful portico, elaborate porch and pillars, framed those challenging His divinity. Calm, he continued, “Why do you accuse me of blasphemy when I say ‘I am the Son of God’? Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God.” (2)
So the miracles spoke for the Son.
Of His Father’s name spoke the miracles.
The speech of the miracles were of the Father.
The architecture of the great colonnade, with its beautiful portico, elaborate porch and pillars, framed those challenging His divinity. Calm, he continued, “Why do you accuse me of blasphemy when I say ‘I am the Son of God’? Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God.” (2)
Could it be they were remembering the events two centuries prior when another, an Antiochus Epiphanes had made similar claims? He too had declared himself to be a manifestation of God. “In his arrogance he entered the temple and carried off the gold altar, the lamp stand with all its fittings, the table of the Bread of Presence, the libation cups and bowls, the gold censers, the curtain, the garlands.” (3)
Yet, what miracles had he performed? What prophecy had he fulfilled? History could only record edicts of destruction, ones to assimilate the Jews with other subjects of the empire. They were to abandon their whole-offerings. Sacrifices and drink-offerings were forbidden. No longer were there to be celebrations of the Sabbath. Feast days were profaned and the temple defiled. (4)
So set was this ruler on exterminating the customs of the Jews that he decreed that “The Jews were to leave their sons uncircumcised; they had to make themselves in every way abominable, unclean, and profane, and so forget the law and change all their statues.” The penalty for not would be death! (5)
Had this mad man been successful in his endeavors, there would have been no temple nor Jewish people that day to have discourse with Yeshua as “every scroll of the law that was found was torn up and consigned to the flames, and anyone discovered in possession of a Book of the Covenant or conforming to the law was by sentence of the king condemned to die.” (6)
It was not to be that the Christ would come to defile the temple. It was not to be that He would destroy His people. For His father would not “destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as He promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.” (7) Along with that covenant, the Lord had said, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.” (8)
For the creator of the universe brought light unto this world. His first command after creating the heavens and the earth was to bring light. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (9) The triune God brought light. While He spoke, His spirit hovered over the surface of the water, (10) and the light of the world entered. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (11)
Yet, this day the true light stood in defense in the courtyard of His own temple. All around were sacred vestments which pointed to His coming, to the salvation He would bring. Yet the sheep of the flock threatened to hurl stones at him on that, the day of the “Feast of Dedication”.
So God created light for the world.
For the world the light was it created.
Light and Love did He make them all.
Yet, this day the true light stood in defense in the courtyard of His own temple. All around were sacred vestments which pointed to His coming, to the salvation He would bring. Yet the sheep of the flock threatened to hurl stones at him on that, the day of the “Feast of Dedication”.
It had been the Maccabeens who cleansed the temple after Antiochus had defiled it. They said, “let us go up to cleanse and rededicate the temple.” (12) Not knowing what to do with the pig stained stones of the altar, they stored them. They rightly deferred that decision to a future prophet. (13)
At this “Feast of Dedication”, at this celebration of the rededication of the temple, a time when the new sacred vessels adorned the holy site in Jerusalem, at this time and at this sight, the light that had come into the world was rejected by those very “lost ones of Israel” that He had been sent to redeem. (14)
Towering above the courtyard, the shadows of the lamp stands must have lighted upon the Messiah as He remembered the words the Lord had spoken to Moses, “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before the LORD must be tended continually.” (15)
So the lamps were tended continually.
From morning to evening were the lamps tended.
Tending the pure gold lamps continually was everlasting.
After all, wasn’t Aaron the high priest? Wasn’t it his job to keep the lamp stand lit? Wasn’t he to tend the light continually, to supply it with fresh oil, that it have an eternal flame? Wasn’t it this same light that was extinguished and blasphemed by the Syrian king?
This day’s celebration resulted from the miracle God had performed by extending the coverage of the sacred oil over the entire eight days of the “dedication” or Chanukah. The Maccabees had only enough consecrated oil for one day. It would require seven days for the temple oil to be purified. Yet the Jehovah-Jireh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had indeed provided. He that said, “There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed,” (16) indeed performed a miracle. The lamps did not extinguish.
And as our Lord stood before the Jews with heavy heart, the justice of his cause shone through in the words, “If my deeds are not the deeds of my Father, do not believe me. But if they are, then even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, so that you may recognize and know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (17)
That festive twenty-fifth of Kislev, again Jews chose to reject the Messiah whom Simeon took in his arms “and praised God, saying: ‘For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ ” (18)
According to the Apostle John, Yeshua made escape from the angry crowds that morning. He would later plead, “While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of the light.” (19) He withdrew across the Jordon and no doubt performed many more miracles, healing the sick, the leprous, paralyzed, and bleeding; those demon-possessed, hungry, and hurting; restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.
Even the agony of the cross could not extinguish His light. He conquered darkness and entered the throne room to sit with his Father in Heaven. “and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name is upon their foreheads, and night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign--to the ages of the ages.” (20)
At this season of Chanukah, may we who follow the risen savior not forget that it is He who brings light to a hungry and hurting world. May we remember as Simeon so eloquently stated that He is the “light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”.
As the eight candles on the Chanukah Menorah are lit by the one servant or “Shammash” candle, may the following scriptures be your guiding light this season. Read the “servant” scripture the first and every day add to it the collective group. On day one, read the “servant” scripture and “Day One” scripture. On day two, read the “servant” scripture and that of “Day One” and “Day Two”. On the final or eighth day, you will read nine pieces of scripture.
May this exercise serve to draw you closer to the source of all light, Jesus Christ the Lord!
SERVANT CANDLE:
Genesis 1:3-4 Then God said, "Let there be light." And light appeared. And God was pleased with it and divided the light from the darkness.
DAY ONE:
Isaiah 42:5-6 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
DAY TWO:
Isaiah 49:6-7 He says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." This is what the LORD says-- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel-- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
DAY THREE:
John 1:1-5 Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.
DAY FOUR:
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
DAY FIVE:
John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.
DAY SIX:
John 12:44-46 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness.
DAY SEVEN:
Acts 26:22-23 But God protected me so that I am still alive today to tell these facts to everyone, both great and small. I teach nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said— that the Messiah would suffer and be the First to rise from the dead, to bring light to Jews and Gentiles alike."
DAY EIGHT:
2 Peter 1:19-20 So we have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the prophets’ words, then the light will dawn in your souls and Christ the Morning Star will shine in your hearts. For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God.
For more history on Chanukah and its relevance to Christians read:
Scripture References:
(1) John 10:22-24 (NIV) 22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
(2) John 10:35-38 (TLB) 35 "So if the Scripture, which cannot be untrue, speaks of those as gods to whom the message of God came, 36 do you call it blasphemy when the one sanctified and sent into the world by the Father says, ’I am the Son of God’? 37 Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God. 38 But if I do, believe them even if you don’t believe me. Then you will become convinced that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
(3) First Book of the Maccabees 1: 21-24 (Revised English Bible) “In his arrogance he entered the temple and carried off the gold altar, the lamp stand with all its fittings, the table of the Bread of Presence, the libation cups and bowls, the gold censers, the curtain, the garlands. He stripped the gold plating from the front of the temple, seized the silver and gold, the precious vessels, and whatever secret treasures he found, and carried them all away when he left for his own country.””
(4) First Book of the Maccabees 1: 41, 45-46 (Revised English Bible) “The king issued an edict throughout his empire; his subjects were all to become people and abandon their own customs. 45 Whole-offerings, sacrifices, and drink-offerings were forbidden in the temple; Sabbaths and feast days were to be profaned, 46 the temple and its ministers defiled. 47 Pagan altars, idols, and sacred precincts were to be established, sacred precincts were to be established, swine and other unclean beasts to be offered in sacrifice.”
(5) First Book of the Maccabees 1: 41, 48-50 (Revised English Bible) “The Jews were to leave their sons uncircumcised; they had to make themselves in every way abominable, unclean, and profane, and so forget the law and change all their statues. The penalty for disobeying the royal command was death.”
(6) First Book of the Maccabees 1: 41, 56-57 (Revised English Bible) “Every scroll of the law that was found was torn up and consigned to the flames, and 57 anyone discovered in possession of a Book of the Covenant or conforming to the law was by sentence of the king condemned to die.”
(7) 2 Chronicles 21:7 (KJV) 7 Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.
(8) Haggai 2:9 (NIV) 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
(9) Genesis 1:3-4 (NIV) 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
(10) Genesis 1:2 (KJV) 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(11) John 1:6-9 (NIV) 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
(12) First Book of the Maccabees 4: 36, 49 (Revised English Bible) “Judas and his brothers said: ‘Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to cleanse and rededicate the temple.’ 49 New sacred vessels were made; the lamp stand, the altar of incense, and the table were brought into the temple. 50 They burnt incense on the altar, and they lit the lamps on the lamp stand to shine within the temple.”
(13) First Book of the Maccabees 4: 44-46 (Revised English Bible) “They discussed what to do about the desecrated altar of whole-offerings, and rightly decided to demolish it, for fear it might become a lasting reproach to them because it had been defiled by the Gentiles. They therefore pulled down the altar, and stored away the stones in a suitable place on the temple hill, until there should arise a prophet to give a decision about them.”
(14) Matthew 15:24 (TLB) 24 Then he said to the woman, "I was sent to help the Jews—the lost sheep of Israel—not the Gentiles."
(15) Leviticus 24:1-4 (NIV) 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before the LORD must be tended continually.
(16) Psalm 132:17 (ASV) 17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
(17) John 10:37-38 (TLB) 37 Don’t believe me unless I do miracles of God.
38 But if I do, believe them even if you don’t believe me. Then you will become convinced that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
(18) Luke 2:28-32 (NIV) 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
(19) John 12:36 (ASV) 36 While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light. These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them.
(20) Revelation 22:1-5 (YLT) 1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb: 2 in the midst of its broad place, and of the river on this side and on that, is a tree of life, yielding twelve fruits, in each several month rendering its fruits, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations; 3 and any curse there shall not be any more, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, 4 and they shall see His face, and His name is upon their foreheads, 5 and night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and light of a sun, because the Lord God doth give them light, and they shall reign--to the ages of the ages.
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