Disaster Movies and Hanukkah

Do you remember your favourite disaster movie? Perhaps it’s your favourite due to how tense you felt through the entire 2^nd half. Disaster movies occupy a unique place in popular culture, blending spectacle, emotion, and existential dread into narratives that simultaneously unsettle and captivate audiences. Whether the threat is an asteroid hurtling toward Earth, a global pandemic, a super-volcano, or the collapse of civilisation, these films operate on a predictable but powerful formula: introduce catastrophic stakes, test the limits of human resilience, and ultimately reveal something about the human spirit. Although they often rely on grandiose visual effects and exaggerated scenarios, their emotional core rests on the notion that crises strip away illusion and reveal what truly matters.

In many disaster films, the chaos is not merely physical but also social. Systems fail, communication breaks down, and everyday norms evaporate. Without shared rituals and cultural anchors, characters lose a sense of continuity and meaning. 

This framework provides a surprising avenue to explore an entirely different idea: what might the world be like if Hanukkah did not exist? At first glance, the absence of a holiday seems trivial compared to an asteroid impact or global flood. Yet, when viewed through the thematic lens of disaster storytelling, the comparison becomes clearer and more revealing.

Hanukkah is not only a religious celebration for Jewish people, but also a major cultural and emotional touchstone. It functions as a seasonal pause—a moment in which people reset, reconnect, and reaffirm values such as generosity, hope, and unity. Even for those who do not celebrate it religiously, the season brings traditions, rituals, and communal rhythms that influence social life. Removing Hanukkah from the calendar would not cause physical destruction, but it would create a subtler form of cultural void, a loss of symbolic structure that shapes the emotional climate of society.

In many disaster movies, characters struggle not only with survival but also with the collapse of the familiar. The loss of Hanukkah would produce a similar, though gentler, disorientation. The absence of the menorah, the holiday lights, family gatherings, seasonal music, gift-giving, and charitable practices would create a quieter world, one in which winter up north felt longer, darker, and less punctuated by warmth. The emotional resilience displayed by characters in disaster films mirrors the resilience people might need to cultivate in a world stripped of its winter rituals.

Moreover, disaster films often explore the importance of community. When catastrophe strikes, characters’ differences become secondary to their shared humanity. In this way, the communal spirit that emerges in disaster scenarios mirrors the communal spirit that Hanukkah encourages in real life. Without Hanukkah, society might lose one of its most accessible avenues for collective empathy. The symbolic reset that occurs each year—when people reflect, give, forgive, and hope—would vanish. Disaster movies teach us that rituals and shared moments are essential not because they prevent catastrophe but because they provide meaning in the face of it.

Thus, while the absence of Hanukkah would not constitute a disaster in the cinematic sense, it would remove a stabilizing narrative from the cultural calendar. Disaster movies remind us that amid chaos, what keeps humanity intact is not survival alone but the stories, traditions, and connections that give our lives coherence. In that sense, a world without Hanukkah would echo the emotional landscape of disaster films: a world searching for light in the dark.

But by this I’m speaking only of the cultural values of Hanukkah. What about the reality, the historical narrative that we sing about, we tell about, and retell about, each 25 Kislev. What about the Maccabees and Antiochus Ephiphanes? Can we honestly separate the history, the story itself, from our cultural takeaways? If there were no Judah Maccabee and the Jewish people had indeed bowed to the Syrian Greeks in 168 BCE, what would be the disaster? 

To me, those secularists who remove this true story from the holiday, those atheist Jews who only want the cultural story to win out, make this season into a morality play about survival based on theatre and not about truth. That’s not how I was raised. The purpose of telling the story is not that everyone should have religious freedom. The event, whether this one we celebrate tonight, the faithful defiant stance of the Maccabees against the governmental demands in Mod’in in what we call Israel, or the Passover story as we Jews withstood the slavery and polytheistic overlords in Egypt—all those events are real, historical and yes, have cultural takeaways. 

Without the real event with real Jewish characters standing up for God and His ways, and without God intervening and sparing the few Jewish rebels, then what’s the point of teaching this as history? And if it’s not an event in history, then our story becomes as meaningful as anyone else’s story against us. If our story is only an Aesop’s fable or a disaster movie, if Hollywood could tell it as accurately or remove from it the “Based on a true story” opening, then this fiction has no substance at all. Everyone can tell a story and draw from it whatever they want. That, I aver, would be a disaster.

The truth is Antiochus had demanded total honour from his people over whom he ruled. Some Hellenized Jewish people had acceded to his demands. Mattathias Maccabee, a Judean priest, and his sons withstood that demand and especially the bowing to the idol of Antiochus as it travelled into Mod’in. They even killed a Jew as well as a Seleucid overlord there. Over in Jerusalem, some Syrian Greeks had set up an idol in the Holy Temple and sacrificed to it, even a pig was slaughtered and its blood sprinkled on the altar. When his father died, Judah Maccabee stood up and continued the rebellion against such blasphemous and hostile desecration. Finally, after three years, on 25 Kislev in 165 BCE, they purged the Greeks from the Temple and cleansed and dedicated it to the Lord. The Hebrew word “Hanukkah” means “Dedication,” and it is that whole story, based on a true story, which is worth telling and retelling, and remembering in this season and any time. 

If you really want to carry this further, if that disaster had worked fully, and if there were no faithful Jews in 165 BCE, then I imagine it would have continued 200 more years. If God had not intervened and strengthened His people and caused them to repent of their idolatrous ways and turned back to Him… if God had been removed from the conversation in Greece or Rome or throughout the known world in say, -4 BCE, then there would be no Christmas story either. No wise men looking for the King of the Jews. No Jewish old people like Simeon or Anna waiting in the Temple in Jerusalem for the Hope of Israel. If there were no Hanukkah, there would be no birth of the Messiah, no shepherds in the field and angels singing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” Without Hanukkah there would be no Christmas. 

And without Christmas there would be no cultural takeaways like the holiday lights, family gatherings, seasonal music, gift-giving, and charitable practices. Without Christmas, society might lose one of its most accessible avenues for collective empathy. The symbolic reset that occurs each year—when people reflect, give, forgive, and hope—would vanish. Disaster movies teach us that rituals and shared moments are essential not because they prevent catastrophe but because they provide meaning in the face of it.

Yes, it would be a disaster to have a world without Hanukkah and Christmas. The Jewish people would be gone like so many other ancient peoples: the Seleucids, the Hittites, the Mesopotamians, the Amorites, and the like. But worse than that, we would not have the birth of the greatest Jew who ever lived, the Saviour of the World, who was born in a village as small as Mod’in, named Bethlehem. His birth and substantial life that followed brings hope to a waiting world. Not because of family gift-giving, but because God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jesus laid down His life of his own volition 33 years later a cross there in Jerusalem within walking distance of the Holy Temple. That happened. It’s not a fable. It’s the true story. 

What you do with that story determines your takeaways. 

Do you believe it? If so, join Simeon and Anna. If you believe it, join the shepherds and angels singing. If so, join me and countless others in proclaiming “Jesus is Lord” to the glory of God the Father.  Then it will be a great Hanukkah and great Christmas. The real disaster is hearing the story and thinking this is only a movie plot. Dear friend, the truth is out there. Embrace it. Believe it. Celebrate Him.

 

 

Hanukkah and Christmas.... similar but oh so different

What a great season it has been to remember what God did for us in this season so long ago. He spared the Jewish people at Hanukkah, allowing us to gain a military victory over the Syrian Greeks in 165 BCE after a three-year struggle against King Antiochus. The war had raged so severely that we had not been able to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for three months. So when the Temple was rededicated back to God, we celebrated the Feast. That feast is the only 8-day holiday in the Scripture, so that's why Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday in our calendars.

The story (myth, legend, tale) of the 'miracle of the oil' is great, whether it did or didn't happen.

As a result of the dedication (the Hebrew word is Hanukkah), the Jews were allowed to practice our religion both privately and publicly. Again. Praise the Lord.

Then 160 years later, an angel came to Miriam and Yosef in what we now call Israel and brought them startling news that they were going to be part of the Greatest Story ever told. Miriam was to be the mother of the Son of God, and they were to call their new baby Yeshua, which means "God saves." The couple travelled from the Galilee region to Bethlehem in Judea for the census and the birth of the baby.

Unusual guests came to visit during their sojourn there including shepherds and angels and mysterious astronomers from far distant lands east of Judea. All came to hear, to see, to adore, to help announce the Birth of the Jewish Messiah.

Hanukkah is a story of survival, success and salvation for the Jewish people.

Christmas is a story of salvation for all people.

Both are great stories, because they are both stories of the God of the universe who loves all people and wants us to know him personally and is willing to condescend to be among us, to become one of us, to show us the way to relationship with him. Praise the Lord.

Happy (last day of) Hanukkah.

Happy 9th day of Christmas.

Happy New Year 2025.

Enjoy the Lord of life today. Praise the Lord.

The Bible’s mistake and The Great Divide

Last week, our new friend Chris taught the first half of this chapter, and today, I’m privileged to share some thoughts from the 2^nd half of John 10. I will update you a bit on the ministry of Jews for Jesus, with whom I’ve worked for 45 years, and encourage your participation and financial support. I will also mention Advent, Hanukkah and Christmas as well. Let’s get to it.

 

In last week’s episode, we saw a controversy in Jerusalem. Listen, I’m a Jew…for Jesus… I’m used to controversy. This one started with Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath back in John chapter 9. That’s not only a historical marker; it was a clever design by Messiah to cause a problem. Had Jesus healed the blind man on a Tuesday or a Thursday, it would have been great, to be sure, but it would have been acceptable to many. Both the when (his healing on Saturday) and how he healed caused an uproar. There are times when Jesus wanted to be a stirrer. But is that all he intended? And did he get what he intended?

You see, the blind man was unknown. We never learn his name. After he was healed, some of his neighbours wondered if that was the same fellow they used to notice but never noticed. He had been disregarded in his blind situation. The rabbis taught that blindness was a curse, and therefore, there was a reluctance to interact with him. (John 9:34) After he was healed, some religious leaders wanted him to testify about the person who healed him. The blind man didn’t know anything about him; all he knew was the result of the encounter. He could see.

The religious leaders subpoenaed his parents to testify. They were reluctant to testify about Jesus because of social pressure. All the while, Jesus was nearby, and his miracle was stirring the crowd. 

But remember, it wasn’t only the day of the week that was controversial. It was the mechanism of the healing. “He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” So he went away and washed and came back seeing. (John 9.6-7)

Who else but a blind man would let someone stick mud in his face? 

But beyond that, think about what Jesus is saying of himself in that moment. With others, he forgave them to cause healing. With others he said, “Stretch out your hands” and they were healed. In this case, he spat, bent down, collected the mud and refashioned the eyes of the blind man. The last time someone took mud from the earth and fashioned a being, it was God in early Genesis. Jesus is saying of himself that he is God!

That’s a controversy that Jesus intended. No wonder the crowd split along party lines. In John 10, we read, “A division occurred again among the Jews because of his words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” (10.19-21)

Yeshua, that’s his Hebrew name, would not have been a good politician. At times, he wanted controversy and division. Always with the purpose of helping people to see him, as the elevated Son of Man, and the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Great Divide would make this happen.

Note what happened in our portion of the Bible just after that healing and the teaching about his being the Good Shepherd. The narrative shows the setting. It’s winter. It’s Jerusalem again. December. In fact, it’s exactly this time of year nearly 2,000 years ago. The feast of Dedication is on. The Hebrew word for the feast is Hanukkah. And people are gathering in the Temple area. 

In verse 24, some leaders of the people asked a fairly straightforward question.

“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

When I first read this passage in 1971, I was 19 years old. I was a hippie, and I was intrigued by the stories I was reading. I had never even heard any of these stories before. There was a division in my life between all the Orthodox Jewish training I had and the amazing life of Yeshua in this book in my lap. 

So when the Judeans asked Jesus to tell them plainly, I sat up. YES, I said, please tell them, and hey, tell us. I want to know the answer. Maybe you here in the congregation in person or online also want to know the answer to that. Is Jesus the Messiah?

The text says, “Jesus answered them, “I told you already, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (.25-30)

Flashback. This story is getting great. I’m reading it alone in my parents’ house in Kansas. It’s fascinating. And it’s reaching a boiling point. Yeshua seems to make his point clearly. 

Then I found a major mistake in the Bible. I wondered why no one had ever caught this before I caught it. Listen, verse 31 says, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” (10.31-32)

See the typo? As I read this in 1971, I’m thinking… I’m new at this whole thing, you see, and only 19, but I recognised that Jesus could not have stood in front of an angry mob, all with stones to stone him, and said, “For which of them are you stoning Me?” or put more simply, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and throw those rocks at me.” 

In my own life, a few years earlier, I had an experience in my synagogue. I remember when I was a young teenager at our Saturday morning services. This was in Autumn 1965. Men wore suits and ties to the synagogue in those days. Ladies wore dresses and hats. My mother had knit me a beautiful white V-neck sweater with blue and red cable stitching; it looked like a cricket jumper. I wore it proudly with my white shirt and necktie. After the rabbi finished his sermon, about 20 minutes before the services concluded, the rabbi called me up from my seat towards the bimah (the platform). He stood above me on the stage, and I was on the ground looking up. He cupped my face in his hand and said, “Nice sweater. Next week, dress properly-- in a suit.” He gave my chin a slight knock and turned to walk away. 

I’ll never forget that moment of shame and embarrassment. It was a horrible moment. I guess I was wrong in those days. I should not have worn such an informal garb. This is still seared in my memory banks.

Now imagine Jesus standing in front of an angry mob, with people holding stones to stone the sinful transgressor, and his saying to those folks, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and level me.” I would never do that. I know my sins. I’m ashamed of them. If I’ve done anything wrong? Ha!

So I found a typo in the Bible. “for which of my works.” It should say, “For which of my words, do you stone me?” Jesus was a poet or a prophet, a philosopher and a wordsmith. A Kahlil Gibran with a skullcap. I figured someone should have caught this error years ago, but they hadn’t. So I kept reading. 

In verse 33, we read, “The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Aha. This was not a typo after all. Jesus did say something that was so outlandish, so controversial, so amazing that it caused his naysayers to become rock throwers. He claimed to be Deity. Some of you have heard that objection from others. They say things like, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” But he did, again and again, and that on several other occasions. 

Remember? Jesus claimed to have God’s powers. He had the power to raise people from the dead, to judge the nations, and to answer prayers. He also claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. He issued forgiveness, and they were upset at this role, which “Only God can” accomplish. He allowed others to worship him. (Matthew 28.9-10, Matthew 14.33, John 9.37-38). Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8.58). What did the people do when they heard Jesus say that? They picked up stones to stone him. Seems a regular response by those who don’t want to hear from him.

This idea of the deity of Jesus began to be clear to me that afternoon in Kansas, and over the last 50 years, like an old-time Polaroid camera, the image gets clearer the longer I read and listen to the words of Scripture. 

Back in our passage, Yeshua declared that the Scripture cannot be broken, that the Word of God is ever alive and trustworthy, and that his own actions, whether in healing the blind man, feeding 5,000, walking on water, raising people from the dead… whatever his works, they testify to the authenticity of God being in your midst.

He said, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (10.37-38)

Here’s my takeaway from today’s reading. Yeshua declared himself deity and some believed him. Some did not. And the Great Divide happened then, and the controversy continues to this day. Until he makes his enemies a footstool for his feet, Jesus will continue to be a controversial figure. Not only in the Bible, but in my life and in our lives, here on the North Shore and wherever we travel.

Look at the final verse in today’s reading. John says, “Many believed in him there.” (10.42)

 Santa Claus, on the other hand, is not controversial. He’s everyone’s favourite, bringing presents to the children who seek him. What could cause a division in a house there? No wonder the world has welcomed the jolly man-in-the-red-suit who sits in Westfield shopping centres and smiles and lies to children everywhere. Frankly, I prefer the honesty and controversy of the Messiah, the Son of God, Yeshua. The one we await at Advent. The one whose birth we note at Christmas. The one who ever lives to make intercession for us. That one. The real Saviour.

Perhaps we North Shore folks don’t experience the Great Divide very often. Most people are civil here. We softly mention controversial points of contention but don’t get into too many arguments. So when I encourage you to share this Good News message with your Jewish mates, colleagues, and even your in-laws, you may anticipate and withdraw from the probable differences. For you, controversy may be a bridge too far. 

However, a disciple is someone who wants three things. One, to be with his Master, secondly, he wants to be like his Master, and third, he wants to do what his Master does or did. I’m not saying you should seek controversy, but neither should you avoid it, if the issue is the person of Yeshua himself. 

45 years ago, my wife Patty and our firstborn, then a baby moved from Kansas to California to begin a journey with the missionary organization Jews for Jesus. Who knew it would take us around the country and then around the world to share the love of God in Jesus with Jewish people, and anyone else who is listening? I had no clue. We have lived in Sydney, in fact, here in this parish, for 26 years, and now are spending half the year here, and half in Nashville, where two of our children and five of our grandchildren live. 

No matter where we live, however, we bring the Gospel to folks and seek to make the name of Jesus the Great Name. When we do, it often brings a Great Divide, and that cost is… well, it’s worth paying.  Because people like Adi in Melbourne, like Michael in Yagoona or Gavin in Sydney’s east are alive and well, now professing the Great Name because you have prayed, because you have donated, you keep us out there, and available to them. 

I remember first meeting Gav about 15 years ago. His Christian wife dragged (I mean, encouraged) this South African Jewish man into our shop in Bondi and he was formal and aloof, but pleasant. Each time I tried to reach out to him in subsequent months and years, his response was the same. “It’s ok for my wife, but not for me” Then a year ago, his daughter came into our shop and when she signed up to hear more from us, I recognized the surname as being an unusually spelled name. I asked and she answered, “Yes, that’s my dad.” So I rang Gavin later that week and again, polite, but resistant. OK, fast forward to this August and I returned from our US stint. I made an appointment to meet with a Jewish enquirer in a café in Bondi. While waiting for that fellow, this couple approached me and she exclaimed, “Bob, I have some good news to share with you!” Immediately I recognized Gavin and his Asian wife and said, “Wait. Gavin, you tell me what happened, won’t you?” For the first time in his life, he shared that controversy sentence, “I became a believer in Jesus.” And it was only a couple of weeks earlier. 

We have continued to meet in person to study the Bible and to answer his myriads of questions. He’s growing into a disciple in good time. We have many such stories of real Jews finding the real Jesus and each story is miraculous. 

I tell you his story in particular because it’s so recent and because I believe you will pray for him and his family. Each Jewish person who says ‘YES’ to Yeshua experiences two things: 1) a personal encounter with the Living God and commensurate peace and joy as well as 2) controversy from their family and friends. 

I did. Michael in Yagoona did. Gavin is already feeling it. 

I believe that each of us here at LCM has and will continue to experience the cost of following Yeshua. Controversy happens. If you stand for the One about whom I’m speaking today, you will bring the Great Divide into some of your relationships. May we know the comfort of God’s peace when the world around us falls apart, and when others chide us for being “Holy Joe” or “Holy Josephine” Don’t avoid controversy; stand up for Messiah in this worrisome season when people don’t seem to know how to speak peaceably with one another. He will stand with us. He wants to make his name known among all peoples, amen?

For those who want to hear more from me and from Jews for Jesus, please use this QR code now on the screen to visit our website, to sign up there, to read my testimony there, and even to donate if you would like. You could also fill out the white card you received and turn that in to me at the resource table in the foyer near morning tea. 

To each of us here at LCM, may you know the joy of Jesus personally, and may we work together to be true disciples, who want to be with him, who want to be like him, and who want to do what he did. Amen? Shalom!

 

 

 

What's next?

 It was early September and I walked through my local Costco to get my shopping done for almost a month when I turned left at the two aisles of books. So many great titles that caught my eye and I imagined it would benefit my mind and some titles that my grandsons would enjoy as well. But I was on a mission and didn't really have time to investigate so many stacks. So back to the main aisle and I was caught out by the two to three-metre green Christmas trees. And other colours. And...wait a minute... it's September!

We had not had a race of horses in Melbourne that stopped the nation. 

The US had not had another contested and stolen election (did they ever have one of those?)

Canada had not celebrated its Thanksgiving in October.

Calendar confusion seemed to be front and centre in my shopping cart. But that was three months ago. 

Now it's 18 December and I'm in Nashville USA. Almost every radio station is playing Christmas music. Deck the halls,  Frosty the snowman. Away in a manger. O come Emmanuel. It's all there. But wait a minute... it's not even Christmas.

Yes, here's a bit of historical reorienting. Christmas begins next Sunday evening. Why then? It's 24 December. Christmas Eve. Just like our Jewish celebrations which begin the evening before the next daytime, Christian holidays (and seasons as well) begin the evening before. Historically at the 'midnight mass' which I guess is 25 December, but as locked-in times 12 midnight got morphed into 11 pm candlelight or 4:30 pm Family church gatherings with donkeys and shepherds and... the eve launched the day. So Christmas begins on Christmas Eve. That's when you put up a tree. That's when you build the macano set or put the hobby horse together and put it with the bicycle and the doll under the tree. 

Then there are 12 days of Christmas. You remember partridge, pear tree. Five golden rings. 12 days. Or maybe you remember Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" having a Christmas orientation. On the 6th of January in the Western church, Epiphany takes place. Yup, 12 days after Christmas. Just like Jewish people have 8 days of Hanukkah every year with commensurate latkes and dreidels, with family gatherings and gifts and gelt... Christians historically had 12 days to ponder the drama of the birth of the greatest Jew who ever lived. Messiah, Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth. 

12 days is a package of time which is reasonable. And not at all overwhelming. Simple. Time to ponder and reflect on the great story. 

But when "Christmas" begins in September, we are exhausted by 25 December. No wonder most put their Christmas trees on the sidewalk outside their houses by 26 December. They are over it. Families return to their (own) homes, the sales of Black Friday are nothing compared to the Boxing Day sales. Merchandise Day-- it ought to be titled. 

Next year, Hanukkah begins on Christmas. That will be confusing to many, but we have another year to plan for the madness I anticipate then. 

For now, enjoy the end of Advent and ready your heart to prepare Him room. Let every heart prepare Him room.  Born is the King of Israel. Yeshua, Messiah, Saviour. 

What's next? For me it will be Christmas Eve on Sunday and Christmas on Monday. I don't really care if Yeshua was born on that day 2,000 years ago. It's unlikely that it was in the winter. Even so, it doesn't matter -- I'm glad the world stops and notices this story, and some process the wonder and the majesty of the birth of the Messiah who conquered sin 30 years later on the Roman cross in Jerusalem. 

Have you processed that truth? For yourself, I mean? Have you? Will you?

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

To thee.

Process that one. Please.

Merry Messiah-mas!

Hanukkah Questions and Answers

What does Hanukkah celebrate?

https://youtu.be/WiajYjXvGz8

 

Happy Hanukkah! This is the Jewish holiday celebrated worldwide in December each year, which marks the anniversary of a military victory about 2100 years ago. The occupier of the land of Israel then was a Syrian Greek king named Antiochus the Fourth. He was not good for the Jews, and even went so far as to outlaw the Jewish religion. He ordered us Jews to worship Greek gods. In the year 168 B.C., his soldiers massacred hundreds of people in Jerusalem and desecrated the holy Temple. They built an altar to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on it.

 

The story goes that one man, Mattathias Maccabee, and his five sons rose up in a little village named Modi’in, and called on the Jewish people to join them against Antiochus. Their call was successful, as many joined in the fight. Mattathias died a couple years later, and his son Judah Maccabee took over, and finished the recapture of Jerusalem.

 

When they entered the holy Temple, they found the desecration overwhelming. They rededicated the place to the Lord, and celebrated for 8 days. They probably were celebrating Sukkot, a Jewish holiday they could not practice during the final stages of the war against the Syrians a few months earlier.

 

The word ‘dedication’ is the Hebrew word “Hanukkah”, so when we celebrate Hanukkah, we are celebrating the dedication of the holy Temple 2100 years ago, and for messianic Jews, we are dedicating ourselves again and again to the Living God and to His plan, who loves all people in December, and throughout our days. Happy Hanukkah!

 

 

What is the meaning of the Menorah?

https://youtu.be/V8VZalpUuIg

 

The Bible describes a lampstand (Exodus 25.31-34) that was in use in the Holy Temple about 2000 years ago. It had seven branches and was lit with oil. So, the modern Menorah is similar, but not the same as that one. We use nine branches in the modern menorah, which many title a Hanukkiah.

The legend of Hanukkah is retold that when the Maccabees entered the Holy Temple and sought to ready it for regular use again, they found only one small jar of oil that had been prepared. The oil in this jar would have been enough to burn for only one day, but amazingly the little amount lasted for 8 days. So that’s why some people celebrate the holiday for 8 days.

 

But why 9 branches then?

The ninth candle is a servant candle, which is used to light the others in turn.

The menorah in Bible days was a reminder of God’s light being given to all people, representing His knowledge, His presence, and His glory. Yeshua, our Messiah, and the Servant of the Lord, declared Himself to be the “Light of the World” in Jerusalem, and we as Messianic Jews agree. Happy Hanukkah!

 

Did Jesus celebrate Hanukkah?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfvPxPOF_Wk

 

Today when we say ‘holiday celebrations’, we often think of foods, greeting cards and family gatherings, as in celebrating Thanksgiving or Mother’s Day. It’s unfair to link this to the same in ancient Israelite practices. That said, the use of Hanukkah as a marker in the Scriptures is clear. Remember the Older Testament ends before Hanukkah had even taken place. Hanukkah marks a military victory in 165 BCE.

 

Did Yeshua celebrate Hanukkah? He was in Jerusalem, in the Temple, at that time. John chapter 10 records “At that time the Feast of the Dedication (or Hanukkah) took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Yeshua was walking in the temple! The Jewish leaders gathered around Him, and asked Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  Yeshua answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me…I and the Father are one.” (John 10.22-30)

Did Yeshua celebrate Hanukkah? Let’s just say he noticed it, was in the right place to observe it with the Jewish people, and used the occasion to declare Himself the Light of the World and Messiah of Israel. What do you think about that? Have a happy Hanukkah.

 

Is Hanukkah a Biblical Feast? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z20rpA2ofTg

 

Neither the word, nor the holiday Hanukkah is found in the record of the Older Testament, since the canon, the official collection of what is in the Scriptures, was closed before the military victory of the Maccabees occurred. So, the Jewish Bible, the one Yeshua read, has no mention of the story of Antiochus and the Syrian Greeks, of Judah Maccabee and the few beating up on the many. The story of Hanukkah is similar to the story of David and Goliath.

That the Newer Testament mentions the holiday (John 10.22) as a marker of a time when Yeshua was in the precinct of the Holy Temple is significant. But most non-Jewish Christians don’t celebrate Hanukkah at all.

Many Jewish believers in Jesus do celebrate the holiday in measure, that is, in some form or another. Whether with dreidels or latkes, with sufganiyot or family gatherings, Hanukkah is a great time of year to remind ourselves of God, and of His love for us.

 

 

Is there a Messianic significance to Hanukkah? 

https://youtu.be/r29w9qo6A28

 

There is no prophetic significance about a coming messiah from the annals of the Jewish people and the holiday of Hanukkah. It is a great time of year, in Israel when the weather is getting colder, and in Russia, Europe and North America, as a sort of answer to all the glitter and merriment of Christmas. In the Southern hemisphere when the weather is warming and summer approaching, the joy of that season is great, but again, nothing is messianic about this holiday.

That said, however, the Messiah did proclaim Himself as deity on Hanukkah. (John 10.30) That proclamation was in direct answer to some Jewish leaders who wanted to know what Yeshua was saying of Himself. On that occasion, in the precinct of the Holy Temple, Yeshua identified Himself as equal with the Father God.

What was the reaction of the crowd, especially of the leadership? They picked up stones to stone him! (John 10.31) They knew what He was saying. Their anger was palpable, and yet He eluded their grasp. (John 10.39)

What is your reaction to the claim—Yeshua claimed to be deity. What do you think about that?  Happy Hanukkah!

 

 

 

 

Is there any connection between Hanukkah and Christmas?

https://youtu.be/SRqWsyDL6Z8

 

The only real connection is the calendar-sharing between the two holidays. Before 1900, the commercialism and consumerism which drives the Christmas season and gift purchasing in these days was not known. I know, it’s hard to imagine a year when we don’t see Christmas glitter and sale items beginning in October in your favorite stores, but before the turn of the 20^th century, Christmas was a quiet, at home, or at church, holy day. In 1930 or so, when Coca Cola began in their advertising, using a department store Santa in a red suit, the Christmas we know in these days was born.

 

As a direct result, Jewish families, who were left out of the traditional Christmas because of religious convictions, created a new Hanukkah, with increased gift giving and decorations which would have been completely unknown 100 years earlier.

 

But the only real connection between Christmas and Hanukkah is that Yeshua, the Light of the World, whose birth was trumpeted by angels and shepherds and wise men 2000 years ago, may not have been born were it not for Hanukkah. If Antiochus and any other evil anti-Semitic king had been successful in wiping out the Jewish people, then there would be no Christmas. After all, Christmas is a Jewish holiday. It’s the celebration of the birth of the greatest Jew who ever lived. Who do you think Jesus is? Have a happy Hanukkah!

 

Can our family celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas? 

https://youtu.be/h8U8DpOSOU8

 

So many families today are blends of races or religions, of step-children and 2^nd partners, that it’s often hard to keep track of traditions and compatibilities. At this time of year, when people of faith want to lock into history and future, we heartily recommend an honest celebration of holidays.

 

If your family is composed of someone Jewish and someone Christian, perhaps a mutual joint celebration of each, in the integrity of each holiday would be warranted.

 

For Jewish people, Hanukkah is the story of God delivering us from evil and oppression. We were freed to practice our religion however we saw fit. According to the Bible, Christmas, or the birth of Yeshua, celebrates the deliverance of all people from sin, and its power to oppress and dominate us. Both holidays are about freedom and about God.

 

Don’t blur them into being neither fish nor fowl. What I mean is don’t use a Christmukah bush or something which would demean both holidays of their deeper meaning. Let Hanukkah talk about God; let Christmas talk to you about the birth of the King of Israel.

 

Happy Hanukkah! Shalom.