Why Are Christians Celebrating Hanukkkah?

December 06, 2009 | admin | Comments 8

Hanukkah (or Chanukkah) is the Jewish Festival of Dedication, also known as the “Festival of Lights.”

It is an eight-day festival. In 2009 Hanukkah is from sunset, December 11 to sunset, December 19.

The Holiday of Lights — celebrating the miracle of a little oil that lasted eight days, and continues to illuminate our lives to this day. What a wonderful time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that God has done for us, by giving us new light and new life.

Jesus celebrate Hanukkah at the Temple. As Christians, we can celebrate the “Festival of Lights” as we rededicate our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as the perfect and true light of this world.

The first time our family celebrated Hanukkah I was amazed how much we learned about Bible times–(sorry to say much more than learned from any Christian holiday).

The Light of the World

Jesus preached three sermons in which he declared Himself the “light of the world,” and all three could have been during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.

(It is not clear from the text when this incident happened, but it was some time between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah); both of these celebrations focused on light).

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them (John 12:35-36).

Just before Jesus announced that He was the Light of the world, Jesus had shone upon the conscience of those who accused the adulteress. Read the story in John Chapter 8.

John also records Jesus healing a blind man (9:1-12) at about the same time (8:12 and 9:5) that Jesus declared himself to be the Light of the world.

When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing (John 9:5-7).

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