There IS a significant connection between Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, and the birth of the world’s Redeemer, the Light of the World!
This year Hanukkah begins at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, and continues through sundown on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
Furthermore, the fact that Hanukkah and Christmas converge so closely this year draws Christians closer to the beleaguered Jewish people in this dangerous hour.
Over a year after the horrific events of October 7th, hostages still remain in Gaza. This week, President-Elect Trump made the strongest statement yet calling for the release of all hostages, stating, “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
President Trump also warned Hamas that there will be grave consequences if they do not release the hostages before he takes office in January. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu responded by stating, “”President Trump put the emphasis in the right place, on Hamas, and not on the Israeli government, as is customary [elsewhere].”
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for all hostages to be returned safely during this Season of Light!
Hanukkah is associated with the conception of Jesus due to certain theological interpretations and chronologies that link biblical events with Jewish holidays.
Here are the key points explaining this association:
Timing of Conception and Birth: Some scholars and theologians suggest that Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah based on the timing of events described in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel of Luke. If John the Baptist was conceived around the time of the priestly service of his father Zechariah, which some interpret to be during the month of Sivan, and Jesus was conceived six months later as described in Luke 1: 26-33, this would place the conception of the Savior around the time of Hanukkah, which falls in the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar.
Symbolic Connection: Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miraculous burning of the menorah oil. When the Maccabees rededicated the Temple in 164 B.C. after a three-year war, they only had enough oil to light the menorah for one night. However, the oil miraculously lasted eight days, allowing time to make more oil. Symbolically, this is connected to Jesus, who referred to himself as “the light of the world” in John 8:12.
And as the world grows darker, we rejoice in the theme of light overcoming darkness.
There’s also a cultural aspect: some Christian or Messianic groups celebrate Hanukkah due to its mention in the New Testament. In John Chapter 10, Jesus attended the “Feast of Dedication,” which is Hanukkah. The fact that Jesus celebrated this festival has led some theologians to reflect on the significance of light and dedication in relation to his life, including his conception.
While the exact date of Jesus’ birth is not known, there are narratives suggesting that his birth might align with the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), leading to the idea that his conception as the Light of the World would be nine months prior, around the time of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in the 2nd century BC. Because the temple menorah oil burned miraculously for eight days, it is also known as the Festival of Lights.
The festival commemorates the Maccabean Revolt, when a group of Jewish freedom fighters overthrew the Seleucids and rededicated the temple which had been defiled. The Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes (an antitype foreshadowing of the Antichrist) had forced the Jews to abandon their sacrifices and adopt pagan rituals.
The holiday and the miracle of the oil are celebrated with joy and gladness. Doughnuts fried in oil are a special Hanukkah treat.
The New Testament definitely records that Jesus, (Yeshua is his Hebrew name), observed the Hanukkah festival. Let’s look at John 10: 22, “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.”
Furthermore, as we reflect on this Season of Light, in 1 John 1: 5, Jesus said, “God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”
He also stated in John 12: 46, “I am come a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness.”
The ultimate message of Hanukkah is eschatological. When Messiah Yeshua returns, He will sit upon King David’s throne and judge the world as the King of Israel from Jerusalem. This is the real reason for Satan’s fury at Israel’s restoration today.
Intercessors for Israel asks this week—”Yet why are so many believers blind to this and thus do not perceive what the spiritual battle over Israel is all about?”
This world is passing away and the Kingdom of Heaven will one day be established upon the earth. We live in light of this blessed hope (Titus 2:13). The world’s rulers are “on notice” from God Almighty: their days are numbered and they will surely face the judgment of the LORD God of Israel, so declares Psalm 2 and many other verses.
Meanwhile, we withstand evil by refusing to conform to the world around us. As the Lord admonished us in Matthew 5: 16, “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Followers of Jesus—Yeshua— are representatives of His Presence in this dark world – and during this Hanukkah season may we rededicate our lives, our personal temples, as living stones and may our lights shine brilliantly to his glory!
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